'A show where thrilling things happen every day'

Egyptian actress Sawsan Badr leads Egyptian actress Sawsan Badr leads a busy life, nowadays, as she is co-starring in the new film ‘Saa Wa Nesf’ (An Hour and a Half) while preparing for shooting three TV series for Ramadan 2012 . In addition, she just finished shooting the third season of the series ‘Lahazat Hariga’ (Critical Moments), saying that it is the “closest to her heart”.
‘Arabstoday’ sat down for an interview with Sawsan Badr where she shared her most recent experiences.
AT: What is new in the third season of 'Lahazat Hariga'?
SB: This show is of a very particular nature, and it is the closest to my heart, as its episodes and events could continue forever, for it is based on the events inside a hospital emergency room, where new difficult and thrilling incidents take place every day. In each season, we focus on one aspect of the show. In the first season, the focus was on the temperament of the hospital, and introducing the idea of the show, which is considered new in the Arab world, as it adopted from a foreign show. As for the second season, the show focused on the relationships between the doctors. The third season highlights the relationship between the doctors and the cases or patients in the hospital, whether they are intimate or reserved, in an endless variety of incidents. I think the audience is now committed to the events and the stars of the show, as when the second season aired last Ramada, it achieved high viewership; I received plenty of positive feedback on the show, some of them were from friends and relatives, others were from the public audience even outside Egypt and across the Arab world, who were eager to watch the third season.
AT: ‘Al-Daly’ TV series, in which you starred, was broadcast after a one year delay, what was the feedback to it?
SB: I was happy with the delay of the show, although I didn’t know that this year’s circumstances would reduce the amount of broadcast shows, which resulted in a higher viewership, but I always felt that the delay would serve the work, for it is a very successful show and deserves the success.
AT: What difference did you portray in the character in its newest season?
SB: There is major development in the character in this season; the Daly family goes through different and harsh conditions, so we get to see to what extent a person can change attitude reactions in accordance with the surrounding circumstances. ‘Olfat’ goes through a few situations, like the Saad remarrying over her, which “demoted her worth” and led to a 180 degrees change in her attitudes and decisions, so I felt that the character was new, even though I presented it before.
AT: Do you see a competition between the Syrian and Turkish drama and the Egyptian drama?
SB: I refuse to refer to it as a “competition”, all these types of drama are to be respected and appreciated by all, whether Egyptian or Syrian. We cannot deny that Syrian historic drama surpassed us, while we outdo them in social drama. As for Turkish drama, it is completely different in form and context, in other words, they are far from the Egyptian drama in every way; in the topics they address, the customs and traditions, the cinematography, the costumes, and even the way the actors look. Nonetheless, generally speaking, nothing competes with Egyptian drama.
AT: It was said last year that there would be a second season to the TV series ‘Aiza Atgawez’ (I Want to Get Married), is it true?
SB: This is the first time I hear such a thing, but I hope it happens. The show was a new experience to me, and I think it was met with audience admiration and success, so I a second season would be a good idea, and I hope I can participate in it.
AT: What about the movie ‘Saa Wa Nesf’ (An Hour and a Half) which was recently shot?
SB: The film follows the same trend as ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Farah’ (Wedding), which deals with a group of individuals, to each their own character and personal thoughts. Ahmed Abdallah, the author, is a great fan of the concept; he takes a segment of people every time, puts them in one place, and sheds light on them. This time, he put us on a train with different kinds and forms of passengers, as events unfold through the ride.
AT: If you are offered a work on the revolution, would you take it?
SB: I don’t know if I will yet, but I think we should wait for a while for such works so that it will be enriched, as things and events are still unraveling every day, and there are many details which are still not clear or organized, which would make writing a script difficult now, especially that we don’t want to simply ride the wave of the revolution or commercially use it, we want to historically document it. So I believe we should wait till the full picture is clear.
AT: What about joining Egyptian star Yehia el-Fakharani in the series ‘Khawaga Abdel Qader’?
SB:  I’m very happy to be selected among the stars of the show for I love working with Yehia Fakharani. I especially loved working with him last Ramadan in the series ‘Qessas al-Haywan fel Quraan’ (Stories of Animals in Quraan). In the new show, my character goes through two phases. At the beginning of the events, my character is portrayed as a girl living in Upper Egypt in 1940, she then grows to be an old woman in 2006. The show focuses on the social humane aspect, and how to observe some conditions and work on solving them in a compassionate way through the character of the Khawaja Abdel Qader.
AT: What about the series ‘El-Nar Wel-Teen’ (Fire and Mud)?
SB: The series is written by Anwar Abdel Mogheith, Voice of Cairo Audi and Video production, and directed by Ahmed Fahmi Abdel Zaher. Rania Farid Shawki, Ola Ghanim, Magdi Fekri, Yasser Galal, and Nesma Mahmoud are stars in the series. I act the role of a domineering woman who treats other around her in a way that drives them angry.
AT: What was the last work you signed a contract for?
SB: I recently signed the the contract for a TV series titled ‘Assaqr Shahin’ (Shahin the Hawk), co-starring a large group of stars, including Syrian star Tayem el-Hassan, and Egyptian stars Tawfik Abdel Hamid, Ahmed Ratib, and Ahmed Zaher. The show sheds light on the fisher’s village in Alexandria and their affairs through the character Shahin, played by Tayem el-Hassan. Islam Youssef wrote the script, and Abdel Aziz Hashad will direct it. Shooting is scheduled to start by the end of January.