Egyptian actress, Dina Fouad Arabstoday managed to sit down with rising television star Dina Fouad and have a chat about her career, the Egyptian revolution and what drove her to be famous beyond Egypt and the entire Arab region. The young Egyptian actress is visiting Beirut where she is set to film some scenes for her new show -- following is our exclusive interview with her:
Arabstoday: Needless to say, the Egyptian revolution changed Egypt forever...how were you affected as an artist?
Dina Fouad: We are yet to experience major change, hopefully this will happen with a new president in charge.
AT: Egypt has been fraught with unrest since the revolution broke out, did this negatively affect film production?
DF: I\'m optimistic by nature, and although a lot of productions were halted or cancelled after the revolution, the industry got active again quickly, and there are several series being filmed now in Egypt. As for the movie industry, I\'m optimistic about that too, but seeing noticeable activity may take time, and may also require stars to accept a reduction in their fees so that producers are encouraged to invest.
AT: What are your expectations for  Egyptian TV shows next Ramadan?
DF: I expect a very successful Ramadan for Egyptian soap operas this year, as the last few seasons had so many shows that viewers were confused about what to watch; but the next season will see a number of Egypt\'s most prominent movie stars working in TV series, I call it the \"World Cup of Drama\".
AT: Artists usually have opinions about political conditions in their countries, how do you assess Egypt?
DF: An artist is a part of their society, and if they feel something must be said they have to say it. However, I don\'t like to be involved in politics myself, although I worked for two years as a TV host on a political talk show at the al-Hurra channel, and my show used to review the problems faced by the Egyptian people. I used to be offended by the former regime\'s officials then, who said I was reflecting a bad image of Egypt to the world.
AT: In your show \"Adam\", you played the character of a girl who stood against injustice, do you think Egypt has rid itself of the ages of injustice?
DF: Of course we got rid of it after the January 25 revolution, before the revolution the fate of the whole country lay in the hands of one man.
AT: Why did the successful pairing of you and Tamer Hosni not feature in shows after \"Adam\"?
DF: Tamer is a close friend of mine although the scenes between me and him were not that many in the series, but I hope to work with him again in the near future.
AT: You are considered a talent that made an instant impact on the Egyptian soap opera scene, do you think young actors clash with their more established contemporaries?
DF: Thankfully I share a good relationship with all my fellow actors, based on love and respect, but of course anybody who achieves success has to pay some price.
AT: Are the days of Egypt\'s veteran female stars like Nabila Ebeid and Nadia al-Gindi now behind us?
DF: Not at all.  This year I work with the two stars Fifi Abdou and Nabila Ebeid in season two of the series \"Keid el-Nissa\" (Women\'s Plots), and needless to say season one achieved great success, so the veteran actresses still have their weight in Egypt\'s entertainment industry.
AT: Some said you drew most of the viewers\' attention in season one, what do you say about this?
DF: As I said, the series in general achieved great success and popularity among the viewers, and it is hard to single someone out. I also believe that the star Nabila Ebeid will add a different flavour to the series and the well written script of Mostafa Moharram. If I gained the viewers\' love so I would be very happy, but this is also owing to the collective work of all the cast and crew.
AT: Tell us about your latest news
DF: I have finished filming the movie \"The Bartita\", and still working in three shows set to broadcast in this Ramadan season; which are season two of \"Keid el-Nissa\", \"Al-Ikhwa al-Adaa\" (The Enemy Brothers) with the star Salah al-Saadani, and \"Khotout Hamraa\" (Red Lines), with the star Ahmed al-Saqqa.
AT: As an actress, do you have to sometimes set aside your personal problems for work?
DF: Yes, that is actually what happened to me when my father died, and I had to resume filming one of my shows only 10 days after, as work shouldn\'t be stopped for a single issue.
AT: Rumour has it your house was targeted by thieves during the early days of the revolution, did that really happen?
DF: Actually no, the entire neighbourhood was attacked due to the absence of security in the early days of the revolution, but the defence groups formed by the residents succeeded in protecting the houses.