Exclusive: Amir Eid says 1st acting experience 'added a lot to me'

CAIRO – 23 September 2019: The Egyptian musical "Lama Benetwelled" (When We Are Born) premiered on September 21 in the third edition of El Gouna Film Festival. "Lama Benetwelled" was the only Egyptian feature selected by the festival to premiere in GFF.

The film interweaves the hopes and dreams of three characters at the centre of the Egyptian lifestyle, accompanied by musical narration made by the popular singer, composer, song writer and Cairokee band star, Amir Eid.

The three characters are Ahmed who yearns to pursue a singing career against his father’s will, a romantic Christian woman who is in love with a Muslim man, and a newly-wed personal trainer who must compromise his principles for a better living.

The film is written by late Nadine Shams and directed by Egyptian director Tamer Ezzat.
"Lama Benetwelled" is starring Amir Eid in his first acting experience, Amr Abed, Sameh el-Serety, Ebtihal el-Serety, and Salma Hassan, among others.

Egypt Today sat down with Eid who revealed the details of his first acting experience and upcoming projects

1- What drove you to pursue an acting career now?

Frankly speaking, what attracted me to participate in this film in the first place is that I will perform the movie songs, compose them and write their lyrics along with Sherif el-Hawary from Cairokee. I felt enthusiastic to play this game because it represented an important challenge to me.

2- What did you learn from your first acting experience?

I learned a lot from this experience. I learnt to write and compose in a different way, and to take a certain theme from a scene and use it to write a song. I learnt also how to express a lot of things in a short period of time and to translate the vision of the director. I was curious to know if I will succeed in this experience or not.

3- Some singers were scared to pursue an acting career in fear of failure. How did you overcome this feeling?

I don’t have these insecurities pertaining to image and how people perceive me because at the end of the day I do my best to be a real artist when singing, acting or writing. I strongly believe that different kinds of arts coalesce together. One of my upcoming projects is to cooperate with a painter in one of my future albums to draw a picture reflecting each song so that the album is like a music gallery.
I like artistic cooperation because we develop when we meet inspiring people, who significantly add to us like the movie director Tamer Ezzat.
These people are added value to any person's life. I enjoy my work and I don’t care about my image and I hate the word "my fans" because they are not mine; they are free to choose whoever they want to listen to.

4- What did your first acting experience add to you?

I love to enjoy my life, to try and learn new things. I may succeed in some and will surely fail in others. All I care about is the experience. I learned a lot from my participation in "Lama Bentewelled." I was a totally different person from the one sitting with you now before this experience. I am now artistically better-developed.
I saw how the director works and how he exerts immense efforts with everyone in the cast. I learnt from his role that any artistic work has artistic and managerial sides. Acting wasn’t part of my plans but this step came when I felt I would enjoy it.

5- Will you repeat this experience?

I don’t know if I will repeat this experience in the near future. I don’t have to make this decision now. I enjoyed watching the movie in its premiere yesterday, and I enjoyed receiving positive feedback from my family and friends.

At the same time, I love music so much and this year I have an idea for a music album that will require 9 months of preparation, so I will not go through another acting experience until I finish it. However, if there is a project, like a Cairokee movie, with acting, music and painting in it, I will do it.

Also if there is a good musical project, I will be enthusiastic to be part of it. I am an artist who enjoys everything he is doing and wakes up every day with a different mood, so I let my feelings guide me.

6-Tell us more about the songs in the movie; how did you prepare for them?

There was great harmony between director Tamer Ezzat and me. He used to tell me we need a song to reflect this scene or that feeling and I used to write and compose it and every time I managed to give him exactly what he wants.

7-Tell us more about the cinematic experience you will embark on with Cairokee.
We have a simple idea of a musical that will be directed by Adham el-Sherif. The movie's plot has nothing to do with our real story as Cairokee band; this is all I can say now.

8- Tell us more about Cairokee's next concert in Paris. We know it is already sold out; how do you feel about that?

This is the first time for Cairokee to perform in Paris. We have performed in a number of European countries but not Paris. Of course I was happy to know that all the tickets were sold out and that people are eagerly waiting for us.

After Paris, we will perform in London. It will be a musical tour. We usually go on a tour every year, but every year it is different. Of course we will not sing in a different language because our Arabic language is the one that conveys our feelings the best.

9- Some felt that your character was present in all the movie's songs; does your real character have an influence on your writing and composing?

Before I start writing and composing, I get rid of everything related to Amir and I put myself in the shoes of the character I am preparing the song for. That’s why I loved this movie because in general my songs are about my life experiences and Egypt, so I was happy to change that in the movie, and write, sing and compose romantic songs, a matter away from my comfort zone.

I learned to work on my imagination, as I don’t want to be monotone. I tried to imagine I am Amin, Sara and every character in the movie. The director helped me a lot in every song; he used to tell me about the feeling or the message he wanted in this line or that scene, and he gave me the guidelines that made my mission much easier.
In general, I like to try new things and I am curious to know if I will succeed. I don’t want to be that artist who only does what he knows he can do. I am not afraid of failure. I want to always try new things and if I fail, I will definitely learn.