Morrocan actress Amina Maghrabi has captured TV audiences this Ramadan in not one, but two series, Neheb Tany Leh (Why Fall in Love Again?) and Layalena 80 (Our Nights Are 80). The rising actress is clearly a standout among newcomers on TV this year. Yet, being a newcomer, there’s a lot about Maghrabi that TV watchers don’t know. eniGma’s Ezz Al-Turkey got in touch with this face of the future to uncover her personality and to find out more about her journey in acting and her newfound success.
With a degree in computer engineering from the United Kingdom, acting was not a likely career for Amina Maghrabi. She did, however, break into media when she moved to the U.A.E. to become head of marketing for Sky News. She sometimes got to present the news show as well, and on those occasions would tackle women’s issues and news related to women’s empowerment, which she is passionate about.
Maghraby’s entry into acting came in 2011, when she was asked to audition for a Moroccan film that required a young actress with a perfect Moroccan dialect. Despite having briefly studied stage performance in university, Maghrabi was hesitant to try for the role. “It was never a dream of mine to go into acting. But I went to the audition, thinking I wouldn’t be selected. To my surprise, I was called back and got the part. So it all started by coincidence, and I enjoyed it so much that I decided to apply to acting school. I believe that coincidence plays an important part in your life path and what you choose to do,” Maghrabi recounts.
Despite her success on the screen, Maghrabi, who is also an entrepreneur and businesswoman, is not totally consumed by her acting career. While acting has become a passion for her, she views it as kind of a side gig; one that she is currently excelling at. However, she has no regrets that she did not pursue it earlier. “I mean, if I hadn’t had a whole career that was separate from acting, I wouldn’t be the same on set. Every experience you go through in life enriches you and adds to what you can offer as an actor. For me, my previous experiences were very helpful. Each actor has his time to shine, and now is my time,” she says wisely, content with whatever triumphs or hardships life throws her way.
Maghrabi went on to get some small guest roles in some Ramadan TV series, including with Donia Samir Ghanem in the comedy series, Badal El Hadoota Talata (Three Tales Instead of One) in 2019. However, it was this past Ramadan that Maghrabi’s star began to shine, with her roles in Neheb Tany Leh (Why Fall in Love Again?) and Layalena 80 (Our Nights Are 80), where she got to work with acting giants like Ghada Adel, Eyad Nassar and Yasmine Abdelaziz. “This year was different for me. I really didn’t expect this success to happen, because of the coronavirus and what’s happening in the world right now. But every single role I played was an experience, and I learned something different from each role and also from the cast,” Maghrabi recalls.
Looking ahead, Maghrabi doesn’t have any firm plans for the future. “I can’t plan when it comes to acting. In the beginning, I said I would never do comedy, but I did. I really don’t know what is going to happen. You can’t plan every detail, and I’m fine with that. Whatever is meant to be, will be,” she says. “However, I know that I would love to work with a lot of amazing directors, like Sherif Arafa, Wahid Hamid, Mohamed Yassin and Kamla Abou Zekri. Egypt has a lot of amazing directors,” she is quick to add.
While Maghrabi has a new acting role coming up, unfortunately not much can be revealed for the time being. She also continues to be passionate about women’s empowerment, and is pleased that she now has a bigger platform to advance the cause. Since her time at Sky News, she has continued to advocate for important issues related to women. “Women’s empowerment is not simply a hot topic that is trending. It’s a topic that really touches me. It is so important to me,” she stresses.
Maghrabi has a concluding message to her fans and to anyone with a dream they want to achieve. “If you have a dream and a passion for something, do not ignore it. Embrace it, improve it and pursue it. I thought I had a thing for the arts and I ignored it for the longest time. Maybe, if I had started earlier, I would have had more fun; but everybody has his/her time. So, don’t run before you can walk. Most importantly, don’t be too harsh on yourself.”
