For the fourth time Hend Sabry graces the cover of eniGma but in this issue for the first time she poses with her baby bump. Fashion Director Maissa Azab had some fun with beautifully pregnant Sabry while Deputy Editor Omnia Zaied talked to her about motherhood, movies and marriage….
Very few celebrities have been featured on the cover of eniGma more than once; let alone four times. To date, Hend Sabry is the first to have achieved this record. The first time was when she posed with the stars of The Yacoubian Building movie in the July 2006 issue. As for the second, it was the iconic shoot with the baby tiger in November 2006. The third cover was shot at the rarely photographed Halim Castle, in downtown Cairo for the December 2008 issue. eniGma has featured Sabry throughout her phases: as a rising star, a newlywed and now as a pregnant mother expecting her second child.
When I joined eniGma in December, 2008, I read our interview with Sabry and was very impressed that this talented Tunisian actress had a master’s degree in law. And my admiration for Sabry has grown further over the years. She began acting at age 14 and in less than 15 years, has managed to transform herself into a pan Arab A-list superstar. When I finally got to interview her for this issue, I got to know a lot about Sabry, the woman, the activist, the actress and the star. And there’s a lot more to Sabry than just a pretty face.
Sabry’s acting prowess and her multi-dimensional personality came to life in the wide range of roles she has taken on; ranging from serious and dramatic roles in movies such as Al Jazeera (The Island), 2007, Ibrahim El Abyad, 2009 and Asmaa, 2011 to her comedic role in the hit Ramadan series Ana Aiza Atgawez (I want to Get Married), 2010. The TV show was an instant success because it offered an entertaining take on a socially poignant topic, and Sabry truly made the character her own.
I sat down with Sabry in a crowded Cairo coffee shop to find out what motivates her, what sets her apart from the rest and what makes her more than just another pretty face in Arab cinema…
Hend Sabry the Humanitarian
It is very rare to find an Arab celebrity involved in the humanitarian activities. And by involved I mean the Angelina Jolie I-will-fly-all-over-the-world-and-go-to-places-most-celebrities-would-be-terrified-to-go-to kind of involvement. But Sabry gets it, she knows the power she has as a celebrity and doesn’t mind using it. Studying law made Sabry more aware of the world around her and it has given her an edge. As she explains, “the power of celebrity hasn’t been discovered yet in the Middle East. People discovered celebrity power with Audrey Hepburn back in the 60s and 70s; she was the first celebrity to give her face to the United Nations.” “But we’re still getting there,” she adds. “I find it very easy to give back by using my name and appearing in events and campaigns, much easier than just sending money to someone you don’t know and getting rid of this guilt that’s inside all of us. I find it easier to go and be with the people, even if I don’t give money,” she says.
Earrings & ring both by My Diamond
Sabry officially became a WFP (World Food Program) Ambassador in 2010, but her humanitarian work started much earlier. She was approached by the WFP at the end of 2008 to help raise money for Gaza, after the Israeli raid there. Sabry was so excited to help that when the project was put on hold for financial reasons, she decided to pay for her own tickets and accommodation to move things forward. “I had a lot of space in my life to do something good and I really wanted to give back,” she recalls. Eventually Sabry’s work with WFP expanded to include campaigns in Syria, Egypt and the Palestinian territories. Within a span of two years, Sabry was made WFP’s Regional Goodwill Ambassador.
Before the WFP, Sabry had also worked with the UNDP and UNAIDS. “UNDP approached me and I agreed, and then UNAIDS heard about my contribution and I started working with them. So it’s like a cycle really,” she explains. All this made Sabry one of the few Arab actresses of her generation actively making a difference.
Hend Sabry the Wife
When Sabry moved to Egypt in 2001, she never imagined getting married to an Egyptian and raising her kids in Egypt. In fact this month, Sabry celebrates her fifth anniversary with her husband, Ahmed. “I guess it wasn’t a bad decision after all,” she laughs.
When talking about marriage Sabry has quite a few words of wisdom. She is proud she didn’t get married on a whim, and that it was a very grounded decision. “Our decision to get married reflected a very good balance between feelings and rational thinking. We weren’t swept off our feet, it was very rational. We found in each other what we were looking for,” she recalls. Ahmed turned out to be everything Sabry wanted in a man. “He complements me, he keeps me grounded and he doesn’t care that I am a celebrity,” she says. You can easily see the effect of this marriage on Sabry’s life. She has become calmer and isn’t on the constant lookout for her next project. Sabry now only takes on one film or series a year, sometimes even every two years. This means she chooses her roles very carefully and it probably explains why they have all been very successful. As a result, Sabry has managed to strike the perfect balance between work and family.
Sabry believes their friendship has also helped. “Love is not the key to a successful marriage, it is just one of the factors. We respect each other, we have absolute trust in each other and we have common goals; like raising a healthy child, doing good, and being closer to God in so many ways… I guess that’s what we call friendship. We’re very good friends,” she says. This friendship helped bridge the differences between her Tunisian upbringing and her husband’s Egyptian culture. Different backgrounds could present a challenge for any newlyweds, but to them it added some fun to their marriage.
Hend Sabry the Mother
Sabry is already a mother to her two-year-old daughter Alia, and she is now expecting a second daughter. Sabry beams with pride and excitement at the mention of her daughter. She has been married for three years before they took the decision to have Alia, and it wasn’t an easy decision. “A child is a very heavy responsibility. Your life doesn’t really change with marriage, it changes with children. So it was an even more difficult decision for us than to get married,” she explains. But the moment they took the decision, and the moment she set her eyes on Alia, everything changed. Sabry is no longer just the movie star with numerous awards, she is a mother and that’s her priority. “Motherhood changes you. You realise that working on the life of one human being sometimes is more important than saving the world. If this child becomes a beautiful human being who gives a lot and gives back to the community, that’s enough,” she says.
And motherhood has definitely changed Sabry. She is no longer the tough single-minded woman she used to be. She is no longer in a rush; instead she is trying to savor every moment. “Motherhood softens you. I am much more tolerant now. It makes you understand what builds character and you realise that people don’t always mess up because of themselves, but because of how they’ve been brought up. But on the other hand you start to get more protective over your child,” she says.
Sabry was not joking about that protective part, there are no pictures of her daughter with any photographer or journalist. She doesn’t take her to any interviews or shows and does her best to keep her away from the public eye. “I made a decision to be a celebrity, Alia didn’t. I am trying to give her the space to make her own decisions,” she explains. That is why it is hard for Sabry sometimes to stop for fans when Alia is with her. “I don’t want her to hate my job, and I don’t want her to love my job too much either by just seeing the good side of it and not the bad,” she adds.
As for her current pregnancy, Sabry smiles and says “I hate being pregnant. It’s not cool to be pregnant. I don’t like the hormonal changes, I don’t like the body changes, and I don’t like the nausea. Some women love it, I just don’t. I can’t wait till she’s out!” During her first pregnancy, Sabry listened to all the advice everyone was so willing to share about eating habits, sleeping hours and emotional vulnerability. But no one told her what she really needed to hear, “the first three months after giving birth weren’t great, baby blues do exist. And it’s ok to talk about it and it’s ok to feel it. Some women feel completely lost; they don’t understand who they are anymore,” she explains. This time around Sabry is prepared and more confident about the process. She is due in May and is already planning for her post-baby life and weight loss strategy.
Hend Sabry the Movie Star
Sabry’s celebrity status didn’t happen overnight. When she started acting she had the choice of either staying in Tunisia and doing critically acclaimed movies that no one outside Tunisia would watch, or going to Egypt and starting from scratch. Of course, that’s exactly what she decided to do. Sabry took on one small role after another and in the process she kept reaffirming that she had more to offer. The roles Sabry took at the beginning of her career were very different from the ones she has done recently. “Unfortunately many artists start with a type of role and stick with it throughout their careers. I’ve always wanted to have a very diversified CV, that’s why I try to perform in all kinds of genres,” she says. She’s succeeded in doing just that, and is set to continue her journey for a long time to come. She is already preparing for her post-pregnancy comeback with Al Jazeera part two, starring alongside superstar Ahmed El Sakka. And she is not even close to done. As she explains, “I never want to be forgotten. We, as actors, are like children; we want to be loved by everyone and remembered forever. That’s why we choose to make movies because movies are forever. I want to be the one who left a mark on her generation, on her audience or even just on her kids. I want to be remembered for something good,” she concludes.
Not many interviews I’ve done are like this one with Sabry. She was sincere and candid. She is true to herself and she knows who she wants to be. Yet these are just a few of the many aspects I discovered in Sabry’s personality…
To read the full questions and answers log on to www. enigma-mag.com
ART DIRECTION & STYLING
Maissa Azab
PHOTOGRAPHY
Khaled Fadda
Hair: Rafi @ Mohamed Al Sagheer
Makeup: Abdel Hamid
Fashion Assistant: Sondos Gohr
Special thanks to: Amina El Ashri