Omar El Shenawy appeared in numerous series over the past couple of years, before taking on the role of Abdallah in this Ramadan’s season of El Ekhteyar2, where he gave an astounding performance. eniGma’s Youssef Elkarabigy spoke to El Shenawy about his character and the challenges he faced filming the series.
Does the preparation for a role differ from character to character?
Yes, preparation differs depending on the character to be played. Some characters are close to my personality, so not much preparation is needed. Others, for example, like my character in El Ekhteyar 2, who uses real weapons – so I needed to learn how to use them. We had police officers from the national security teach us everything, from movement to handling the weapons.
What was the biggest challenge that you faced acting as Abdallah?
The biggest challenge was shooting the breaking of Rabaa’s demonstration. It took us three days. The weather wasn’t helping too, as there was a dust storm in the middle of the desert on one of the days, so we had to stop filming. The day after I had a 12-hour work shift wearing a 16kg bulletproof vest and carrying weapons weighing over 5kgs. It was tiring and challenging. I can’t imagine how real cops can do this daily.
What do you like best about Abdallah, and do you share any similarities with the character?
I did not have access to Abdallah as a person, I was only told about Abdallah as an officer, so all my focus was on Abdallah at work. I met the person behind the character and his name wasn’t Abdallah. My goal was to present him exactly how he is in real life. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of an officer – moustache and all. He’s just a normal person who puts gel in his hair and dresses normally.
What was your favourite scene in the series?
Again, it’s the scene of Rabaa’s demonstration, which was also the first scene I filmed for the show. It was difficult but entertaining. Also, you can’t imagine how well they completely built the location from scratch, so it felt like you were in the real place where everything happened. Everything was being filmed simultaneously, and even the extras were performing with such great energy. Rocks were really being thrown and there was dust everywhere, it felt so real!
If you had the opportunity to play the role of any other character in El Ekhteyar 2, which character would you choose?
Maybe Mohamed Mabrook, although his age wouldn’t be appropriate for me. Zakaria was also an interesting character, Mohamed Alaa and Islam Gamal’s characters were also very impactful. All the roles, no matter how small or how big – they were all inspiring and significant.
Out of all the roles you’ve taken on, which was your favourite?
I enjoyed my role in Olee Le Ahmed (Tell Ahmed) with Hannah El Zahed. I also liked my role in Kalabsh (Handcuffs) because it’s what made me a familiar face amongst people.
Are you currently working on any upcoming projects?
There is a movie we are prepping for, but haven’t started filming yet. Hopefully, we begin soon!
