Loading ...Egyptians in Hollywood: Hassan Said and his Character-Driven Stories
He has worked with Clint Eastwood, Sean Penn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger yet he is fascinated by the microscopic tales of anonymous fighters. His films narrate –often playfully, occasionally disturbingly – the struggles of day-to-day commuters, parents or minorities, exploring the psychological impact of life’s shocking and heartwarming moments.
“Stories aren’t supposed to spoon-feed us lessons about how to cope with reality, but to reignite the passion and curiosity for better knowledge to survive in this long journey of life,” says actor and filmmaker Hassan Said, almost as if poetry was part of his innate language. Having appeared as an actor in the likes of NCIS and with an upcoming role in True Detective, film is where Said really thrives, both in front of and behind the camera, being one of the only Egyptians to have lent a hand to an Oscar-winning film; Milk.
Born Alexandria, the artist moved to New York at the age of 15, where he studied Communication and Media Arts but in 2005, as his first short film, Unforgettable Romance was nominated at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, Said moved to San Francisco to grow a career that would lead him through a thriving trajectory in Hollywood. In an interview with CairoScene, Said shares his eye-opening vision and gives young filmmakers a powerful gust of inspirational advice.
Why did you choose to focus on personal, meaningful stories rather than the bigger narratives?
The epiphany of personal stories is misconstrued into it being a smaller concept than bigger narratives, which isn’t always true. There are many people amongst us who struggle to be heard or understood. As much as films provide entertainment and a bigger escape for the day-to-day audience, if there are no personal elements to the story, then all that money and hard work and time has gone to waste.
Source: www.cairoscene.com