It’s time to Act

Upon graduating from high school at my native village of Bourj Al Moulouk in South Lebanon, I realized it was time to act, to move, to change, so I rode the bus to the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) to register in its audiovisual program. I had never been to Kaslik before, so I had to ask an elderly woman for directions. When I reached USEK, I felt something strange, like I belong to this place, and that it how the journey started. I went on to earn a PhD in Visual and Performing Arts (Cinema and Television) from the Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts and have had the honor of being a USEK staff member since 2009.

Supported by knowledge, the main challenge I faced at the beginning of my acting career was shyness due to the cameras’ aura and the large number of crew members watching the actors. Success came later once I destroyed this wall between myself, the camera, and the crew. As a result, my acting is the reflection of my inner self, the unaffected simple me, leading me to star in the most notable TV ads for national and international companies, such as Pizza Hut, McDonald’s, KFC, Bankmed, BBAC, VW, Zain, Alfa, Le Charcutier, Yes, Etisalat, a total of 85 TV ads, 3 Lebanese movies, and 4 music videos to date.

My message to students and alumni is to love what they are doing. Never lose hope, overcome your fears, keep trying, and one day you will be the star of the show.

Break the rules and rewrite your own set of rules to be a genuine person and a genuine actor, as Gerardine Clark said: “That’s what makes acting so attractive. You get to break all your own rules.”