Rising Star Fatima Adoum On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Entertainment Industry
An Interview With Elana Cohen
Diversity is the chance to tell a thousand and one different stories where everyone can finally have the feeling of not being invisible, that their life also matters.
As a part of our series about pop culture’s rising stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Fatima Adoum
Fatima Adoum was born in France where she got a Ph.D in Cinema at La Sorbonne. She made her feature film debut in Gaspar Noe’s 2000 directorial Irreversible. She is best known for her leading role as Mariam Barkari, in the international series, The Team 2 for which she earned international attention and critical acclaim.
Chameleon actress, she worked on many successful international projects (Jack Ryan, Furies, Hijack…) and different types of characters. She is able to change her appearance very easily and turn 40 or 70 within minutes and she can speak many languages including English, French, Arabic, or Farsi.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up and about what brought you to this specific career path?
Thank you for the invitation.
I was born and raised in France and later moved to London. Although coming from a modest background, my mother took us every Saturday, my sisters and me, to the cinema. When I saw Charles Bronson in “Once Upon a Time in the West » I knew I wanted to be an actress.
Funny idea to identify with this very manly actor when you’re a 7-year-old girl, but I realized later that I didn’t really have an actress role model to identify with when I was a child, so Charles Bronson became my role model.
My mother always supported me, she always said, if you want to do the same job as Charles Bronson, then you will do it, everything is possible if it is really your vocation. Without her, I would have stopped this job a thousand times. She taught me perseverance, self-transcendence and to surround yourself with people who are happy with your success, positive vibes are so important. There was no place for actresses from diversity in France when I started. The beginning was long and difficult so I decided to try to see what happened elsewhere and I started working internationally on such professionally rewarding projects. It’s one of the best ideas I’ve had. I continue to work wherever the desire is mutual.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I struggled professionally, I didn’t have a job and I was having fun with a friend choosing the actors with whom I dreamed of working but with whom I will never shoot. I had chosen Robert Downey Junior. Two weeks later my agent calls me to play with Robert Downey Junior in Sherlock Holmes, I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke.
It has been said that mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
On my first film, Irreversible, I celebrated very late the day before the first day of shooting. I suffered so much the next day that I never did it again
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I worked 6 months on Hijack, an AppleTV series with Idris Elba where I play Rashida, a lady very different from me and much older so I had the chance to transform myself. It was very exciting to be so different. I also just completed a Netflix series where my character who is called Amythis is the opposite of Rashida. I love to be so different everytime.
You have been blessed with success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?
Don’t be afraid of failure because it’s thanks to failure that we progress the most.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Diversity is the reality of the world.
Diversity is the richness of the world.
Diversity is the chance to tell a thousand and one different stories where everyone can finally have the feeling of not being invisible, that their life also matters.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
My family told me these 5 things, but I would have liked someone at work to tell me also because we need to be reassured professionally especially when we start.
- I would have liked someone to tell me that rejection can be the chance to go to more beautiful experiences.
- I wish I had been told to start my own projects much sooner.
- Focus on what is the most important for you, don’t waste your time.
- Surround yourself with good people and positive vibes.
- Always be grateful for what you have, even if it’s a small success, it’s a success on the long road of a career.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Support each other, encourage and respect each other.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
It would be a movement where we encourage people to help each other, listen to each other, support each other, respect each other whatever our differences. Helping and accepting others makes you happy because you grow up and we all need help one day. The more we help others, the more we will be respected and beautiful. We’ll call it The Beauty mouvement, beauty would be judged on the support we give to others.
You can create wells in poor countries or go shopping for your elderly neighbor, it can be to help a child make a dream come true. All aids are worth whether they are small or more important, they will always be immense for the one who receives it.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mother, my muse, Yamina is my best role model! I’m incredibly lucky to have a movie-loving mum and a fascinating playmate at home. Without her I would not be where I am today. She supported me in a very positive way and encouraged me at all stages. she is my model of constant good humor even in the worst trials of life.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Never let anyone tell you it’s impossible. This is my mother’s quote. If I didn’t regularly think about this quote I would have believed everyone who told me I wasn’t good enough for this or that.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I would love to have a lunch with Oprah Winfrey to talk about diversity and AI.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatima.adoum/?hl=fr
Twitter: https://twitter.com/adoum_fatima
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/adoumfatima
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
