Exclusive interview: Shabnam Qolikhani

Shaban Qolikhani is a renowned Iranian actress who portrayed Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, in her first cinematic experience. She instantly became a household name and was admired by critics for her outstanding performance.

iFilm is currently broadcasting ‘Saint Mary’ and has therefore conducted an interview with her.

Below is a rough translation of selected parts from the interview conducted by iFilm in Persian:

iFilm: Ms. Qolikhani, iFilm is currently broadcasting the series ‘Saint Mary’. You were introduced to the public with this work; tell us about working on this project.

Qolikhani: I began my acting career by portraying Mary and this has always been a great honor for me and I do not think I will ever be offered a better role.

iFilm: Although this was your first work, ‘Saint Mary’ is the highlight of your acting career. Did it make your future career more difficult?

Qolikhani: Yes, as I said the character of Mary was the best role that I ever played and therefore I had to choose my future roles very carefully and I always tried to accept the best offers and I believe that I have been successful in doing so.

iFilm: You resided in Australia for four years and did not act during this period. Were you not afraid that people and directors would forget about you?

Qolikhani: No, people have always been kind to me and about a month after I returned, I was offered a job and I made my return to small screen by acting in the series ‘Eight and a Half Minutes’.

iFilm: What feature did the character of Yekta in ‘Eight and a Half Minutes’ had that made you take this role after four years?

Qolikhani: After a long time when I read the script of ‘Eight and a Half Minutes’, I saw a strong woman who overcomes her problems very well and this kind of story was a priority for me. I think since the character of Yekta was well developed, it could be role model for me and it was a character with many ups and downs and I liked it and accepted it.

iFilm: Why are you usually offered heroine characters and we do not see you as a villain in movies very often?

Qolikhani: After performing in ‘Saint Mary’, I was told by everyone that I have a kind face and so I was mostly offered roles of heroines and this was because the directors were not willing to take risks. But in ‘The Fifth Sun’ I played a villain and I was very happy when Mr. Afkhami offered me this role. I have many offers like Yekta but I will not accept them.

iFilm: You have made a number of documentaries and short films. Tell us about your experience as a director.

Qolikhani: Yes, I have directed a number of short films and it has been a pleasing experience for me. The films that I have directed were both short and documentary and directing movies is one of my goals.

*Interview conducted by: Hanieh Khavari

**For more about Shabnam Qolikhani click here and for more about 'Saint Mary' click here.

HY/HY