ifilm exclusive interview with Ezzatollah Mehravaran

In an exclusive interview with ifilm, Ezzatollah Mehravaran has talked about his taste for supporting roles rather than serious, leading roles.

50 years of artistic activity for this great Iranian artist has resulted in writing plays which have been performed on stage as well as many short and long roles that he has played in movies and TV series. He has also received the first class badge of art from Iran Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

ifilm viewers may remember him from the series ‘Cops and Robbers’ and ‘The Detour’.

ifilm Persian has conducted an interview with Ezzatollah Mehravaran  in Persian. Below are the highlights of the talk with the famed actor.

ifilm: Most of the roles that you have played in both cinema and TV productions are comic roles. Was it your choice?

Ezzatollah Mehravaran: Yes, of course. The roles that I have played in both cinema and TV productions are not categorized as serious or leading roles. In some cases, if I played some serious roles, that seriousness contained some sort of light manner which creates amusement or laughter for the viewer. Having taste for this type of roles, exclusively in movies, has its roots in my personality traits. If we study it from anthropological point of view, we come to know that all Iranians, to a certain extent, have this type of personality trait. Even our ancient literature reveals this fact about Iranian people. But when I come to the realm of theater it is quite the opposite.

On the contrary, I play serious roles on stage plays and I personally like this trend.

ifilm: You have an old hand on working in both cinema and television but you have always dealt with supporting roles or less important roles. Could you elaborate on that, please?

Ezzatollah Mehravaran: In fact, I do not gauge the roles. I strongly believe that if I measure the roles, I'll definitely lose. A cinema critic has described me as “The actor of short but everlasting roles.” I became permanent in the minds of theater lovers and cinemagoers because I started from theater. I was a playwright. It means I am an actor who writes. Therefore, in the roles that I play I act as the writer of that role too and it helps me to raise that role and develop it. It is not important at all to be in front of camera or act on stage for one minute or a long period of time. For me the only important thing is to make friends with my role. It is at this point that I create an opportunity with that role which is very interesting for me and I enjoy it a lot.  

ifilm: Which one of your roles do you like most?

Ezzatollah Mehravaran: Look, each role has its special sweetness. But for me the role that I played in ‘The Wrong Guy’ is so memorable. In that movie I had a special sense that I have not forgotten yet. In a scene of the movie I had a loud speaker in my hand and I was talking by using loud speaker in such real sense that I had forgotten I was playing a role in a shooting stage. Finally, I have to say that I like all my roles. Each role is like a class that provides opportunity for me to learn more.

MMF/MMF