ifilm's exclusive interview with Maryam Saadat

In an exclusive interview with ifilm, Iranian actress Maryam Saadat talks about her job as a puppeteer.

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

ifilm: You are mostly known as an actress but your main profession is working as a puppeteer as well as performing on stage. Tell us a little about the beginnings of your career.

Saadat: I am a graduate of Puppetry and I entered this field with passion and I still love this field more than any other. I began working in television in 1982 but at that time I worked in children’s shows. Marzieh Boroumad helped me a lot because after working with her on the children’s puppet show ‘The School of Mice’ she offered me a role, on my request, in the series ‘Ziba Barber Shop’ which she was making at the time.

ifilm: You appeared in many television series and were once very active but you seem to be working less these days, why is this so?

Saadat: Thank God that I still get offers but I have no idea why I don’t see many of our veteran actors and actresses working and it seems that many of them have not had any artistic activities for a long time and have been completely forgotten. I hope to see our veteran actors and actresses on television again.

ifilm: You have also appeared in many movies, do you prefer to work in television or cinema?

Saadat: As a matter of fact, I prefer theater but the payments are not high enough to sustain a living and acting is our means of sustenance. But I must point out that I love television better that cinema and in fact, television is somehow my second home.

ifilm: You had a long experience working with the late puppeteer Donya Fannizadeh who was the puppeteer of famous Iranian puppet ‘The Red Hat’. Tell us a little about her.

Saadat: We lost Donya about four months ago and the loss is still saddening for us. Donya Fannizadeh was one of our best puppeteers and even when she was ill, she continued to work for many years and did this with love. I was worried that in the new season of ‘The Red Hat’ who would replace her because if anyone else manipulated The Red Hat, the puppet would change. But The Red Hat should keep her name alive and this is exactly what will happen.

ifilm: As I mentioned before, you are mostly focused on pupeteering and sometimes dubbing. Can you talk more about this?

Saadat: I love the world of puppets, and even though I have aged I still become excited when I see puppets. Perhaps, it is partly due to the fact that I majored in Puppetry and I entered this field to work for children. I must point out that I have more extensively worked as a puppeteer than dubbing.

*Interview conducted by Hanieh Khavari

HY/HY