Role Takes Too Much Energy of Me

Motakhese graduated from sociology in 1991. She has received nine international and domestic awards for her roles in the radio pieces. She received the best actress award in the last edition of the Fadjr International Theater Festival. The piece, which is directed by Shahab Hosseinpour, is being performed in the City Theater. The audience welcomed “Tapancheh Khanoum” warmly.

 She talks more about her character in the piece.

 

 

You have played the roles of women older than your real age in your last works (Tapancheh Khanoum and No One Was There to Awake Us). Both pieces are written by Mohammad Yarahmadi. What have attracted you in these pieces?

I was so lucky that I could star in the two pieces. Mr Yarahmadi has reportedly said that he had written the pieces in a way that I could be able to play the characters. He also said again that he liked me to play the role of Akhtaro Saltaneh (Tapancheh Khanoum). Mr Yarahmadi also explained that he pictured a woman who is unwilling to replace her guns with kitchenware. Mr Yarahmadi took the character from one of his distant relatives, a woman who has travelled abroad.  

 

You are from Lur ethnicity. How much this played in being chosen to play the two roles?

I do not think I was chosen to play the characters because I come from a Lur background. Mohammad Yarahmadi said he was thinking of my voice and he could suppose that I could star Akharo Saltaneh in the piece. The dialogues of the piece were difficult for me. I have to be completely focused. I was born in Boroujerd (a Lur majority city) but was grown up in Abadan. I am more fluent in the accent of southern Iranian people than Lur accent. I did not have much fluency in Lur accent. I managed to talk in Lur accent in “Iran Burger”, a movie directed by Massoud Jafari Jozani, after a great deal of rehearsals. I hope “Tapancheh Khanoum” character will be etched in the memory of the audience.

 

Will Tapanche (gun) become a part of the character of that woman?

Yes. She is weak without tapancheh. She does try to hide her weakness even when her family is on the brink of separation, claiming that she wanted to serve the people and nobody valued her services.

 

 

How much the accent and persona of Akhtaro Saltaneh attract you despite difficulties of playing such a role?

It is attractive but it took lots of my energy. While many do not spend lots of time on theatre due to their busy schedule, “Tapancheh Khanoum” is not an easy piece which could be played without devoting lots of energy. My make-up for the piece takes at least an hour every night.

 

 

It seems the make-up of the piece is under influence of Japan’s classical dance-drama Kabuki, doesn’t it?

Yes. The moves of the actors are under influence of Kabuki although the play is realistic.  

 

Does playing the role of women who are older than you a challenge you are willing to take?

I am not as young as you say (laughter). I do not think of their age when I take the role. I try to close my acting for their characters to be believable for the audience and then will play.

You have been at the peak over the past two years. You have played in a blockbuster movie “Iran Burger”, received the best actress award from the Fadjr Theater Festival and praised in several radio festivals.

The past two years had been prolific for me as actress. I have good proposals and played the roles with enthusiasm and energy. It had been times that I had to wait for a good role a long time. One of the reasons that I became successful in theatre for “Tapancheh Khanoum” and “No One Was There to Awake Us” was because of the brilliant plays of Mohammad Yarahmadi. My presence in theatre after a decade of absence coincided with starring in different characters as a Lur nanny and a strong and smart Qajari woman.

 

Did you expect to receive an award?

No. The award is more attractive for the young actors/actresses. I value more in being seen in valuable roles.

 

Many theatre actors have isolated themselves. But you have started theatre again. What is the reason?

They may be fed up with being in theatre for such a long time. But I have not played in theatre after “Red & the Rest” by Mohammad Yaqoubi (2003).

What was the reason for such a hiatus?

One reason was my continuous presence in cinema and television. The other one was that I did not know the younger generation of theatre directors.