3 years ago, Soulafa Maamar mocked Lebanese actresses and described them as beauty queens with no talent. Yesterday, Suzanne Najmeddine appeared with our colleague Said Hariri and stated, “Lebanese actresses are beauty queens and not actresses.”
Suzanne didn’t say it verbatim however she insisted that “They are beauty queens turned into actresses”.
Said Hariri failed to correct Suzanne and inform her that many Lebanese beauty queens and models attempted but failed miserably to become successful actresses, like Nicole Bardawil, and former Miss Lebanon 2007 Nadine Wilson Njeim among many others that we cannot recall due to their inability to leave their mark.
The one and only former beauty queen to succeed in the acting world have been Nadine Nassib Njeim.
The only former models to succeed in acting are Nadine Al Rassi and Cyrine Abdelnour. The rest of the Lebanese beauties currently acting did not come from a beauty queen or modeling background. Like Dalida Khalil, Jessy Abdo, Daniella Rahme (who has yet to prove herself), Aimée Sayah, Ward El Khal, Maguy Bou Ghosn, Sara Abi Kanaan, Stephanie Saliba, Rita Hayek, Carmen Lebbous among many others.
Said didn’t mention to Suzzane that Nadine Nassib Njeim trained for 12 hard years before becoming the best and most important Arab actress.
He also didn’t tell her that most American and European stars are former beauty queens or models.
Like Jennifer Lawrence, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Scarlett Johansson, Nicole Kidman, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Charlize Theron, Kate Winslet, Emma Stone, Cameron Diaz, Margot Robbie, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Watson, Mila Kunis, Hailee Steinfeld, Anna Kendrick, Lily Collins, Emma Roberts, Dianna Agron, Blake Lively, Amber Heard, Kristen Stewart, Selena Gomez, Mia Wasikowska, Sophie Lawrence, Isabelle Adjani, and many more.
The only exception, who isn’t a beauty, is Meryl Streep who’s as big a star as the Syrian Mouna Wassef and the Lebanese Wafaa Tarabay.
Successful stars that aren’t beauties are an exception and not the rule. Like Jewish American Barbra Streisand, Sarah Jessica Parker and Uma Thurman.
Said also failed to tell Suzanne that the biggest Turkish stars are beauties like Beren Saat, Tuba Büyüküstün, Fahriye Evcen, Bergüzar Korel, Neslihan Atagül, Hande Erçel, Aslı Tandoğan, Ezgi Asaroğlu, Songül Öden, Meryem Uzerli, Nur Fettahoğlu, Pelin Karahan, Sinem Kobal, Farah Zeynep Abdullah, Mine Tugay, Hande Doğandemir, Deniz Çakır, Hazar Ergüçlü, Aslı Enver, Özge Gürel, Belçim Bilgin, Tuvana Türkay, Yasemin Allen, Elçin Sangu, Burcu Özberk, Serenay Sarıkaya, Merve Boluğur, Cansu Dere, Ezgi Eyüboglu, Berrak Tüzünataç, Burcu Kara, Begüm Birgören, Begüm Kütük, Hatice Şendil among many others.
He didn’t tell her that the biggest star in the world right now, who plays the lead role in the biggest American TV Series, Game Of Thrones, which is written and produced by American trio George R. R. Martin, David Benioff, and D. B. Weiss, is British beauty, Emilia Clarke.
The biggest stars in the world are beauties. There aren’t many ugly star actresses.
Even past generation actresses were beauty queens like Ingrid Bergman, Elizabeth Taylor, Betty Davis, Audrey Hepburn, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner among others.
Said didn’t tell Suzanne that an actresses beauty is a must and ugly actresses rarely make it. And the ones that do make it because of their talent are very few and they don’t go on to become big stars.
Young Syrian beauties are lead by Sulaf Fawakherji, Soulafa Maamar, Suzanne Najmeddine, Dima Kandalaft, Kinda Alloush, Kinda Hanna, Caresse Bashar, Dima Bayaa, Safa Sultan, and Jenny Esber.
Unfortunately, Syrian beauties are numbered in comparison to the huge TV production scene in Syria. That doesn’t mean that Syrian girls aren’t the most beautiful, it just means there’s less of them, unlike Egypt which has produced some of the most beautiful actresses for decades and still.
I hope that this issue is put to bed and directors are no longer faulted for choosing Lebanese actresses for roles. And that inaccurate accusations of Lebanese actresses being talentless beauties stop. All actresses are beauties, beauties and actresses.
Nidal Al Ahmadieh
