Golshifteh Farahani. “2023 was a hot year, perhaps the most difficult in my life.”

Before heading to Vancouver, Canada to shoot Season 3 of the series Invasion (Apple TV+), the French-Iranian actress is on vacation in France to promote Rokia, Said Belktibia’s first feature film. He also lends his voice to the documentary Sinjar, the birth of ghostsBy Alex Liebert on the suffering of the Yazidis in Sinjar, a region held by the Islamic State for five years. Meeting in autopromo mode.

Madame Figaro . – My state of mind ?
Golshifteh Farahani. – 2023 was a hot year, perhaps the most difficult in my life. In 2024, I still don’t see the end of the tunnel, but I feel a light inside me that gives me hope.

My role Rokia ?
Pirate! Noor has a very strong temper, she is a big mouth who earns her living by breaking the law, but still evokes sympathy. It’s rare to play a character in such a gray area. I have often been “angelized” by French cinema, and swimming against the tide is fun for me, especially since the role is quite physical. Fortunately, I had good training thanks to the American films I shot. I’m pretty comfortable with the action.

What I share with my character ?
His resistance, his endurance, his thirst for independence and his uniqueness in a society that prefers sheep to lions. I also think that we should work on our shortcomings. they are the breeding of our qualities.

Filming secret ?
My love at first sight for my rat that I named Patrick Pirates of the Caribbean, Salazar’s Revenge. I had worked with rodents before, but this was the cutest of them all. Shooting with animals is not a problem for me, even when it comes to white cobras, tarantulas, lizards or scorpions that I have to let roam through my hands. My only phobia? Big cockroaches.

Movies can change lives, I’m proof

Golshifteh Farahani

My devotion to women ?
My struggles have always been reflected in my choices as an actress. Already in Iran, I was moving towards roles that shifted the focus to women. Today, everything that is happening after MeToo gives hope, but the road is still long. If the laws protect us in France, not far from here, the voice of women still cannot be expressed. I hope that the wave created by feminist channels will spread more widely soon.

My mantra ?
“Art is a light in the darkness”. Cinema can change lives, I am proof of that.

I lie in an interview. ?
No, because I am a very bad liar. Actually, I left Iran because I couldn’t put up with lies and hypocrisy. The truth is the story of my life.

We must work out our shortcomings. they are the breeding of our qualities

Golshifteh Farahani

A question that makes me nervous in an interview ?
Nobody. As an exile, I am constantly asked about Iran, but I prefer that the journalist asks me to tell the story again and again, rather than thinking that the fate of the people there is of no interest.

How do I feel when I look in the mirror while putting on my makeup in the morning? ?
When I was struggling to live up to my age, I love seeing the passage of time on my face. Wrinkles remind me of how far I’ve come. And if the role doesn’t require me to wear color, I can handle my white hair very well.

Misunderstanding about me ?
They say I can’t go back to Iran because I took off my veil on the night of the movie premiere State lieBy Ridley Scott. The truth is elsewhere. because I was working with the Americans, the Iranian government thought I was a spy. My fate was sealed and I could never go back. Taking off my veil or posing naked just made it worse.

I left Iran because I could not put up with lies and hypocrisy

Golshifteh Farahani

Last time I was proud of myself ?
Recently, I felt proud of my body, which did not betray me when I thought I was hearing disastrous news about my health.

rokia By Said Belktibia, with Jeremy Ferrari, Denis Lavant, Amin Zariouhi…
Sinjar, the birth of ghosts, By Alexe Liebert, released on June 19.