Egyptian artist Majid Al-Kadwani revealed for the first time details about himself and his close friend, actor Karim Abdel Aziz, and how chance led him to enter the field of acting.

Majid Al-Kadwani said on a podcast program that he fears delivering comedy directly and prefers to express it through truly embodying the character, avoiding ready-made jokes and exaggerations.

He confirmed that Karim Abdel Aziz follows the same approach and that they agreed on this since their first collaboration in the film Haramiya Fi KG2 in 2001. He added, “Karim Abdel Aziz and I are comedy cowards; we fear overacting and jokes that don’t land. So, we decided to hide inside the character, believe in it, and deliver comedy through it, without directly making people laugh.”

An Old Injury in His Foot

During the interview, Al-Kadwani spoke about how coincidences and fate played an important role in his life, especially regarding his artistic journey. He confirmed that his admission to the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts after studying at the Faculty of Fine Arts was due to an old foot injury. He explained, “When I was in school, a well-off friend of mine asked me to cheat for him on a math exam after I had taken lessons, and he promised to give me a car as a gift, but I refused.”

He continued, “After I left school that day, while joking with a friend, I fell to the ground and fractured my foot, which was put in a cast for a month and a half. At the time, I didn’t understand the wisdom behind this injury, especially after refusing to cheat for him.”

He added, “Years passed and I forgot about it. I graduated from Fine Arts and was working in theater at the college. That’s when I discovered my passion for it from the very start. By fate, while I was at Fine Arts, a committee came to judge a play and they asked me to apply to the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, and that was the last year I was allowed to apply. I went to apply, but I had to check my military status. When I did the medical exam, they exempted me because of that injury, which was the reason I could apply to the institute — a dream for so many people at the time.”