Jordanian actress Saba Mubarak revealed the immense difficulty she faced in portraying the character of Mariam in the series 220 Days, which she co-starred in alongside Karim Fahmy, stressing that the role deeply touched on her own complicated relationship with her father—between absence, return, and attempts at mutual understanding.

In a press statement, Saba explained that the project was like a form of therapy for her, helping her re-examine her identity beyond her family roots, adding: “After filming ended, I asked myself: was my reaction really worth all this?”

She noted that Mariam’s relationship with her father in the series reminded her strongly of her childhood and her real-life experience, pointing out that this overlap between the role and her personal story made it difficult to bid farewell to the character once shooting ended.

Mubarak recalled a famous theatrical saying that has stayed with her since her early career: “An actor is like a wooden vessel—you fill it and then empty it, but a faint trace always remains, accompanying you from one role to another.”

About 220 Days The drama follows Ahmed, a young novelist who is devastated by the shocking diagnosis of a brain tumor, turning his marriage upside down and forcing him and his wife into grueling emotional tests between clinging to hope and surrendering to despair—while awaiting the arrival of their first child.

The series stars Karim Fahmy, Saba Mubarak, Ali El Tayeb, Mira Diab, Mohsen Mohieldin, Hanan Soliman, Aida Riyad, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Youssef Raafat, among others. It is written by Mahmoud Zahran, screenplay and dialogue by Nadine Nader, and directed by Karim El Adel.