If you fell in love with the soft-spoken, lanky Tareq in Ruba Nadda's indie summer hit Cairo Time then you are familiar with the elegant charm of Alexander Siddig. Or you may have been watching him lately on the newly revamped BBC America series Primeval, in which he plays scientist Philip Burton. But later this March he will be returning to the big screen in all his understated charisma as Jamal, the unselfish, supportive father in Julian Schnabel's Miral.
I meet Siddig in Doha, Qatar, where he is promoting Miral, the latest Julian Schnabel film which has had more than its fair share of criticism. Things are quite different at screenings throughout the Middle East -- the film was at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival in October -- where Miral has been receiving standing ovations. The story of the film, and the book by Rula Jebreal on which her screenplay is based, is one of strength and dignity in the face of adversity. A statement that could well apply to Siddig himself. Though his eyes may sparkle with an almost otherworldly beauty and for our meeting he elegantly wears a crinkled light blue cotton shirt with cuff-links, a pair of beige chinos and tan loafers, I can't help but notice a tragic hero quality in him. Granted, hidden well behind his broad smile and glowing caramel complexion the color of a perfect tan, this bittersweet quality is what makes him so charismatic in his work, but also so authentic to talk with in real life.
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