Her family is a mixture of different origins: Arabic, Spanish and French so she learned very early to be open-minded, respectful and receptive. Her mother introduced her to the taste of arts and entertainment at a young age. And Fatima is still very passionate about it!
“I really wanted to be Charles Bronson after seeing him in ONCE UPON A TIME IN WEST when I was a child”, remembers Fatima. Then I discovered Meryl Streep and Susan Sarandon who were my role models for their liberty, courage and professionalism.
For Fatima, the best acting school is on the set. “One can learn everyday until the end of life”, she adds. “On each project you become a beginner again which is very exciting…The most important for me is to enjoy my work and the characters I give life to. Of course it’s satisfying to work all around the world with brilliant directors, I feel blessed for that. But I also appreciate to work with new directors… Everywhere in the world there are some people who are unrepresented in cinema as if they did not exist, but now some voices come up to try to change this, which is a big revolution. We now can see more stories with wonderful women roles and more diversity. So I’m glad about it…”
From IRRÉVERSIBLE (2002) by Gaspar Noé to SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (2011) by Guy Ritchie, Fatima acted in American and European important films.
“Well, I’m London and Paris based… and I can say that it’s quite different”, she says. “The roles that I’m offered in the US or the UK are usually more interesting than the roles I’m offered in France… It’s a shame! I would love to read wonderful French scripts with wonderful female characters because before to be a French woman, Arabic or Spanish, I’m a woman who can play any woman role, except if she really has to be different from me. Regarding colors or origins, in the UK and the US, things are much different compared to France where unfortunately things don’t really change. On the other hand, TV has no longer the monopoly of broadcasting series because broadcasters have evolved, which is great to finally dare to take some risks and make a better cinema. The better and open-minded the production, the more creative the team… It may be time to offer different programs to the audience. I think it’s a wonderful thing for French cinema and anywhere, these platforms are finally changing the rules. I always approach the works offered to me with enthusiasm and curiosity!”.
Look for Fatima Adoum in the upcoming series ILLEGALS by Jan P. Matuszynski
