National Post Interviews Siddig, Clarkson

The National Post sat down with Sid and Patricia Clarkson in Toronto to talk about Cairo Time. Here’s an excerpt:

“Cairo is really dense and noisy,” Clarkson says. “But we both played roles that had a languid centre, a calming centre. When Juliet arrives in the city, she has to awaken and take things in. It’s an internal, profound shift that could only happen in this place at this time.”

“I’d been to Egypt when I was 13,” Siddig says, “and it was filthy and packed. It still is, but in a different way. I remember there was a big fat guy in this hotel who hit on me and it coloured my whole trip and was awful, but thankfully I have a different experience now.

“It’s not like Cancun or Cabo,” he adds. “You can’t go there and turn off. You have to turn on, engage and be proactive; you have to read the book, not listen to it on tape. And then it starts to get cool. It’s romantic, there’s all this history. And the Nile: It’s come thousands of miles and there’s the weight of Middle Africa in its waters — it comes with a real story and that’s pretty awesome. So you don’t go there to have a nap.”

(Read the full article here…)