Liya Kebede is a supermodel who has been on the cover of Vogue countless times, an actress, owns her own clothing line, is an Ambassador of Goodwill for the UN, started her own foundation to reduce maternal and infant mortality and is also married with two children. Review Fix caught up with her at the Hamptons International Film Festival where her film “Desert Flower†is screening. Kebede plays Waris Dirie in a biopic of Dirie’s life based on the bestselling novel of the same name. The film captures Dirie’s life from her beginnings living a nomadic life with her family in Somalia, to her life in Britain working in a fast food restaurant only to be discovered by a top fashion photographer. A large element of the story is Dirie’s life as a child in Somalia and her exposure to the brutal tradition of female circumcision. Dirie brought attention to the subject in the 1990s and it is addressed again in this film in new and shocking ways. Kebede was a lovely person who had a calming presence and was a joy to talk with about a film she is very proud of.
Review Fix: When you were first approached for the role did you have any reservations about taking it?
Liya Kebede: I wasn’t approached for the role, I heard about the story being made and looked for it and found they were auditioning for it in New York, and absolutely wanted to audition for it, so I went in.
RF: Were you familiar with the book (bestselling novel – Desert Flower) when you went in for the audition?
Kebede: I wasn’t, I just heard there was this interesting story about this girl from Somalia, so I wanted to find out about it and looked for the book and read it for the first time, and discovered the whole world of Waris (Waris Dirie) which I had no idea about. I had met her once before, funnily enough a very long time ago I think at a party that (Supermodel) Iman had. We saw each other, we didn’t know each other but we chatted for a while and then she left, but it made an impression on me. I didn’t know who she was, but she was pretty amazing. Then fast forward, and I’m sitting there with her book finding out who she was and what her life was about which was amazing.
RF: Speaking of the book, did you find that the film captures the essence of the book?
Kebede: It’s always hard to make a film out of a book, but I think it really captured the essence of it, I think it captures the essence of her at least. For me, it was very important; I used it almost as my bible and used it throughout the filming process.
RF: Did you draw from any actor or actress for the role as inspiration?
Kebede: No, and also the thing is I didn’t even meet her (Waris Dirie) until the end of the shoot.
RF: Were you nervous about playing her? Did you watch any videos of Waris to prepare?
Kebede: I watched a little bit, there are a few videos of interviews out there, that you can get a sense of her. The director, Sherry (Horman) was also very helpful; she really wanted to do the story so it gave me the creative liberty to interpret the story. It’s not easy to play someone who’s there and you meet them and want to play them as they are, it’s hard. I think trying to capture the essence of who they are and still having, sort of the liberty to do something with the role so it becomes real to you was helpful to me and the director wanted that too.
RF: A mutual understanding with Sherry about the role then?
Kebede: Yeah. I was terrified when she (Waris) was going to watch it for the first time.
RF: I’m sure that would be nerve wracking. Working with Sherry; with a female director, did you find this a different experience as opposed to a male directed film?
Kebede: Well, the thing is I did two other films before this but they were small roles so I don’t yet have an extensive feeling about the differences between working with a male as opposed to female director, she is really my first experience in film.
RF: How did you find that (experience with working with Sherry)?
Kebede: I loved it, it was really wonderful, I think she…this was something from the heart for her, so she made sure that everybody felt that, and we were all there emotionally with this film throughout the film. She was really wonderful.
RF: She seemed connected to it; I understand she pursued the project.
Kebede: Yes and she wrote the script as well, so it was really her baby and for all of us we had this special connection to the story. There were a lot of females on the set; the makeup artist was a woman, the stylist was a woman, the director was a woman, and the story is about a woman.
RF: A lot of female power behind this film…
Kebede: Yeah, it was really cute actually, there were a lot of women in it and we all connected, it was cool.
Stay Tuned for Part two of Review Fix’s exclusive Q & A with Liya Kebede.
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