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A
s a journalist, being star-
struck is something you
cannot afford to be yet in
the moments leading up
to The Bite Magazine interview and
photo shoot with Scottish actor Atta
Yaqub, the team and I reverted back
to our school years: rushing around,
giggling nervously and hyped up
on meeting ‘the babe from
Ae Fond
Kiss’.
As we enter luxurious Glasgow
cocktail bar and restaurant, Saint
Judes, Atta stands tall and spins
round to face us on cue. I feel as if
I have just walked straight into the
frame of a movie set, the light from
the window bounces off his sculpted
jaw as he pulls off his hat careful not
to damage his signature camera-
ready sleek back do.With a wide grin
and an unexpected hug, Atta greets
me like an old friend. Despite his
overwhelming presence, the team
immediately seem at home with him
as he insists on helping to carry our
many suitcases.
Calm, confident and eager to
assist in any possible way, it is
easy to see why Atta settled into
acting after he was plucked from
obscurity to play the lead role of
Casim in the 2004 Ken Loach film
Ae Fond Kiss
.
Having graduated from
Strathclyde University with a degree
in IT Management, acting was not an
ambition Atta considered. Moving
his arms around dynamically, holding
my gaze Atta impresses with his
grounded and genuine nature, “It
was completely by chance that I
got involved in acting. Around nine
years ago, I had been modelling with
The Model Team and a casting had
come up through Ken Loach who
was looking for a lead for his latest
film.When I first met him I told him
I had never acted and, before I knew
it, I was the lead role in
Ae Fond Kiss.
I had done one show at school, The
Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
but that was as far as my experience
stretched.”
Starring as the lead in a
contemporary Romeo and Juliet
story would be a daunting debut
project for any actor or actress but,
working well under Ken Loach’s
careful instructions; Atta took to
acting like a duck to water: “I am
quite a relaxed and laid-back person
so I just took it all in my stride. I think
one of the reasons behind Ken Loach
casting untrained actors is that they
come with an ease of not knowing
what is going to happen. His method
of working is amazing because he
gives you the script on a daily basis.”
As he jokes away, engaging us all in
the conversation, Atta highlights the
hilarity in Loach’s method, “I had to
go out to Spain for the film photo
shoot and about three days before
Ken said, ‘by the way do you have a
passport?’ I asked, ‘Why do I need a
passport?’, and he goes, ‘Nothing, I
was just checking.’ Next thing I know
he approaches me a couple of days
later and says, ‘make sure you pack
your bag you have to go on holiday
with Eva’ and I thought brilliant!”
Since entering the film industry
head first, Atta has worked on a
variety of different projects from
BBC soap
Doctors
and serial drama
Lip Service
to feature films
Nina’s
Heavenly Delights, Running in Traffic,
Fernes Land
and, most recently,
Good
Morning Karachi
. From lead to minor
roles in German,British and Pakistani
productions, Atta’s experience is
certainly wide spread. “Every job I
have done has been totally different in
terms of the dynamics of it.Since I am
not a trained actor, every experience
is new in itself and I am constantly
learning. From being given the script
months in advance as opposed to on
the day to meeting various people
from different backgrounds, my
experiences have all been amazing. I
have learnt to cope in lots of different
situations and that is what really
helped my skill development.
Fernes
Land
, which was incidentally shown
again at the Berlin Film Festival this
February and March, was challenging
because I had to learn German and
work out-with my comfort zone with
people I did not really know. It was
challenging but I suppose that is why
we are all in it.”
For his latest film project Atta
starred in
Good Morning Karachi,
Pakistan’s first worldwide release
in 35 years. The modern day
Cinderella story, directed by Sabhia
Samar and based on the Shandana
Minhas novel
Rafina
, follows the
trials and tribulations of a young,
underprivileged Pakistani girl who
wants to become a model. Having
been met with great response at
the Gothenburg International Film
Festival in February, it seemsAtta has
stuck gold again. Adding to his vast
portfolio, Atta rose to the challenge
once more for the film’s dance scene:
“As an actor you need to keep fairly
fit as you never know what you will
be asked to do next. Having to learn
some of the dances for
Good Morning
Karachi
was pretty difficult but also
very fun. Each experience is unlike
the last.”
Entering the industry top down,
something almost unheard of in the
acting world, instantly changed Atta’s
life.Smiling,with eyes wide open, Atta
said,“I would not have changed it for
the world. I really do consider myself
very lucky.” However, kick-starting
his career in the lead role of an
award-winning film does, surprisingly,
have its disadvantages too. “It works
in two-folds. It was great because I
got a good agent and I made some
excellent connections but, on the
Actor Spotlight:
Atta Yaqub
CORRINEMCCONNACHIE
MEETS NOTED SCOTTISHACTORATTAYAQUB,AND FINDS
OUT HOW HIS CAREER STARTEDANDWHAT’S ON HIS AGENDA FORTHE FUTURE.