Alexander Siddig and Patricia Clarkson in "Cairo Time"

“I love acting, I love being an actor,” said Patricia Clarkson, during a recent afternoon interview at the Chateau Marmont to talk about the Blu-ray and DVD release of her latest film, Cairo Time.  “And I have never lost that love.  I certainly have suffered the slings and arrows of the life of an actor, but I do love it.  I embrace all the good, the bad, and the ugly, everything about it.  Thank God I love doing it and people keep hiring me because I really can’t do anything else.  All these brilliant colleagues of mine, not only are they amazing actors, they play the piano, they write, they sing.  They paint.  No, no, no, I don’t do any of that.”

In Cairo Time, Clarkson plays a New York magazine writer named Juliette on vacation to visit her UN official husband.  When her husband is delayed at work, he asks his former co-worker Tareq (Kingdom of Heaven and 24 star Alexander Siddig) to serve as her tour guide.  What ensues is a subtle and ultimately bittersweet love affair that catches both by surprise.  The movie, with its lingering and gorgeous shots of Cairo, is reminiscent of such evocative romantic dramas as In The Mood For Love and Brief Encounter. “I think a lot happens in this film in a very subtextual, quiet, discreet way, and you have to reach forward in the film,” said Clarkson, who received an Oscar nod for her work in Pieces of April and won two Emmys for her run on HBO’s Six Feet Under.  “But it does require you to be present and perceptive and tuned in.  It’s not going to do the work for you. It’s vastly visual, and it’s a feast of Cairo.  But the actual drama is very internal.  It’s truly one of the most difficult parts I’ve played in my whole career and it was deceptively so.  It caught me by surprise.”

(CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR BELOW TO LISTEN TO PATRICIA CLARKSON TALK ABOUT HER FUTURE PROJECTS)

Cairo Time, directed by Ruba Nadda, is now out on Blu-ray and DVD.  Special features include commentary from Nadda, a making of documentary, several short films from Nadda, an alternate ending, and a Q&A session with Nadda, Clarkson, and Siddig from the 2009 Toronto Film Festival.

Patricia Clarkson in "Cairo Time" (IFC Films)

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posted by Greg Srisavasdi