Cosmo ME sat down with Egyptian actress Passant Shawky during the 2021 Gouna Film Festival to talk all things relationships, love, jealousy, and what she thinks about the gender disparity in the film industry.

Production: Red Pepper Films

Stylist: Poucy El Shahawy

Assistant Stylist: Sandra Ossama

Makeup: Noha Ezz El Din

Hair: Malak Samy/ Al Sagheer salon 

Image Management: Amal Tayssir

Dress: Loukia Kyriakou / Legend Boutique Kaslik 

Jewelry: Yessayan

Passant has previously starred in major series like Why Not?, Qabeel, and Wanensi, as well as movies like Diamond Dust.

Scroll down to read our full interview with the star…

Cosmo ME: How does it feel to have a public relationship people can comment on and compare?

Passant: It’s very stressful. There is a good side, and there’s a bad side. It’s hard when every action is in the public eye. If I go somewhere and I’m in a bad mood, people would immediately assume that we’re fighting, and everything is just under the microscope.

And obviously, every decision that I make is also scrutinized.  For example, if I don’t feel like going to the red carpet and he goes by himself, there’s always speculation that there is something bigger than if you’re a normal couple. There are always assumptions and they’re mostly on the negative side.

If I would pick, I would pick to have a private relationship. I think the negatives outweigh the positives of having it publicly.

C: How does your relationship affect you on a professional level?

P: Most of the time, we’re not cast in the same project, which is surprising, because people would assume that they would want to cast us together. But a lot of times, they refuse to cast us in the same project because of the risk of it seeming like nepotism.

C: Does it get competitive to be in a relationship with someone from the same field?

P: I don’t think so. When I came into the industry, he was already established, so he’s leading. So it’s not like we are both growing. I am, but he’s more established and I’m always happy for him.

C: Have you gotten a closer look at the gender disparity in the industry now that your partner is in the same field?

P: This is not just between me and him. This is between me and any man in the industry. There’s inequality when it comes to money, prestige, and rights on location.

A lot of the time he [Mohamed] fights for me and tells me to demand for more, but I tell him I can’t because I’m not as established as him yet. I have not made enough space to ask for a lot.

C: You mentioned that he was already established while you were just starting out. Have you heard comments about making it an industry solely because of your partner?

P: Of course! I still hear it. I feel like there’s always a bad assumption, a bad predisposition that there is something ill-mannered. I think a lot of people stopped talking about this when we got married, but before that, it would happen all time.

C: How do you deal with jealousy?

P: I’m not a jealous person at all. He’s more jealous than I am. It takes something huge and obvious to get me riled up, but I’m not a jealous person. I trust him. And I believe that trust is very important. Maybe, it’s also because I know my worth.

Interview and transcription by Yasmin Reda and Twinkle Stanly.