Arwa Gouda is a young Egyptian model and actress who was born and lived in Saudi Arabia. She fluently speaks Arabic, English, and French. She was the "Best Model of the World" in 2004/2005 and then started her acting career. She has played "Haidy" in "Al Haya Montaha El Laza" movie. Till last year she has played 2 different series "Abo Omar El Masry" and "Aho Da Elly Sar". She has received the "Best Actress at The Egyptian Oscar" in 2006.
Now I will leave you with my interview with the beautiful inside out, Arwa Gouda. I looked up to her as a fan, however after interviewing her and so how lively and lovable she is I loved her even more.
Tell me more about yourself:
What are your favorites?
Movie: I have a lot. Chicago, Wolly Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, and The king and I.
Actor: Tom Hardy, Jason Statham, and Anthony Hopkins.
Actress: Maryl Streep, Kate Blanchett, and Kate Winslet.
Singer: Ella Fitzgerald, and Mary Delgado.
Song: That is so hard. That is so unfair. I'd say "La2 La2".
Place to eat: Ummm .. Teppanyaki restaurants, any Japanese restaurant.
Cuisine: I love Egyptian cuisine, Turkish cuisine, Greek cuisine, Italian cuisine, and French cuisine. I love food!
What was your favorite toy?
My favorite toy was a car simulator. I'd sit hours and hours pretending that I am driving. I just love driving.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
Usually, I am either playing music, singing, coloring mandalas, horseback riding, or playing Capoeira. Depends on where I am and which mood I am in. Usually interested in any activity involving music and a group of people.
Who is your celebrity crush?
My celebrity crush is Tom Hardy.
What is your annoying habit?
I think my worse habit is that I am a messy person, I suffer from that. I am not an organized person although I try to organize. So, I can come across as an OCD person but in action, I am very unorganized. Is this a habit?
What is your biggest or weirdest fear?
I am not sure if I want to tell it. I didn't know that I had this fear until someone made me notice it. It is something everyone goes through. Surprisingly, it is old age and what would happen to me if I am too difficult for others to handle. Whether it is a sickness or an attitude problem. I am thinking about whether I will be alone or not, whether people will stay around me or not.
What would be your super power?
I'd shape-shift, I could add some flying as well.
What is your biggest screw up in the kitchen?
I set the house on fire. I wanted to fry something when two of my girlfriends came over to pick me up. We went to my room to choose the clothes and I totally forgot the stove on with the oil in it. You can imagine the rest! The kitchen was burnt and the rest of the house was full of smoke.
Who is your inspiration?
I have many many many inspirations. Starting from my mum and my dad, then my sister and cousin. Then anyone around me! When I see someone being positive and how they deal with situations. Anyone calm in panic situations. I do not focus on one person, or otherwise, it would be an imitation. I try to see what my flaws are and I see how others handle it to learn from them.
Tell me more about being a celebrity:
Are you getting used to "being a celebrity"?
It is weird! Till now when I meet someone and they say "hello", I always say my name as I can't assume that they already know who I am. There are a lot of things that makes me feel overwhelmed, now I can take those things smoothly without getting used to it. I am afraid to get used to things that may fade out, and I don't know what to do without it. So, I am trying to not get used to it!
What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you?
One of the weirdest things was print out a 6 meters poster of me. And he was stalking me for a long time.
What is the weirdest question you've been asked?
Actually, I have no idea what is the weirdest question I was asked. I think I am a weird person so maybe someone asked me something weird and I didn't think that it was weird.
If you weren't a celebrity, what would you be up to right now?
I'd have been either an architect or an interior designer or fashion designer or jewelry designer or furniture designer; something artistic. I like creativity.
Tell me more about you as a kid:
What were you like as a kid?
I was a chubby child! I loved eating, used to finish my lunch box and start asking my friends for food (telling them that my mother didn't give me food). I used to love dancing, participating in all activities. I hated studying and loved playing, having fun, and giggling. Always sitting in the back of the class and getting kicked out because of laughing too much.
What were your best & worst subjects in school?
My best subjects in school were art, sports, biology, and chemistry. At a certain point I liked Mathematics as well. I also liked Natural Economics, which was about looking after the environment. My most hated was Arabic and at a certain point physics.
Were you bullied as a kid?
Yes, defiantly I was bullied as a kid. In each age I have experienced a different bully. When I was younger I was bullied for being Egyptian or being Muslim. Then bullied for my looks for a while. Then, it stopped when I stood for myself and surrounded myself with people that I really like.
What's your most embarrassing childhood memory?
I was six, and I was in school. Back then, I had a very mean teacher. I wasn't a bright kid or had ADD or didn't understand French really well. She was in a French school with Arabic speaking parents. So, one day I really wanted to go to the bathroom and begged this teacher with no success. So, the teacher took the entire class to a "library break" for an hour. When they came back I peed myself, I started to invent an excuse that my sister passed by and gave me water that fell ... However, it was very embarrassing and then a kind teacher helped me to clean myself.
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
As a kid, first thing I wanted to be a dancer. Then, a Ballerina at a certain point. Then, a pilot who flies the fighter jets. So many jobs came to my mind while growing up. I wanted to be anything other than an actress .. If this makes any sense!
Tell me what you want to share with your fans:
What is one message you would give to your fans?
Recently, this is something that is coming to my mind a lot. What would I say to my fans? Well, you are perfect the way you are so don't try to be someone else. Don't let anyone affect the way you see yourself or think about yourself. I have struggled with this all of my life. Away from being a celebrity, I thought that every criticism is actual flaw in me which broke me along the way and I have worked on this for too long to become a better person. And I realized that: no matter what way you are or how you look, you will always have people who like you and people who don't. But actually, the number of people who like you will increase if you are comfortable with yourself regardless. If you don't love yourself, no one will do this for you.
One more thing that I really want to share with my fans (especially the younger ones), everything is cumulative! Don't hurry yourself to reach your success or your dreams or anything they are aspiring to reach. Everything is cumulative! It comes piece by piece like a puzzle. So, don't get frustrated easily.