E-mail a friendShohreh Aghdashloo
airdate July 1, 2009
The first Iranian actress to receive an Oscar nod—for her role in House of Sand & Fog—Shohreh Aghdashloo was a superstar in pre-revolutionary Iran. During the Islamic rebellion, she went to England, where her interest in social justice compelled her to earn an international relations degree. She also continued to pursue acting. In a controversial storyline, Aghdashloo had a recurring role as a terrorist in season 4 of the Fox hit 24 and has film credits that include The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Stoning of Soraya M.
Oscar-nominated actress talks about being a feminist and an activist and wanting to end the barbaric punishment of stoning. (3:49)
Full interview. (12:05)
Shohreh Aghdashloo
Tavis: Always pleased to have Shohreh Aghdashloo on this program. The Iranian-born and Oscar-nominated actress stars in a much-talked-about new project set in Iran called "The Stoning of Soraya M." The film is now open in select cities. Here now a scene from "The Stoning of Soraya M."
[Clip]
Tavis: It's a powerful line -- "The voices of women do not matter here. I want you to take my voice with you." This is based on a true story.
Shohreh Aghdashloo: Absolutely, Tavis, it's based on a true story that took place early '80s in Iran and was written by Freidoune Sahebjam, the Iranian-French journalist who was going through this village and was approached by my character, Zahra, who told him the story and begged him to tell the world.
Tavis: And the storyline is?
Aghdashloo: That Soraya's husband, after living with this woman for more than 10,15 years, having four or six children, now he is in love with a 14-year-old.
Tavis: He falls in love with a 14-year-old.
Aghdashloo: Absolutely.
Tavis: Okay.
Aghdashloo: And he asks for a divorce, but of course Soraya does not agree. She knows with or without, she's going to die. And when she does not agree to divorce, of course he sends her to work for the mechanic of the village and later on accuses her of having an inappropriate relationship with the mechanic. And of course the punishment in the Islamic penal codes is the stoning.
Tavis: Stoning, yeah.
Aghdashloo: Soraya's aunt, Zahra, tries to do -- the storyteller, the initiator -- tries to do her best to prevent this but of course they have decided to go ahead with it no matter what, and it tells you -- shows you, actually -- how in a corrupt society one man can do whatever he wishes to do.
Tavis: There's so many lessons in this film, and Jonathan, put that hole in the ground on the screen for me. I'll let you explain what this hole is and how the stoning -- because the scene in the movie is very graphic, but I'll let you, Shohreh, tell how these stonings actually take place.
Aghdashloo: Well, actually, they dig the hole first and then -- there are different methods of doing this. In some cultures they wrap a piece of white material around their head so their face and half of their body which is out of the hole would not be seen -- you would just see a white material and when the stoning starts the white material turns into red, of course.
But in this one it's a universal depiction of stoning, really. She is ready to be put in that hole and then the whole villagers would gather together and they start with the father -- first it's for the father to throw the stones, then the husband, and then the sons. After the sons, the mullah of the village and the mayor, who are supposed to be the fathers of this village, and then the villagers would stone the person to death.
Tavis: So a woman gets put -- and I'm staying on this photo here because -- we'll get this in a second -- these stonings continue around the world. In many cultures, these stonings still take place today, so a man can tell a lie about his wife having an affair, and because he said it, he's automatically believed, essentially. And they put her in this hole and her father is the first to throw the stones?
Aghdashloo: Yes.
Tavis: Her father?
Aghdashloo: Yes. Basically, when a woman is accused of adultery, they don't -- and been sentenced to stoning -- it is not a human anymore, it's an animal, less than animal. That's why they don't have any problem treating her the way they feel like. Because after being sent to stoning you're not a human being anymore, you're an animal. That's why they do whatever they feel like doing to this person.
Tavis: What makes you want to play this character? And I ask you that question specifically because I happen to know from knowing a bit about your story -- you've been on this program before -- that your family, many of them still in Iran, have questions about some of the roles that you choose to play and the light that it puts the family in, the light that it puts the country in, the light that it puts the culture in. So why does Shohreh accept an opportunity to play a role like this?
Aghdashloo: Well, there are things that I personally, as an actress, as an activist, as a feminist, as someone who cares, would love to do that my parents do not agree with, especially my mother, who keeps asking me why, why are you putting yourself in trouble again?
And there are things that I want to bring to people's attention but I don't have the tools nor the means to do so, like the stoning. I had seen a real one on tape, early '90s, and thank god the person who gave it to me said, "Do not watch it in the evening; watch it in the morning."
I took my daughter to school, my husband went to work. I started watching it at 11:00 a.m. First of all, it took an hour and a half, not seven minutes in the scene in our film; second of all, it was far more worse and it was horrible. I couldn't eat for days, I couldn't sleep for days.
Tavis: So on the tape you watched of a real stoning, it took an hour and a half for the person to die?
Aghdashloo: Two people.
Tavis: Two people.
Aghdashloo: Yeah, they were young men, 18 and 19, and they were being stoned for being homosexuals.
Tavis: Wow. To your point now, this is one of those films, and you've done a few of them, where you're -- let me combine two words. You're really an actorvist.
Aghdashloo: (Laughs.) Thank you so much. You created it.
Tavis: No, no, I can't --
Aghdashloo: I'm going to give you the credit.
Tavis: I can't take credit for that. If I could, I'd own the rights to that, but I don't. I'm not the first one to use that word.
Aghdashloo: Because you're right, you're right.
Tavis: But you take the actor that is in you, you combine it with your activism, you become an actorvist when you play a role like this. So what message do you want the film to communicate when you do something like this?
Aghdashloo: Well, I was hoping that the very first message it would send out was put a ban on this. Stop this barbaric form of punishment. And second of all, since I had seen a real one, I couldn't wait for it to be turned into a film or a TV film or whatever, but I didn't think anybody would have liked to do this.
That's why when Cyrus Nowrasteh called and told me about the subject matter and was wondering whether I am sensitive or not I said, "Forget about my sensitivity. Of course, I have to read it first. I read my materials; without reading, I can't say anything. But I am ready. I am ready. If the material is good I'll do it tomorrow." Do you know of any dedicated producer in Hollywood who would be willing to risk his money on this? Because certainly this is not a blockbuster, nor am I the girl next door.
And he said, "Why don't you go and meet with Steve McEveety?" When I heard Steve McEveety's name I knew that it might have happened because Steve was familiar with human misery. He has already portrayed it in "Passion of Christ." He was familiar with the pain. And he did it. Him, John Shepherd, and a group of good men who really cared, because I know that this is not going to be a blockbuster.
Tavis: You filmed this on location in Jordan?
Aghdashloo: That's right, yes, in the beautiful mountains of Jordan, with the beautiful Jordanians.
Tavis: When the word gets out in the community in that region of the world that a film was being made starring you about the stoning of a woman, what's the reaction of the townspeople and these beautiful Jordanians that you referenced? Are they still as beautiful when they hear that?
Aghdashloo: I am sure they will be, because they participated in the film. Most of them got to throw the stones. They knew what was going on. They kept asking me what the core of the idea was, what the story was like, but I didn't want to give it out, I wanted them to find out. And obviously, most of the exteriors we shot were in that village in front of all the villagers, and they started putting bits and pieces together.
And one day, a woman in that village who was very much like my character, and her name was Jamilla (sp) and we'd become friends, came to me and said, "Tell me something -- is she innocent?" I said, "Jamilla, being innocent or not at this point is irrelevant. She's a woman. We shouldn't do that to her." And she was, "Yes, you are absolutely right," and then she started going around, talking to the villagers, telling them "Haraam, haraam, it's forbidden. People shouldn't do that. People shouldn't stone women."
And they were saying, "Maybe she's not innocent," and she was like, "It's irrelevant." Now Jamilla turned into a --
Tavis: So she's playing Shohreh Aghdashloo now.
Aghdashloo: Absolutely, in the village. Well, I learned a lot from her. The scene that I'm smoking is Jamilla's, because I smoke, but I didn't know how villagers smoke, so I asked Jamilla if she smoked and she said yes. I gave her one and she smoked in front of me and I realized that she put her cigarette right at the end of the fingers and she goes (makes noise).
So she taught me a lot. She braided my hair every morning and we became good friends. They were really, really kind people. I'm sure they would be proud of this film.
Tavis: It's a small thing as you told it but it felt much more significant to me, and that is this notion of running into somebody, meeting somebody who is a Jordanian, who lives there, and being able to communicate to them another way of looking at this, another way of viewing this -- that it doesn't matter whether she's guilty or innocent; she's a woman, it shouldn't have happened.
But it must mean something to be able to communicate that with an everyday person while you're filming and to have impacted them in such a way where they're now spreading that message. They get it, and they're telling everybody else everywhere they go.
Aghdashloo: Absolutely. It was mostly the message about the voiceless women more than anything else. When I read stories, screenplays, coming from a Middle Eastern background of course I look for symbols. I have been exposed to censorship for quite a long time in Iran so I'm very familiar with writing through metaphors and symbols. When I was reading this story, although it's a true story its fundamental pillars are very much like Shakespearean fundamental pillars.
And all these characters are representatives, they're metaphors for certain tribes and schools of thought and so on and so forth. So the way I tried to sort of portray this character, Zahra's character, was according to what the writer wanted her to be -- a metaphor for Iran. She is the mother of Iran.
Tavis: Speaking of a metaphor for Iran, I got 30 seconds. Your thoughts right quick on what's happening in Iran as we speak, given our conversation with Roger Cohen?
Aghdashloo: Well, I heard it, it was great. I'm with him. Unfortunately if the movement is crushed then we are going to face a much more religious and military dictatorship, something like North Korea, he also referred to it. And if not, it seems that Mr. Moussavi is the only reformist who is standing by his promises.
If he is elected, then he will try to do his best for Iran's younger generation, who is now, as Mr. Cohen was saying, 65 percent of the population of Iran.
Tavis: That's huge.
Aghdashloo: Yes.
Tavis: Such a young country.
Aghdashloo: Yes, indeed.
Tavis: And you hail from there and we thank Iran and Tehran for giving us Shohreh Aghdashloo. Her new movie is called "The Stoning of Soraya M.," in select theaters now; I'm sure in broader release in the country in the coming weeks. Always an honor to have you on here.
Aghdashloo: Thank you so much.
Tavis: Glad to have you here.
Aghdashloo: Always. Thanks for having me.
Tavis: My pleasure.
Aghdashloo: Thank you.
Back to July 1, 2009