I remember a weird story. I struggled professionally, no job. I wanted to stop this job and, with a friend I played a game: Choose someone who I’m sure I will never work with but who I dream of playing with, so I dreamt big. I chose Robert Downey Junior. Two weeks later my agent calls me to play with Robert Downey Junior in Sherlock Holmes, I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke. It was a small part but it was like a lesson, never desperate, everything is possible!
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Fatima Adoum.
Fatima Adoum is an actress, known for her main role in the series L’Équipe 2. She has also worked on many successful international projects (Jack Ryan, Hijack, etc.). She plays Amythis in the series FURIES which has just been released on Netflix.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Thank you for the invitation.
I was born and raised in France and later moved to London. My dad was a bad father and husband but my mother was a wonderful Mum, very loving and encouraging. The cinema was a kind of refuge when I was a child, like the tales my mother told us. When they got divorced, my mother took us to the cinema evry week. It was such a precious time because she sacrificed herself to be able to offer us this kind of privileges.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I saw Charles Bronson in “Once Upon a Time in the West » I wanted so badly this role. So I knew very young that I wanted to be an actress but I needed a plan B. I studied communications at the University of Lyon in France. I ended up redirecting myself towards studying cinema. So I went to Paris to prepare my thesis and I met the director Gaspar Noé who invited me to play in his film Irreversible, which was my first professional film.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I worked on the series FURIES out now on Netflix. I love this character, Amythis, who knows how to make birthday cakes and use guns too.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I remember a weird story. I struggled professionally, no job. I wanted to stop this job and, with a friend I played a game: Choose someone who I’m sure I will never work with but who I dream of playing with, so I dreamt big. I chose Robert Downey Junior. Two weeks later my agent calls me to play with Robert Downey Junior in Sherlock Holmes, I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke. It was a small part but it was like a lesson, never desperate, everything is possible!
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
- I wish someone told me that in this industry, everything is possible.
- I wish someone told me that rejection is often a chance to go to more beautiful experiences.
- I wish someone told me to be always grateful for what you have, even if it’s a small success, it’s a success on the long road of a career.
- I wish someone told me to start my own projects much sooner.
- I wish someone told me to focus on what is the most important for me.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
It would be a movement where we encourage people to help each other, listen to each other, respect each other whatever our differences. Helping and accepting others makes you happy because you grow up and we all need help one day. The more we help others, the more we will be respected and beautiful.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
I would love to have a lunch with Oprah Winfrey to talk about women and inclusivity. Everything is possible, isn’t it?
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fatima.adoum/?hl=fr
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Fatima ADOUM: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.