Powerhouse actor and producer Mohamed Karim chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about starring in the new Bruce Willis film “A Day to Die.”
Karim co-stars in the new Bruce Willis action blockbuster “A Day to Die,” which was written by Rab Berry and Scott Mallace, and is distributed by Vertical Entertainment. The film was directed by Wes Miller. “Wes is a great director and the whole cast is really really great. Everybody did a great job especially the legend Bruce Willis,” he said.
“I grew up watching the ‘Die Hard’ movies so I am honored and super-lucky that most of my scenes are with Bruce Willis in the film. I am really proud of that since I got to know him better,” he added.
Portraying Reynolds
The role of Reynolds in “A Day to Die” is the second film in a row that Karim has had the opportunity to play such an interesting role and one that isn’t a stereotypical Middle Eastern role, in a Hollywood film.
“First of all, I loved that it was a non-stereotype role and I am very grateful for that. He is the good guy in the film that makes sure that everyone follows the rules whether it’s inside the police department or outside of it,” he said.
“I tried to make my character unpredictable as much as possible. I really love my role and I appreciate all of the time I invested in it and did all of the rehearsals. I tried to form a shape for Reynolds’ character,” he added.
Egyptian multi-award winner star Mohamed Karim joins Bruce Willis, Frank Grillo, and Kevin Dillon in this week’s “A Day to Die.” Karim, who hosted the Middle East version of “The Voice.”
Synopsis of the film
Ex-military ops officer Conner Connolly (Kevin Dillon) has one day to pay $2 million in reparations to a local gang leader in order to save his kidnapped wife. With her life on the line, Conner must recruit his old crew, led by Brice Mason (Frank Grillo), to pull off a series of dangerous heists to repay the money he owes and settle a score with the city’s corrupt police chief (Bruce Willis). In a race against time, the crew must rely on their tactical training and brotherhood to save themselves and those who matter most.
Karim is Detective Reynolds, a committed and righteous law-enforcer who isn’t afraid to do the right thing or see justice served, even if it places him in the line of danger. Until he brings the head of corruption down and brings him to justice. The two most important things in Reynold’s life are work and his daughter.
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “The cool thing is that you can see the film in theaters and you can watch it on digital, and that’s pretty awesome since everybody is watching it at the same time.”
Advice for hopefuls
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “I don’t want anybody to go through all the obstacles I went through to chase my dreams. I would like for them to surpass that and help them as much as possible.”
“Determination is key,” he underscored. “I have to sacrifice a lot of things and take huge risks. It will take a lot of years of really hard work so you really have to be in love with the craft. I would encourage people to start at a young age since it doesn’t happen overnight. They need to make sure that they can support themselves first, play it smart, and follow your dreams.”
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Karim said, “Living the Dream.” “That doesn’t mean I have achieved my dreams yet but at least, I am doing what I love and I am on the right track,” he explained.
Dream acting partners and roles
Karim listed Denzel Washington, Bradley Cooper, Keanu Reeves, and Scarlett Johansson as his dream acting partners. “I would love to work with Denzel, he is an idol of mine and a legend,” he said.
“One of my dreams is to be a superhero, I would love to do a Marvel superhero character. Right now, Hollywood is open for diversity and hopefully, that will come soon. If that happens, that will be my greatest achievement.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, he remarked, “Success means everything to me. I am all about achievement, positive vibes, and success. Stay away from negativity and surround yourself with positive people.”
“When you have success, you have everything. When you are successful, you will have the money, stability, fame, job, and everything,” he said.
Karim concluded about “A Day to Die,” “Go after what you believe in and what your gut feeling tells you, that’s what I went through and that’s what Reynolds went through in the movie. If you believe in what is right, then go for it.”
To learn more about Mohamed Karim, check out his IMDb page and follow him on Instagram.
Review: “A Day to Die” earned a favorable review from Digital Journal.
