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Son of a French mother and a Moroccan father, Hafid Stitou was born in France, but lived a big part of his life in the Kingdom. He decided to leave for France when he was 17 years years old. Now, he is a comedian, a stuntman, a coach and a director. «I did all these jobs», he proudly told Yabiladi.
Indeed, by the end of his teenage years, the artist had to make a big choice : Study or work. Hafid, who had ten siblings, opted for the most challenging choice. «I decided to go for the school of life which was difficult but worth it», he explained.
A comedian who puts himself in the shoes of his characters
Hafid Stitou is a workaholic who had different small jobs at the beginning of his career. «I worked as a mechanic, a salesman, a bartender, a lifeguard ... All these jobs helped me put myself in the shoes of the characters I played», he explained.
«I had a friend who worked in the field. One day he offered me a role in a movie. After hesitating at the beginning for a bit, I finally accepted».
This is how his acting career started. And although what he earned from his first roles was not much, he enjoyed the idea of doing the job he liked the most. «It was a great experience for me», he said.
When offered a role in a film, Hafid Stitou prefers to work on it in advance, get to know the story and see himself in the character. This is what happened when he was contacted by Moroccan movie director Nabil Ayouch for his last movie «Razzia».
«I refused the role because I asked to read the script before hand, just so I can have an idea about the character and embody his personality, but I did not receive it», said the actor.
Hafid Stitou the director
Being a perfectionist, Hafid Stitou sees cinema as an industry where clichés are rejected and «actors are expected to give the best of what they have, giving it the time and means it needs, without enhancing misconceptions and stereotypes».
«I refused several offers where I had to embody the character of 'the Arab agent', because I do not like this kind of cinema where movies force actors to do this. I lost my first agent because of my numerous rejections. An Arab actor shouldn't be only starring as a terrorist, a warrior who leads epic battles on a horse, a bad guy, or a marginalized».
«I was raised by an intellectual mother and a father who served in the French army. I live in Belgium but my heart is still in Morocco», he declared.
His short movie, Seth, is based on real-life facts about the history of a gang, dismantled with the help of a group of civilians.
Hafid Stitou wants to make a full-length version of his movie, with the hope of working on the story in a more thorough way. Fascinated by filmmakers like Martin Scorcese and actor Anthony Hopkins, the star wants to deal in his movies with social issues.
«We can talk about social problems and make action too, the two things can be done at once», he explained. «You have to try new things in cinema and not only create films that make people cry», he added.
Hafid Stitou wants to shoot his movie Seth in Morocco and hire Moroccan actors. «We have young actors and young filmmakers who are talented enough to be known internationally», he said.
Ambitious to evolve in the cinema industry, Hafid Stitou regrets however the fact that «a festival that is as big as that of Marrakech does not contribute to opening doors for young talents».
