Today we’d like to introduce you to Reem Kadem.
Reem, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began acting consistently in high school theater, and it became my greatest love affair. I believe I got where I am today, by persistence and a passion that only grew stronger. You can’t do this for the fame. If you’re in it for the long haul, and you really want to make this your life, your initial motive, cannot be money and stardom, because that isn’t going to fuel you. What is going to fuel you, is your undying desire and love for the craft. It really did choose me, because many, including my family, felt I was pursuing a hobby for a period, but I knew it was more than that. It tested me on many levels, as I was expected to be a doctor or a lawyer, certainly not an actor.
It took me some time to realize I could realistically make this my full-time career and profession, even though I know that’s what I wanted more than anything in the world, so I went after my craft like Hercules. I received rejection, of course, but I received a heck of a lot of confirmation as well.
I auditioned for stuff, I booked, I got a ton of callbacks, I got put on hold a ton, and I was getting tremendous feedback from casting. I was basically the girl who almost got the “it” role, quite a few times. It’s just how the cookie crumbled, and I was young in my career. So I was going up against actresses of all kinds, including ones, that had been working longer professionally. Sometimes credits would beat out the better actor, simply because, there was more of a following behind the other person. It was reassuring too when the same casting offices would continue to bring me back. That kept re-affirming to me as well, that I’m on the right track.
I adored acting class so much. I spent years of my life in class day in and day out. For about eight years or so, I was spending all my money on class, and was there basically every single week, several times a week. I feel acting class is a chance for actors to explore, to fail and fall flat on their face, to find brilliance in the intention and in the accident.
I studied with many teachers, but of them all, I studied the longest and immersed myself in the most discovery early in my career with acting teacher, Carey Scott, a successor to Stella Adler, who was in class with people like Sean Penn, Salma Hayek, Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo and many others of that caliber. I also have studied with Oscar Winner, Bobby Moresco, Two Time BAFTA Nominee, Alfred Molina and SAG-Aftra Nominee, Jack Stehlin for a period, and have been working with acting coach, Amy Lyndon, who has been a great champion of mine (teacher to 50 series regular alumnis).
A breakthrough came in for me in the last couple of years, when I landed two major roles. The biggest one for me was the starring role of Nawal in “Nawal the Jewel”, and the second was a lead in the James Franco film, “Blood Ride” right after returning from shooting Nawal in India and Oman.
When I went into the room, I walked in tatted up, with fake tattoos, black lipstick, ripped black top, all black tight attire, and backwards hat. I did a whole rap sequence for the audition in one of the scenes, it was a song that Franco’s character was based upon in “Spring Breakers”. The song was going to be a world debut with me rapping it, but it didn’t get to the final cut of the film due to rights of the song, unfortunately, it was such a great huge moment for my role as Nona. I was so touched, as I got two standing ovations on the set when doing this rap scene in a matter of two takes. But overall, it was a cool feeling to book this altogether, being that I was up against offer only actresses. It was Director Melanie Aitkenhead and Executive Producer, James Franco who gave me the thumbs up for the role, which is a complete opposite part to Nawal.
With Nawal, there was an international search around the world, and I was recommended by two people to the producer in Los Angeles as a perfect fit for the role. After a process of reviewing my materials, auditioning and skyping with Director, Renjilal Damodaran, who was in India, I was chosen, and we began negotiating the contract.
Nawal is based on the true story of Reyhaneh Jabbari, where I portray a woman who defends her life against an officer who tries to rape her and is sentenced to death in Iran. I won Best Lead Actress at Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival in Holland, Milan International Film Festival of World Cinema in Italy, The Multicultural Film Festival in California, and Boston International Film Festival in Massachusetts. We have received so many award recognitions, including multiple wins for Best Feature Film, combined with official selections and nominations… for the last three festivals above, we also won best film.
I was honored as well with nominations twice in London, at London International Film Festival (for which we won Best Feature Film) and The North Europe International Film Festival, along with a nomination at The South Europe International Film Festival in Valencia, Spain, so I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot, more than I ever have in a given year, and what a blessing that was.
In “Blood Ride”, I portray one of the main gang members, and we won Best Ohio Feature Film for that project. Franco portrays a supporting role while also executive producing it.
Of all the travels in my life, I still feel Kerala, India has stolen my heart most. I’ve never seen green so green. There are elephants being showered on the shore of the ocean. There is a wildness and serenity about Kerala that is like no other. One of my fondest memories was the children, and how excited they were on our set. A bunch of them lined up one after the other to get autographs from me, and I made sure to write their names in and “Thank you” when signing, to each and every one of them.
It’s truly been a thrill for me, and I have yet to scratch the scratch of what I hope and plan to do in the business in the years to come. So I am grateful, to say the least.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say, going back to my earlier reply, but to elaborate further, I’ve had a myriad of struggles, of course. First of all, I felt like I would hold on to the audition more when I was younger, it’s typically through experience, that you can learn to let that go. Some actors, no matter how many years they have on them, they still hold on for dear life. I would say, if you wish to really have more peace, learn to let it go and move on to the next. What’s meant is meant, and if it is coming for you, there is nothing, not any force that can stop it. Certainly, there are those life-changing ones that you hang onto for a bit longer, sometimes. On occasion, I may hold on a couple days and wonder, but overall, I’m onto the next, and it’s very psychologically freeing to operate in that way.
The biggest struggle is probably the fact, that deep down, you always want to see that your family is proud of your endeavors. My parents, in particular, love me and care for me very much. And I, for them. But as it goes, I come from a culture, where being an actress and following in this path is just not the protocol.
Of course, there can be much uncertainty for the future of an artist, and that comes with the card game. I would love to have a family and enjoy that chapter of my life as well, but I’m quite independent and career driven at the moment, so it must come organically and with mutual desire, especially for the hopeless romantic I am, having watched countless of romance films, and living vicariously through them.
All in all, I have battled my cultural expectations every step of the way, and it has been the hardest part of my journey. But honestly, it has also been so rewarding, because I step back and get to say, “Wow. I am actually doing it, and against all odds.”
I ended up co-writing a comedy inspired from my life, currently entitled “The Real Me”, formerly called, “Arab America”, with Raymond Martino, my writing partner on the project. So you take your struggles and make art of it. You make change. You make power. We were about to go into production on that film a little while back and then it turned back around to us, which became a blessing in disguise. We are now about to package it on a much bigger level, so we are really excited for the next step, which is soon coming for this film. And hopefully, people will get to see this story on the big screen all over – so together, we can laugh, cry and come together through comedy. It’s such a beautiful and timely film and no better time than now to tell it.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Reem Kadem – what should we know?
I have a company called Chameleon Pictures, which is in its early stages for further development of projects. I produced and directed a documentary, for a cause, to help the servers of America, under my production banner. It is called “Self Serve” and is available to the public on YouTube. I have in it, Oscar Nominated Actress Sally Kirkland (“Anna”), star of “Straight Outta Compton”, Neil Brown Jr., comedian, Amir K (“MADtv”), Creator of “Final Destination”, Jeffrey Reddick, and many others. It was due to the fact that servers were at risk of sharing tips with managers and owners of restaurants, and I fought hard to make sure this message was sent out, contacting politicians’ offices as well. Veteran film and documentary producer, Erik Parkinson believed in the project and assisted me in promoting it to the public, along with my co-producer on it, Star Noor who assisted with the day-to-day outreach to government officials.
It was featured in Variety by journalist Dave McNary, and to the fortune of the servers all across the country, the bill was passed to ensure that managers and owners (non-servers) would not be paid tips. It’s different of course, if they too are serving, then I can see that they would, in that case, be earning the tips, some smaller places do that. I am not against that as long as they are doing the work that the servers are doing as well.
As far as all the other projects and endeavors circling me, my acting career has taken a great turn, especially having connected with filmmakers from all around the world, who have met me and have been following my acting wins. There are pending offers by filmmakers who want to work with me at this time, so it’s all dependent on the material and the overall deal in place.
I’ve been writing as well for many years, and several of my projects are getting packaged and off the ground with some major players in town. It is the residue of years and years of hard work, and consistency in the efforts put out, with various scripts I’ve penned. I got my degree in screenwriting so that was a great launching pad for me, to create meaningful content, some of which is also being geared for me to star in, with the support of producers behind me.
I am one of the founders of Women Creating Change, which was first created by my friend and Veteran Producer, Lee Broda (who was interviewed by Voyage). That has been rewarding to help create opportunities for other middle eastern women and those of the MENA region. We are soon launching an event called “Stand Up 4 Her” coming up this July, and we have opened submissions for it on social media.
I’m also the star of a Bollywood Music video, being released by one of the top companies in all of India – Zee Music Company. I decided to do this because I was friends for years and have worked with 5 Time Emmy Nominee Jaswant Shrestha, and he approached me to be the lead in his breakout Bollywood song. When I heard this song (which is beautiful) and his vision for the video, it felt like an acting piece, and a real true love story. So I decided to take the leap of faith. And I’m glad that I did – as we are soon going to be watched by millions of viewers in India. With “Nawal the Jewel” and having been on billboards in India, it’s really nice to be able to keep building that recognition.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I would have to begin with my greatest mentor in life, Valerie McCaffrey, who wears many hats in the business along with being a known casting director.
She has been my rock, through thick and thin, and I honestly don’t know where I would be without her.
We all have these people, these mentors, that are guardian angels, and in the last several years of my life, she has been that for me on so many levels. I am so grateful for her support in my life, her understanding, and her guidance. She’s been my best friend and my family, and she’s helped me through so many pitfalls as I’ve grown up in this business and in life. She was also with me in India and Oman and overlooking the project during the shooting of “Nawal the Jewel”. We had the time of our life.
My attorney, Edward Ruttenberg has been on the journey with me for Nawal and for many of my projects. He has truly gone above and beyond to help me in so many matters. He just really believes in me and is a real blessing as part of my team.
Although my parents wished I was a doctor or lawyer more so than anything, I will say, they have always been business people and ingrained that sense of entrepreneurship in me. So for that, it has also fueled me to push more in creating other avenues of business for my career. I definitely appreciate that, and I’ve always wanted to prove to them, that I can conquer.
My fifth grade teacher, Linda Mashburn, is actually still one of the dearest and closest people to me in my life. She has had a big impact on me from the young girl I once was, to now. I learned a lot about tolerance and sympathy through her. I wanted very much to be “popular” back in private Catholic school in La Jolla, and she really helped me grow in finding myself as an individual in the world.
One of my best friends, Ashley Garland Budzick, who’s not in LA anymore, but back in Illinois, has always been my cheerleader, she’s just believed in me and always has had my back. I just adore her.
She also sang an incredible song called “Mother” inspired by a voice message Reyhaneh Jabbari left for her mom before she passed. It was a huge emotional aid for me in getting to the deepest, most vulnerable places for my character.
You can download the song on iTunes and it is truly one of the best songs I’ve ever heard, not because she’s my best friend, but because it’s just that good.
She introduced me to Eddie Torres as well, who became our two-time award winning composer for “Nawal the Jewel”, and today is like a brother to me no doubt. We have traveled Europe together promoting the film and have had such a blast.
So all in all, you can’t really put a price tag on those who are there for you in such a way, it’s a blessing to know that you have people who really have your back and have seen you through your ups and downs. You don’t need a lot of them, you just need enough, and quality over quantity. Never forget those who are there, because they play a big role in helping you push through, in your voyage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2186776/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
- Instagram: @rmkadem
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reem.kadem
- Twitter: @rkadem
Image Credit:
Cover Photo (from the top): Reem Kadem – Photo By Samrod Shenassa
(2nd Photo): Reem Kadem as Winner of Best Lead Actress at Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival
(3rd Photo): Reem Kadem being interviewed by Steven Grossmith at Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival
(4th Photo): Reem Kadem as Winner of Best Lead Actress at Milan International Film Festival of World Cinema
(5th Photo): “Nawal the Jewel” Press Conference in Kerala, India (from left): Director, Renjilal Damodaran, Lead Actress, Reem Kadem, Supporting Actress, Shweta Menon, and Lead Actor, Adil Hussain.
(6th Photo): Reem Kadem at The North Europe International Film Festival in London.
(7th Photo): Reem Kadem signing autographs on set for the children in Kerala, India
(8th Photo): One of the many billboards of “Nawal the Jewel” in India (from left) -Shweta Menon and Reem Kadem
(9th Photo): Reem Kadem as Winner of Best Lead Actress at The Multicultural Film Festival in California
(10th Photo): Reem Kadem as Winner of Best Lead Actress at Boston International Film Festival
(11th Photo): Close Up – Reem Kadem at Boston International Film Festival
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