We’ve all grown up with May Elghety on our screen – quickly proving herself as one of Egypt’s brightest stars from a young age. Despite her stardome, one conversation with May could put the most jumpy at ease. Her warm voice and animated expression feels like a comforting cup of tea with an old friend – familiar, easy, and quietly disarming.
Elghety began her career early, making appearances on television series as far back as 2003. “I started at such a young age, so acting was very instinct-based. A part of me is just trying to be myself, whilst also responding to the environment and the other actors.”
“I think especially as child actors, you really kind of take and emulate the energy of the people that you’re working with.” In the beginning, “it was just about having fun and being a kid. Technically it was my after-school activity,” she recalls fondly. “As time went on, I began to build on that instinct, while being curious about where those characters are coming from, gathering as much information as I can.”
TAPPING BACK INTO CHILDLIKE WONDER
As a teenager her appetite for the creative world, paired with an unwavering boldness to take on complex roles head-on, helped cement her as a household name. Cast as Aisha in Mohamed Diab’s groundbreaking Eshtebak (Clash) and Bayada in El Kaserat, a 2013 series depicting child marriage in Upper Egypt.
Marked by curiosity, her creative process continues to evolve. “Now, a lot more preparation comes into play. For more complicated characters, I often build a sort of psych profile, focused on personality traits. You could say I have a more academic approach.” That said, once the camera starts rolling, she lets all that go, “drawing back on that childlike wonder.”
THE FILM WE’RE ALL ANXIOUS TO SEE
On Lee Cronin’s The Mummy – premiering 17 April – Elghety recalls her mixed mindset, humorously self-depreciating in her delivery. “It was kind of surreal how it all came together,” she says, hinting that it was almost fated to be. “I was very proud of the audition myself. Though I had this very strange, sinking feeling that I might not get it – one of those moments when you know something, but it still feels far away.”
When her phone rang and she heard Lee wanted to meet her, the nerves didn’t ease – but she rolled with it, certain it would be an amazing adventure regardless of the outcome.
“I knew I wanted to do it from early on,” she says. A self-professed horror film buff, she had been quietly manifesting a role like this – long before she knew what it would be.
Elghety plays a young Egyptian girl burdened with keeping a major secret her entire life. “She’s very resilient,” she says, her connection to the character palpable. “She’s a really strong young girl who’s seen a lot of suffering but persevered – truly a hero in her own right.”
THE WORK DOESN’T STOP WHEN THE DIRECTOR YELLS CUT
“I felt like it was important that Egyptians are actually being included in the way that we are portrayed,” she says – something Hollywood rarely gets right. While staying true to her Egyptian roots mattered deeply, Elghety is careful not to speak for an entire population, recognising that identity here is layered and far from singular.
That refreshing sense of authenticity wasn’t limited to casting. Elghety explains that Cronin made a point of involving her both behind and in front of the camera.
“I was really surprised by how much they wanted me to be involved. Cronin was very keen on having me, and [co-star] May Calamawy be as involved as possible. He tried to do the best to be as authentic as possible within the film’s imaginary world.”
“I can give you a little spoiler,” she says, smiling. Cronin even went so far as to ask her about what song to include in the opening scene – an Egyptian track from that specific period. Elghety was keen to spotlight an underground act that “really resonated with younger people at the time.” Expect a track from beloved funk, pop-fusion band Sharmoofers to set the tone.
THE ART OF BECOMING
Elghety’s performances exude a quiet confidence, rooted in her understanding of shared human experience. “Our instincts evolve as we move through life and gather experiences. The way I respond to things now is different to when I was 16 – or even 21 – and that’s true for everyone,” she adds, as an endearing, shy smirk graces her face.
The process is fluid rather than fixed, “whether it’s a conscious one or not, I think it’s just part of natural human growth. You grow, and your performance grows with you because it’s part of who you are.”
A testimony to her artistry, Elghety moves with an air of humility. “I’ve always said that as people, we feel the same emotions. We are connected by the experience of overcoming suffering and learning how to deal with it.”
She pauses before adding, “There’s no character I’ve played that doesn’t have at least 80% of me in it. I feel the same pain, love and joy – just by the sheer fact that I’m human, and you’re human.”
A SUBTLETY TO HER CRAFT
As she enters a new chapter of her career, we ask her to imagine her dream scene – if she were to write it herself. While the future remains unwritten, she turns to a film that has stayed with her. “Have you heard of the film Paterson, with Adam Driver?” she asks.
In the film, Driver plays a seemingly ordinary bus driver, who quietly writes poetry. “I’ve always been so drawn to his character because he’s such an amazing artist, but nobody knows it,” she says. “I have all these ideas – entire worlds in my head – but they’re not all apparent. I can just see him sitting on that park bench [a pinnacle scene in the film], writing slowly, while holding this whole universe inside him.”
WHERE WILL WE SEE HER NEXT?
“I’m a bit eccentric in the way I imagine my work,” she laughs. “There are so many people I want to work with and time periods I want to travel to.”
For Elghety, one thing is clear: the opportunities are endless, and her curiosity equally vast. “I am limited by the industry sometimes, but as artists, our imaginations can run very wild.”
“There are so many stories I want to tell, but what matters to me is that they add something on an emotional level for the audience. I want to showcase interesting female characters.”
Expect to see her exploring both action and comedy next – two genres she’s eager to step back into.
Look: @tuluadesigns_ / @haniatamer__
