By: Yomna Walid
His dream began when he was a child. David Berty always imagined himself playing characters he loved, imitating actors and taking part in theatrical activities at his church and school. Even while studying architecture and later working as a full-time architect, he never gave up on his dream of becoming an actor.
The rising actor needed just one opportunity to prove his talent, and that opportunity came with his first drama series, "Beng Kolli," directed by Nadine Khan. In the series, Berty plays Raheem, a complex character who required extensive preparation. From spending time in a hospital emergency room to learning more about the nursing profession, he went the extra mile to make the character as authentic as possible.
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NileFM went behind the scenes of &ldquo;Beng Kolli&rdquo; with David Berty, who revealed how he prepared for Raheem, the challenges of bringing the character to life, his experience working with Nadine Khan, and what comes next for him.
You studied architecture but eventually found yourself more passionate about acting and voice acting. Tell us more about your journey.
My love for the arts and performance started long before my architectural studies. From a very young age, I found myself constantly role-playing and imagining things on my own. Because of the big age gap between my older sisters and me, that was how I spent most of my time. As I grew older, I was constantly taking part in theatrical activities at my church and at school as well.
There was always a part of me that felt at home when practising the arts, whether writing, singing, or acting. As I got older, I wanted to actually give that child inside me a chance to explore what I had always wanted to explore.
While studying architecture, I joined multiple acting troupes and started my own YouTube channel for voice acting and singing. After graduation, I made a promise to myself to keep doing the things I love and not let them go.
Throughout the years that followed, I had a breakthrough in voice acting. I then focused more on taking acting workshops to develop my skills further. All of that was, and still is, happening in parallel with my work as a full-time architect. And here we are now.
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Was there a particular moment when you realised you wanted to become an actor?
It was always inside me, one way or another. But it was when I started taking acting workshops that I found myself feeling more passionate, more alive and more &ldquo;me&rdquo; than ever. This validated my inner feeling that I wanted to explore more in the artistic direction.
Raheem&rsquo;s character in &ldquo;Beng Kolli&rdquo; has several psychological layers. How did you approach portraying the different sides of his personality and conveying them to the audience?
Raheem was a very interesting character from day one. His day-to-day struggles, his lost dreams, and his dedication to work resonated with me a lot.
This is where I connected with the character, when I found that common ground. &ldquo;Do I know how it feels to face life&rsquo;s troubles? Do I know how it feels to let go of a dream?&rdquo; That&rsquo;s how I approached him, and it helped me make him more real. The audience connected with him, thank God.
Adding to that were the layers of his social background and upbringing, which echoed in the details and made him a fuller human being.
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When you first read the script, what message did you want the audience to take away from Raheem&rsquo;s story?
I don&rsquo;t think that was how I approached working on Raheem. I just wanted to be as honest and authentic as I could be. To me, Raheem was someone who was always trying and who kept going, and that was very close to my heart.
What was the most challenging scene you filmed for the series?
There were multiple challenging scenes, but what comes to mind is when Raheem discovers Dr Asfour&rsquo;s body.
It was challenging to approach the scene given the state Raheem was in, exhausted from his two jobs and then waking up to this mess.
I also wanted to handle it in the most realistic way possible: him being an experienced nurse, realising what had happened, trying to control his reaction, thinking about the right thing to do and then going to get help.
There was also the scene in Dr Doua&rsquo;s car, when he speaks about his lost dreams and opens his heart to her. It was an important scene because this is where we actually get to know who Raheem is. For me, I love this scene.
&ldquo;Beng Kolli&rdquo; is your first drama series. What was the most memorable reaction you received to your performance?
Multiple reactions resonated with me. Nour Mahmoud&rsquo;s post on Facebook was amazing, and it sparked a conversation about Raheem. I received multiple messages from actors and directors I know that made me really happy and made me feel that my work on Raheem had paid off, thank God.
How did you prepare for the role of Raheem?
I worked on it from multiple directions. First, I wanted to learn more about the nursing world, so I met with nurses and doctors.
I spent a day in the emergency room of one of the hospitals, observing the dynamics between the staff, patients and workers.
I watched multiple nursing videos on YouTube, where nurses talk about their jobs and what they face every day.
I worked on the appearance, the accent and the physicality of the character. And, of course, there was the internal work itself: analysing Raheem, the script and the other characters, along with their relationships and dynamics.
<a href="https://ibb.co/kPdzp4q"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/bGfYxsN/Copy-of-Copy-of-Red-and-Orange-Photocentric-Modern-Newsroom-Instagram-Post-6.png" alt="Copy-of-Copy-of-Red-and-Orange-Photocentric-Modern-Newsroom-Instagram-Post-6" border="0" /></a> Tell us about the behind-the-scenes experience of the series. Were there any memorable moments from the set that you would like to share with us?
It was really fun working with the cast. The atmosphere Nadine Khan created helped a lot in building chemistry between us all, and that is reflected in the work itself.
I remember the scenes in which I was sleeping, and multiple times the crew thought I had actually fallen into a deep sleep.
There was also this scene with Diaa Abdel-Khaleq where we bonded over our work as voice actors, as he is one of my favourite childhood voices, having voiced Buzz Lightyear in &ldquo;Toy Story&rdquo;.
What was it like working with director Nadine Khan? Was there a particular piece of advice she gave you that you will never forget?
Nadine Khan is an amazing director and human being. From day one, and even since the audition, she was very supportive. She also gave me the chance to play around with Raheem and explore the character.
She created a very friendly and safe space for us to work in, and she knew what she wanted from each character in every scene, which helped a lot.
She advised me to take care with the fine line between creating a distinctive, believable character and turning it into a stereotypical caricature. I kept that in mind while working on Raheem, and it helped me a lot.
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Is there a particular character or type of role you would like to take on in the future?
There is nothing specific I have in mind, but I love characters who are written as actual, layered human beings, with struggles, dreams, fears and needs. I fall in love with the human experience in all its shapes and forms.
What can you tell us about your upcoming projects?
Currently, I&rsquo;m working on multiple projects as a voice actor, and soon a new film will be in cinemas, in which I&rsquo;m voicing a very interesting character.
As for drama and cinema, nothing is clear yet, but I hope that &ldquo;Beng Kolli&rdquo; will be the beginning of many more interesting projects to come.
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If you could go back to your first day as an actor, what advice would you give yourself?
It would be what I&rsquo;m telling myself right now: Keep going, keep learning, do what you love for the sake of loving it, and enjoy the ride.
Photo Credit: David Berty&rsquo;s official page

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