CAIRO, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- For Egyptian young actor Omar Sherif, playing Seif in the Chinese film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East" was more than an acting experience. It was an opportunity to draw attention to the suffering of children caught in war and remind the world that they deserve to live in peace and choose their own futures.
"When I read the script, what touched me the most was how it talked about children caught up in war and showed care for them," Sherif said in a recent interview with Xinhua.
At the time, the war in Gaza was raging, making the story particularly meaningful to him.
"I wanted to play this role to show people that children of war struggle just to survive and live their own lives," he said.
Against the backdrop of continuing conflicts across the Middle East, the film's message carries particular weight. Beyond the destruction and displacement that dominate news coverage, it draws attention to the ordinary needs of children whose lives have been disrupted by violence: food, safety, someone they can trust, and the freedom to decide who they want to become.
"I wish this film makes people care more about war children and stop seeing them as just numbers," he said.
In the film, Seif is a kind-hearted person who sometimes struggles with anger. For Sherif, however, the character's real strength lies not in his ability to fight, but in his capacity to control his anger and prevent it from destroying his future.
The character's needs, the actor said, are universal, transcending nationality, language and political boundaries. His Egyptian background helped him connect emotionally with the story of conflict in the Middle East, even though he had never personally experienced war in Egypt.
Much of his understanding of war came from television and social media. To portray Seif convincingly, he relied on the script and the director's guidance, drawing on his own emotional responses to the suffering he had witnessed from afar.
For Sherif, the film's most moving moment comes when Seif bids farewell to Xu Fu, a character who has become especially important to him.
Having lost his colleagues, Seif faces the departure of one of the few remaining connections in his life. The farewell captures the loneliness and emotional loss that accompany conflict, reminding audiences that the consequences of war extend far beyond physical destruction.
"It was the most emotional scene for me," Sherif recalled, adding that he cried so intensely that it took him some time to return to himself even after the director called "cut."
The experience also left a lasting impression on the young actor personally. After spending months working with the cast and crew in China, he found it difficult to say goodbye to the people with whom he had built close relationships and shared unforgettable memories.
His journey to China had begun long before the film. With Chinese roots on his father's side, he had grown up watching Chinese action films featuring actors such as Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.
But his first visit to China came when he was barely a teenager, after he was selected for the role from a huge pool of young actors who auditioned for the film.
Preparing for the role required him to learn Chinese and cook in Egypt for three months before continuing his training in China.
"I thought it would be easy to speak Chinese, but it was so hard and required a lot of practice," he said.
Yet the difficulties also brought him closer to the film and the people behind it. Returning to Egypt, he felt that China was no longer simply a country he had known through movies, but a place associated with people and personal memories.
Sherif hopes Seif's story will resonate with audiences far beyond the screen. For him, the character's name carries a final, deeply personal message: Seif means "sword" in Arabic, but he would rather use his hands to cook than to fight.
"I want children to live their lives, become what they want to be and choose their own futures," he said. "I want them to live in peace."
