Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes Reflect on Intense "The Forgiven" Filming Experience in Morocco

Inspired by the novel by Lawrence Osborne, the dramatic film "The Forgiven" tells the story of an English couple whose life has been turned upside down following an accident. The couple was returning from a party that took place in a luxurious villa in the middle of the desert when their car hit a boy. "In some areas where we were filming, sometimes on a day off, I would go to certain markets or elsewhere, and I really had the impression that people were looking at me," American actress Jessica Chastain told the Daily News. "Having red hair in these sparsely populated regions of Morocco gives you the impression that people are praising you, but you really have the impression that you can’t hide." She says she is delighted to tell stories that depict women as human beings.

For British actor Ralph Fiennes, filming "The Forgiven" in Morocco was a unique experience. "You’re in that heat," he said. "You’re in that light. You have the grain of sand in your eyes. You just behave differently. You behave the way you would in that place... We went to Morocco. That was the place. God knows we could have gone to Spain or southern Italy or elsewhere, but that wasn’t the case."

The filming of "The Forgiven", which began in Morocco in February 2020, was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic, before resuming in November.