Samy Naceri Praises Moroccan Hospitality, Stars in Country’s First Superhero Film

Samy Naceri is not wasting his time since he is visiting Morocco. After starring in Hicham Hajji’s film "Redemption Day", the French-Algerian actor is starring in Atoman, Morocco’s first superhero film. An exciting project for the Taxi star. "The film was special because there were a lot of special effects. It was complicated without being so, because when you’ve been in this profession for a long time, you imagine the scenes that will be mounted in 3D later. It’s the first time I’ve played a character with such powers. I’ve already played the role of the villain, but in other registers, with weapons," he said.

The first Moroccan film in which Samy Naceri played is "Redemption day" by Hicham Hajji. He claims to have been convinced by the Moroccan director. "I was put in touch with Hicham when he was looking for his ’terrorist leader’, we talked on the phone and we clicked. I went to Los Angeles, he was there too. We stayed a month in his California home. Imagine, living with your future director; it created bonds. We had a great feeling. Once in Morocco, he contacted me again to ask if I was ready. I left France for Ouarzazate to shoot. Since there were passages in English in the film, he provided me with a coach to be as accurate as possible in my English. The film was also in Arabic," he explained.

Despite the end of filming the two Moroccan productions, Naceri has chosen to stay in Morocco. "Right now, I’m in Marrakech and the situation doesn’t really make me want to go back to France. And then, getting up in Marrakech or Casablanca with the sun, it’s priceless... The Moroccan people are welcoming, I feel good here, it’s nice and sunny. With social media and all the current technologies, you can work more easily remotely," he says.