Spanish Actress Hiba Abouk Challenges Typecasting, Embraces Diverse Roles in New Series

"After El Príncipe, I was only offered Arab characters and I refused them all because I didn’t want to be confined to them. El Principe had already marked me enough. I am of Arab origin, but I am also Spanish. In fact, I am more Spanish than Arab. I grew up in Madrid," Hiba Abouk told El Confi TV. And she confided: "During a shoot, they wanted me to play a character of Arab origin and I demanded that he be of Spanish origin or I would drop out. They understood that I was right and accepted. However, for Eva’s character, the Saudi origin was interesting because initially, she was inspired by Olivia Valeré".

In Eva y Nicole, Hiba Abouk plays Eva Farouq, a mysterious woman who, nearly 20 years later, reunites with her friend and former boss, Nicole Pinot (played by Belén Rueda), who owns the busiest nightclub in Marbella. Beautiful and wealthy, Eva has come to take revenge on Nicole who had betrayed her. The 8-episode series was first broadcast last summer on the Atresplayer Premium platform, recalls El Confidencial. It is in new broadcast since this Thursday on Antena 3. "When directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi saw Eva and Nicole, they were fascinated. We met at an Atresplayer event and they told me they loved the series," reveals the Spanish actress.

Achraf Hakimi’s ex looked back on her journey after the overwhelming success of El Principe. "I took a break in 2020 when I gave birth. And then there was the Covid-19 pandemic that blocked everything, but the following year, I shot Madres for Prime Video and another series in France. I didn’t stop, but I didn’t play a leading role that was a success like El Príncipe. When I decided to return to Spain, I chose to play Eva and Nicole. In that sense, I can’t complain. I want to be happy and do projects that I like. What interests me is to do quality work and improve gradually," said the mother.

The actress of Tunisian origin says she doesn’t give too much importance to prejudices. "I studied at RESAD for four years, I speak five languages and I dedicate myself to the world of culture. I don’t do sensationalism... I don’t care what people say about me. I’m not interested in people’s private lives, I’m interested in my friends’ lives. My cultural and professional background is much more interesting than my personal life, because it’s not different from others. I’m a normal woman. If a director has prejudices about me because of what is said about me on social networks, he has a big problem," said the former MasterChef Celebrity contestant.