Dressed in black leather, the 6' 2 , dark eyes, dark hair, Ma'an met me at a downtown cafe for this interview. The way
he moved, he looked every inch a movie star.
“You've an interesting name. What's your heritage?” I asked.
“Ma'an (pronounced as "Maen") is a Lebanese name. I’m Canadian born, with Greek and Lebanese heritage. Recently,
I found out from my mother that my paternal great grandfather was “supposedly” from Israel. I never knew. I found that an
interesting revelation," Ma’an said with a smile.
"So Ma’an, has it always been a dream for you to be an actor?”
Ma'am shook his head. “A funny thing was, I was seventeen and had originally gone to university to pursue a dentistry
degree. I had never acted before but dared myself to try it. During my first year at university, I landed the role of an Irish man
in the play, “Quiet in the Land”, set during the First World War. It was pretty tragic, the man's son came home from the war
without his legs. In one scene, I had to act drunk and sang an emotional Irish folk song. The director was so moved by my
performance that she had tears in her eyes. She urged me to pursue acting as a career. That was my reason to switch from
dentistry to theatre.” Ma'am laughed. “It was probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life."
“What are some of your works?”
“I had done several more plays and recently, films and TV series like “Nikita”, “Exhibit A” and “Relic Hunter”. I had
also done independent artsy films like “Maudits” which was repeatedly shown on the “Bravo” Channel in Toronto. In the
summer, I volunteer to read and act out stories for the children's literacy program. It's great that the kids get interested in
reading."
“That’s great. Besides singing and acting, do you play any musical instruments?”
“I was in a band called, “The Mad Hatter,” I played the keyboards. I also play the derbakki, it’s something similar
to a bongo.
“Wow, that's cool. Did any women throw underwears on to the stage?” I asked with a wink.
Ma’an shook his head and laughed. “No, never. Anyway, we were too ugly back then. Thank God, the club was too dark
or they would have freaked out.”
I nudged Ma'am. “Oh, you are funny. Do you like to dance and do sports?”
“I love dancing especially slow dancing and salsa. I do karate, downhill skiing, motorcycle racing and any sports that
makes my heart race. I love the adrenaline rush.”
“What else do you like to do?”
“I like to go to the beach. It’s so relaxing and peaceful. I also love to jump on my bike and cruise along the ocean
at sunrise or sunset. And I like to skinny dip with a naked woman. You know, that can be a humbling experience.”
I raised my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”
Ma’an looked at me shyly. “Well, you know, the shrinkage issue...."
“Ah...like George Constanza on Seinfeld,” I said with a big grin."You must be kidding about shrinkage, look at your
feet, they are huge!"
Ma'am grinned. "I wear size eleven and a half shoes."
"So, are you a boxer or brief type of guy?"
"Hmmm....80% of the time is boxers, 10% briefs. When I wear boxers, they always match the color of my shirts.
And the remaining 10%....well, when I'm not wearing a shirt, it means.....".
"You sound like Brooke Shields in the Calvin Klein's jeans commercial."
"You got it!" Ma'am said and quickly stood up. He pretended to pull down his pants' waist band to demonstrate.
"Do you know what is between me and my Calvin's? NOTHING!""
"O.K. CUT!!!!!" I said with a chuckle. "What are your favorite colors then?"
"Black and green. And ON A WOMAN, pink is my favorite color. It's so sexy and feminine."
"What about your favorite food?"
"I love eating peanuts (must come with the shells). I'm crazy about them!!!! I love it when my date feeds me peanuts.
I know it's a strange combination but I love to eat them while drinking wine."
"Why not beer with nuts?"
Ma'am shook his head. "I like wine better. And absolutely nuts about nuts."
"Gosh, this is nutty." I tried hard not to laugh at the repetitive use of the word, "Nuts."
"What's your favorite phrase?"
"Don't worry about it."
"What turns you on about women?"
"Someone with a beautiful smile, self-confidence, passionate about life and who wants to change and influence the
world around her."
"What features of a woman attract you the most?"
"Beautiful skin that makes me want to touch, caress and kiss all over."
"What would you do to make it a romantic night for you and your lady love?"
"I would pick her up from work and take her to a nice restaurant for a romantic dinner. Afterwards, without telling
her where we are going, I will take her on my motorbike to the beach. We will sit by a roaring bonfire, drink wine and
kiss passionately. I will whisper sweet nothings while giving her a good massage. We will strip naked, explore each other's
body and make passionate love till sunrise."
