Award-winning Actress Elma Begovic tells personal story in new film
Creativity has always been a driving force in Elma Begovic’s life. As a child, playing “make believe” was her safe space, and as she grew, she knew that childhood passion wouldn’t fade. As an internationally in demand actress, she has the ability to do what she loves every day, and every time she steps onto a film set, she is living that dream that emerged when she was just a young girl.
“I like being able to bring a story to life. I love the sense of community that is involved in filmmaking and I feel most comfortable when I’m on a set. Also, the opportunity to create a character that feels natural and authentic to an audience is always what I strive towards as an actor,” she said.
Begovic’s career is filled with success, and she works tirelessly to constantly portray an authentic and captivating performance with every role. Her work in Bite, Tear Us Apart, and The Hoard are just a few examples of what she is capable of. However, this extraordinary actress also strives to tell her own stories, and with her film Undone, she manages to do just that.
Begovic calls Undone the highlight of her career, and for good reason. One of her most recent projects, Begovic not only starred in the film, but also wrote it. The idea for the story came from her personal experiences in Hollywood that she has found many go through. She wanted to create a project that drew from a personal place, but that wasn’t too preachy or heavy. Instead, she layered in moments of comedic relief so that the story could remain as authentic as possible without alienating viewers. The result is mesmerizing.
Undone takes a raw look at the unconventional experiences of an immigrant woman trying to make it as a TV personality in Los Angeles. It is both funny and dramatic, and incredibly honest about Hollywood life as a hopeful actor.
“It was important for me to write a story that could shed some light on the challenges women, especially immigrant women who don’t fit the mold, go through when following their dreams,” said Begovic. “Undone is based on many of my own experiences, and it was only after I processed some of them privately that I could find a way to share them creatively with the world.”
Even though she wrote the film, it is her performance in the role of El that truly makes Undone. El’s character is a fish out of water. She has the ambition and hustle, but she’s not quite what Hollywood is looking for. She is somewhat of an ‘absurd hero’, because she’s flawed and her view of herself is very influenced by how others perceive her.
Begovic speaks four languages, and she showcases this beautifully in her portrayal of El. She speaks in her mother tongue of Bosnian and transitions to English seamlessly. It really makes the performance as authentic as possible. And for Begovic, portraying a character that she wrote allowed her to really immerse herself in the role. El was real to Begovic, as El is in a way, her.
“If El sounds relatable, it’s because I think we’ve all felt like her at one point in our lives. I wanted to create a character that many of my friends, especially women, could resonate with. By no means is El someone people should look up to, but her character is worthy of dissection, as she makes unconventional choices to pursue her version of the ‘American Dream’,” said Begovic.
Begovic was involved in every aspect of the making of Undone, and she enjoyed every second of it. She spent a lot of hours revising the script and punching up jokes, and once the script was perfect, she started building her crew and casting. They filmed in Toronto, and Begovic loved sharing her city with the world. It made it easier to get in the mindset of her character, and nothing was more empowering than starring in a project that she created.
Her hard work paid off, and since its premiere earlier this year, Undone has been an Official Selection at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, The Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Begovic won the Best Actress Award and the film won a Merit Award at the Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, and the film is in consideration for a number of other festivals, which will take place later in the year, including the Sarajevo Film Festival this summer in Bosnia, where Begovic was born. Such success could never have happened without her vision and her captivating performance as El. She is extremely grateful for the film’s success, but the greatest reward comes from hearing how it resonates with viewers.
“I’ve received messages from audience members and other actresses, informing me that they related to the story and El’s character. That’s why we make movies,” she concluded.
By Annabelle Lee
June 17th, 2019
