Exclusive interview with Isabella Nefar, Italian / Iranian actress

By Jean-Paul Eliard
The 24 March 2025

Hi Isabella, I am very happy to do this interview.
 

Could you introduce yourself to the visitors of cinema-movietheater.com?

Isabella Nefar is a half italian half iranian actor based in London.
She trained at LAMDA before landing the title role in Yael Farber’s SALOME for the National Theatre. Recent work includes HOME SWEET ROME for HBO Max, Neil Forsyth’s BBC series THE GOLD directed by Aneil Karia and Alessio Cremonini’s feature film PROFETI .
She plays the lead in action / thriller SMALL CITY on Showtime, stars alongside Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp and Robert Pattinson in WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS which premiered at Venice Film Festival and can also be seen as Parissa in Apple TV’s TEHRAN.

Isabella's last project is ‘’Reading Lolita in Tehran’’ which won the jury award at the Rome Film Festival and premiered in Paris last week

What do you like about your character Yassi, and when did you read the script?

I couldn’t have been placed in a better cast.
Each of us was selected with great care, and the director, Eran, took nearly a year and a half—maybe even two years—to put it all together.

It was fascinating to play a role alongside all these Iranian actors I had never met before. We came from different parts of the world—some flew in from New York, others from Paris.

We were portraying women who had lived through the revolution, although none of us had actually experienced it. The story explores how our lives and rights changed after the Islamic Revolution.
It also touches on a period when dress codes were very strict, so we had to wear long maghnas and coats—something I didn’t grow up with, as I’m from the generation that came after.

Each character has a different background, religious beliefs, and age, and they never would have crossed paths if it weren’t for their shared passion for Western literature.

I loved playing my character, Yassi. She’s the youngest in the 'Nafisi group' and hasn’t gone through the same hardships as the others.

Some have been in prison, others have faced domestic violence, and Nafisi's house becomes a place of escape for them, where literature serves as both a comparison to and, in some cases, a mirror of Western female characters.

For instance, in Lolita, we see how, just like Lolita’s body, our bodies are also owned by others.

It was interesting to play a character who brings a sense of lightness to the group, especially when the conversations would get heavy. She’s very different from me, but that made the role all the more intriguing.

Do you watch yourself during the broadcast?

Yes, I watched the film once in Rome and once in Paris.
It’s always very special because it feels like it was only yesterday that we were all in a room, rehearsing the scenes before we started filming.
I really loved the screening in Paris—the audience asked such deep questions, , so many of the themes in the film resonated with the French audience on a personal level.

How long did filming last and where?

Filming lasted two months, and it took place in Rome.

In Iran, women are still fighting for Women, Life, Freedom, like Ahou Daryaei.

Where are Iranian women today in their struggle?

The fight for Women, Life, Freedom is far from over. Iranian women, from every corner of the country, continue to stand up and demand their rights. They are leading the way, setting the rules, and pushing boundaries in the face of unimaginable obstacles. Figures like Ahou Daryaei, Parastoo Ahmadi, and countless others are at the forefront of this struggle, risking everything for a better future. They are fighting on the streets, where every protest and act of defiance is met with extreme repression, but their resolve is unwavering.

Even from within the prisons, women like Narges Mohammadi and Pakhshan Azizi continue their fight for justice, showing the world that resistance doesn't end even when they're behind bars. The authorities may try to silence them, but these women are the heartbeat of a movement that refuses to be crushed.

What’s important to understand is that this isn’t just a fight for today; it’s a fight for generations to come. Iranian women are not only fighting for their own freedom, but for the freedom of their daughters, their granddaughters, and every woman who comes after them. The courage and resilience shown by these women are reshaping the future, and there is no turning back. The struggle is ongoing, and the voices of Iranian women cannot be silenced

When and why did you choose to become an actress? Is it a film, an actor, an actress?

"Initially, I wanted to become a dancer when I first saw Michael Jackson’s video for 'Bad.' Acting came later. He was such an incredible performer and had this badass energy in his videos.

My best friend had a VHS with all his clips, and

I would beg her to lend it to me so I could perfect my moves.

There was no outlet for dancing or acting in Iran, so I had to teach myself.

I’d memorise his dances and perform them at family parties.

Through school plays, I started becoming more interested in theatre and films. Western cinema was censored in Iran, so I had to find a way to access it through the black market to watch films and learn about directors like Kurosawa, Truffaut, Fellini, and Hitchcock.

I loved the films, and there was something thrilling about watching them secretly.

In some way, I think I decided to become an actor because it was so difficult to pursue acting in Iran—especially as a woman and someone without connections.

There were no acting schools, and the few that existed were only for university students. I was 15, eager to learn what acting really meant.

I could understand what dancing demanded, but acting felt like a whole different world to me.

When I left Iran, my main goal was to pursue acting, and later, I would decide whether I wanted to continue on that path or follow my parents' wishes and become a lawyer.

I loved drama school in Italy and later in London, and that's when I made the decision to continue my journey as an actor."

What is your next challenge/project?

Can't say much unfortunately but I'm looking forward to the adventure. 

Do you have anything else you'd like to add?

No.