
Raya Abirached On Female Filmmakers and Forever Fashion
The Lebanese broadcast journalist – who is, hands down, the most famous TV presenter in the Middle East – has interviewed everyone from Steven Spielberg and Boris Becker to Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. This month, she reveals to Bazaar one of her greatest scoops; her appointment as a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador…
“I prefer to be the one interviewing, it’s what I’m best at. Well – I hope it is,” laughs Raya Abirached at the start of our interview, and instantly her warm, humble chuckle has you feeling comfortable in her company, and it’s quickly clear to see how she’s managed to secure so many repeat sit-downs with the biggest celebrities on the planet.
“But I do like to be interviewed as well. It’s funny because I always bear in mind what I would ask myself. It’s tricky to do things in the reverse, but it’s fun as well,” she continues. “I’m not someone who loves to talk about myself; it’s not that I’m that private, let’s say I have a good amount of vanity but not narcissism, if that makes sense.”
It doesn’t just make sense; she’s just described the winning formula that’s kept her weekly TV show Scoop with Raya a favourite for almost a decade and cemented her long-standing position as a presenter on Arabs Got Talent.
It’s also kept her a very busy woman, with her main full-time role at Scoop With Raya alone consisting of script-writing, interviewing, editing, hosting and doing the voiceovers. “Then things get added to this full-time job, such as social media, Arabs Got Talent – when it’s on air, any event I am hosting – whether it’s virtual these days, or in person, endorsements I’m doing, any cover I’m shooting – like this wonderful one we’re doing today,” lists Raya. “And of course, added to this is being a mum, which is another full-time thing – I’m blessed that I’m able to do both. I just sometimes wish there were two more hours in the day – 26 hours! But I’m quite happy and content with how my life goes.”
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Despite the need for longer days for work and personal life, Raya has always found the time to support good causes, most significantly working with the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR), which has included initiatives both at home and abroad; taking trips to the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, and the informal settlements in Tripoli, Lebanon. This month, her work with the agency will be further solidified when she receives the distinguished accolade of UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador.
“I am extremely honoured, overwhelmed and daunted by the UNHCR Goodwill Ambassadorship, because it’s a huge task,” she admits, revealing the appointment for the first time in this interview with Bazaar. “It’s a big responsibility that I am not taking lightly at all. I have always wanted to use my voice in support of causes that matter to me, and that are important. We get credit as celebrities just because we’re supporting a cause or because we’re making a post, but I don’t think there’s any credit in that – I think there’s a responsibility for us, credit goes to the real people who go on the field and technically dedicate their lives and career to assisting the UNHCR.”
But Raya does understand how her influence can help: “It’s important to feel that I am doing something less, let’s say, superficial on my social media, it’s become a platform to discuss things directly with an audience and make them aware of things that they might not have been aware of in the past,” she explains, before recalling direct results from a social-media challenge that she was involved in with UNHCR: “We raised enough money to help 35 refugee families and I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls. “When the UNHCR told me that we had actually done that, it melted my heart that we are able to help in a little way. I don’t feel like I’m doing the most, but I feel a responsibility to do as much as I can.”
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Another area where Raya, who lives in London with husband Valerio Cammarano and young daughter Lola, is trying to take responsibility in is sustainability. “Taking care of the environment is metaphorical of taking care of ourselves,” she says. “Eating healthy and taking care of your body ensures that your body functions well for a long time. It’s the same for the environment, if we don’t take care of our planet, we are not making it function for a long time, and for the generations to come. It’s one of those no-brainer issues, we all need to give responsibility to sustainability as well, something I have always done in my life – having a young daughter drives this.”
And as well as teaching Lola the importance of recycling, Raya is starting early with lessons in respect and diversity: “She knows where to put the plastic bottle, I think every little helps, and every little gesture that I do will have an impact on her,” she explains. “And it’s the same with everything that I educate her with; respecting everyone whatever their racial or religious background, I try to make her understand that these things are important. She’s obviously very, very small. But, you know, it’s never too early to start.”
‘Forever fashion’ is another avenue that the presenter is conscious of. “We need to be less wasteful – I’m absolutely about buying something that you keep for a long time versus buying a lot of things,” says Raya, who has researching the ethical practices of the big designer houses on her to-do list. “I have kept the first pair of designer shoes and bag that I ever bought, I like to have a curated collection of things that I have bought throughout the years that I wear a whole lot, so I am not one to buy all the fashionable bags every year.” Raya has also inherited items from her late mother: “I have her vintage jewellery, bags, shirts and tops. I think there’s a very glamorous nature to vintage. On top of that, I also try to wear the same red-carpet look several times and share messages of sustainability on my Instagram.”
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As we discuss the themes of ‘vintage’ and ‘forever’, the conversation leads to Raya’s own legacy of over two decades in what can be a very fickle industry. “I think the secret of my longevity is that I never came into this job to be famous,” she reveals. “And I know that at the moment, celebrity is a big asset but I always wanted to have a career that I am proud of, and that my daughter would be proud of me for. So I pursued what I loved and I continue having the same passion for what I do. I’ve worked very hard since the beginning of my career, and I think that hard work is a testament to the longevity of my career, as well as passion, and hopefully talent as well.”
And has the industry changed much in those 20-odd years? “I do feel that there are many, many more women in more powerful positions now, and this warms my heart because I think it’s extremely important, especially in television and fashion,” reveals Raya. “The creativity that women bring to a job is unparalleled, they’re the right people for these types of jobs.” And Raya can see these changes happening for Arabic women in the industry too. “I see many more women who are editor in chief and director of programming. I think this was less conceivable a few years ago,” she explains. “This year, we’re talking about having two female directors nominated for the Best Director Oscar, but there are also two female directors from the Arab world nominated for Oscars in other categories, [Tunisian director] Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin for Best Foreign Film and [Palestinian filmmaker] Farah Nabulsi’s The Present nominated for Best Live Action Short. We see a lot more women being awarded in the film industry, of course, Nadine Labaki being one of them. These things, maybe 10 years ago, were much less obvious.”
Raya herself is of course the expert when it comes to award ceremonies and film festivals, having reported from everywhere including Cannes and Venice to the Oscars and Golden Globes – albeit it won’t be in person this year.
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“I will virtually attend the whole of award season this year,” says Raya, who aired her Golden Globes ‘virtual’ attendance from Dubai in a fairytale gown by Lebanese fashion designer, Georges Hobeika, her regular nod to supporting Arab designers. “The pandemic has impacted the way we do interviews, but not the interviews themselves. Instead of taking a 12-hour flight to LA to interview Tom Cruise, I just open my tablet, and I’m transported to his living room.”
And with less time spent on travel, it’s given Raya space to reflect. “The pandemic has allowed me to realise that I don’t need to work like a crazy woman to work efficiently; that I can do a lot of things from my home, or from London,” she tells us. “It’s really helped me to spend more quality time with the people that I love. I do want to come back to a certain life of normality, but I don’t think we will ever return to the kind of burnout lives that we were leading – and that is a positive thing.”
Another thing she’s grateful for is how technology has helped keep the film industry alive through streaming while cinemas have been closed in many parts of the world. Is she worried that people won’t return to the big screen? “The pandemic has had a huge impact on the film industry and cinema but I don’t think it’s changed forever,” she says. “Actually, I believe that people have missed the big screen and realised through only having access to movies on the small screen that the experience of seeing films on the big screen is unparalleled; you can’t watch a Marvel movie on the small screen! So, I think that people around the world will rush to the cinemas, as they have been in the Arab world, and that makes me happy.”
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So what is Raya, who counts Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind and A Clockwork Orange as her ‘forever films’, watching at the moment? “All the Oscar-worthy films! I really love The Revolutionary which is the Arabic title for Judas and the Black Messiah. I love the The Mauritanian and I’m really sad that [French-Algerian actor] Tahar Rahim didn’t get nominated for an Oscar – I think he was robbed! I am a big fan of Soul, if you haven’t seen it, please do. And I loved Andra Day in the The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” She reels off titles at the speed only an expert can. “I am also a big fan of Gaza Mon Amour, a Palestinian film that has done the rounds at the festivals but missed out on an Oscar, and I’m looking forward to all the series that are going to be on during Ramadan – I’m bracing myself for those!” And she’s always on the lookout for emerging actors from the Arab world: “Keep an eye on Fatima Al-Banawi and Mila Al Zahrani from Saudi.”
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Although Raya firmly has her finger on the pulse when it comes to all things upcoming, she’s far better known for the big celebrity names that she’s interviewed. “I have a few favourites,” she admits. “Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Chris Hemsworth and Hugh Jackman – just to put them all in the pool of Australian stars who I think are extremely talented but also extremely down-to-earth at the same time.” And Raya, who cites Jennifer Lopez “as the most motivated person I’ve ever interviewed” has herself become a familiar face to the stars. “I do love the superstars like ‘The Rock’ Dwayne Johnson, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Will Smith,” she laughs. “I love to talk to them, and you know, I’ve been interviewing them for so many years that they know who I am, and it makes our interviews a little bit more personable. You do also find that the more famous and the more established a star is, the less ‘diva-ish’ they behave, and I enjoy that very much.”
So, is there anyone left that she hasn’t managed to get that all-important interview with? “I’m always asked that question and it’s always the same answer: Oprah,” she smiles. “I’ve interviewed her on the red carpet but I’ve always wanted to do a sit-down with her, because of what we mentioned at the beginning of this interview – the interviewer being interviewed. I would be very curious to know what she thought of the interview I did with her, so hopefully it will happen one day!”
We’ve got our fingers firmly crossed for that too, if Oprah is even half as inquisitive, friendly and down-to-earth as Raya, we’ll have some must-see viewing on our hands.
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From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s April 2021 Issue