Pop Culturalist Chats with Mido Hamada

If you caught the premiere of NBC’s new fantasy-drama, Emerald City, last week then you’ll recognize Mido Hamada as Eamonn, the Wizard’s trusted enforcer (by the way, if you haven’t watched it, we recommend you do).

Born in Cairo, raised in Germany, and trained at the Oxford School of Drama, Mido has performed on both stage and screen. He has been in movies like American Sniper, and he has had extensive roles on television shows like 24 and Homeland; being a part of Emerald City, though, may be one of his most exciting and defining roles yet.

We were able to chat with him about developing Eamonn’s character, creating the world of Oz, and what other classic tale he’d like to be a part of.

PC: What drew you to this project?
Mido: The script, really. I knew, obviously, The Wizard of Oz. I hadn’t seen it again since my childhood, though, so when I first received the script and saw [the title] Emerald City I wasn’t immediately aware of what it was about. Obviously, as I dove into it, it became very clear. I thought it was a really, really interesting script and really interestingly done. They told me that it was based on the books and that they were going to work more closely with the content of the books so that was really, really exciting. Then, knowing that I was going to shoot all ten episodes with an incredible visual master like Tarsem [Tarsem Singh, the director], it just made it an easy decision.

PC: Since this show is based on the original book series rather than the classic film, did you familiarize yourself with the books at all? Or did you just want to dive into filming based on the scripts alone?
Mido: No, I didn’t want to dive into the books because there are still some very big—and subtle— differences between the books and the show that we’re creating. So, I thought that I would get everything I need out of the script and through conversations with the show runner, producer, and the director. Between the four of us, we knew we could come up with the right character, and I felt very confident in that. I tend to like to stick to the script, and the script gave me everything I needed to know.

PC: Was there a particular backstory to your character that you learned about before you went into filming, or was it more of a process during filming developing the backstory?
Mido: A mixture of both. There is a backstory to the character that I can’t reveal because it would be a spoiler. It would tell us more about who he really is. As we get to know Eamonn, he’s the Wizard’s right-hand man. The Wizard has taken over the rulership of Oz and has outlawed magic. To enforce these laws that he puts into place, he has Eamonn. And Eamonn, you know, is kind of ambiguous about it. We get to see him enforcing these laws, but not really believing that what he is doing is right. It’s that kind of inner turmoil that we kind of see developing through the course of the season. We get to know him, and we get to find out what his past is about. So, we were very clear on his past, and his past will be revealed as the season moves on. That backstory we definitely talked about because it is crucial. It’s crucial to who he is and who he becomes….or, should I say, who he becomes again!

PC: What has been your favorite thing about being a part of Emerald City?
Mido: Oh gosh. So many things. One of the things that has struck me as amazing is that truly every single day that we would walk on set, we’d be in awe of something. The set design was so unbelievably beautiful. The costumes—Trisha Biggar did an amazing job on the costumes. They look phenomenal. Then, of course, you have Tarsem who is a visual genius, really, and the way he would set up the shots. So, everyday I had my breath taken away, and you add to the mix: working with a really good group of actors. We were all able to create this wonderful cohesive family where we all just wanted to do justice to the piece, and I think we were able to do that. That was the must stunning bit for me. Also, the stunning locations. We tried to use as little CGI as possible. So we went to Spain, and we shot in four or five locations. We went to Croatia, and we went to a National Park there. We went to Hungary and shot in the studio in Budapest—but also in forests and regions around Budapest. We used a lot of different locations to get the feel for Oz, and that’s always a wonderful and beautiful experience. So, that, the cast, the cohesiveness, and the telling of this amazing story that everyone has a clear idea of. Everybody has a history and a memory of The Wizard of Oz. It’s wonderful to do a reimagining of something that everyone knows, give it a different twist, and take it in a direction they may not expect. Hopefully through this, it will become the Oz of this generation. So, when they talk about Oz, they’ll be talking about Emerald City.

PC: If you could play another character on the show, who would you be?
Mido: Oh, how interesting. Can I change genders?

PC: Yes, for sure.
Mido: Ok, if I could be another character, I’d probably be West. I think she’s by far the most fun character of us all. Ana Ularu, who is playing her, does an absolutely sensational job. It’s only because I see the amazing work that she’s doing that I think, “Oh wow, wouldn’t that be interesting?”; she’s wonderful.

PC: If you could have a role in another classic update, what would be your dream role or story be?
Mido: Oh what a great question! Wow….an update of another great story. In today’s day and age, Hollywood is remaking so many things, so everything is bound to be done or has already been done. Some things are better not touched, but for me personally…I’d like to do a Western because that’s a genre I grew up watching. So, maybe, a remake of a classic Western. Maybe another version of True Grit, or another version of High Noon. That’d be interesting to me.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

Favorite Book
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

Favorite Play
A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

Favorite Musical
The King and I

Guilty pleasure TV show or movie?
Any Nordic noir. Anything that comes from Sweden, Denmark, or Norway, I’m going to be watching.

Hidden Talent
I can touch my nose with my tongue!

Be sure to watch Mido Hamada on NBC’s Emerald City on Friday 9/8c and follow him on Facebook!

Photo Credit: Emma K Studio