After more than a decade of being at the forefront of a truly hectic industry, Arwa Gouda is no stranger to the spotlight. Notorious for dominating red carpets and breaking the internet with her fashion choices, her on-camera persona is known for profound performances and captivating red-carpet presence.
Despite her social media following of over two million fans, the minute the lights are out, she chooses to find haven in solitude, in silence, in nature. Arwa Gouda was always destined to find her path to stardom. Between her career as an award-winning model and her well-deserved positioning as a leading actress, Gouda is a woman with a natural admiration for storytelling.
The actress’s filmography reads of diversity and bravery; continually bold when choosing her characters. Utilizing her expertise and passion for both cinema and nature, Gouda is currently preparing to embrace her role as a jury member for El Gouna Green Star Award. In her capacity, the actress will invest her love for nature in evaluating productions that discuss the most pressing environmental issues of the day.
A passionate advocate of Mother Nature and a firm believer in the blessings found in connecting with the world around us, Gouda’s voice becomes animated and her features speak of deep convection whenever the topic of sustainability is tackled. According to the actress, we [humans] need to keep earth safe for us to also remain safe. “I believe that everything is connected and everything evades to another. If a fish eats plastic then you eat the fish, would not that mean that you have also eaten the plastic. It is very important for us to recognize the miracles and blessings that god has sent to us on earth and to appreciate them and get our power from them.” While many would often resort to complications when tackling sustainability, Gouda keeps an applicable and personal perspective. Believing that the minimum is essential. “We need to learn that if each of us took a small action, we will collectively achieve a big impact.
What I wish for is for people to practice small sustainable actions as part of their everyday routines. They need to know that it is as simple as closing the water tap when brushing your teeth, choosing to discard a plastic bag in its designated recycling trash bin and not in a collective trash bag, etc. it is very important to know that each and every individual makes a difference.”
Describing the process of connecting with nature as a return to basics, the actress resorts to Mother Earth to take a break from work and stress. Finding solace in destinations that are not crowded and polluted, Gouda prefers to spend her time conversing with her inner self. “It is a lot of hard work to be able to sit with yourself. To fight the urge of running to your phone and finding comfort in distracting yourself with either social media or talking to people. It requires effort to get rid of all earthly links and then I spend time reading or playing sports.” Gouda adds “I find peace in working with nature. For example, I always find myself cleaning the beach while walking.
It feels like I am cleaning our home. I believe that every single person can make a difference. Every time you remove even one or two plastic bags, you help. Sometimes it even feels like the cleansing extends to include my inner self. God gave us the most valuable gifts; however, with today’s pace of life and technology, we end up being distracted and detached from the most precious things in life.”
Choosing to be in the inner circle of a truly hectic industry, the actress has managed to develop a routine to keep her priorities in order. Since her cinematic debut in 2006, Gouda has managed to transform into more than 20 different women. Being one of the region’s in-demand talents, Gouda cherishes her time off camera – often keen on developing herself in preparation for the next artistic experimentation. “When I am not on camera, I like to use this opportunity to work on myself.
I focus on correcting the way I eat or working on my inner self, meditate, reflect on everything I have experienced and learn from it. To master acting your role, you need to learn a lot about yourself and others in order to give your best; you must relate with yourself as well as others. I believe that the time actors spend alone is the time to either learn new things or reflect on their surroundings,” shares the actress with a genuine smile.
