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Sunday, 19 January 2014
Zaraah Abrahams was ready to give up - until Spike Lee said she could be the next Halle Berry
After spotting her in a short film the legendary director cast her as the lead in his new movie Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus - the role came at the perfect moment
Big time: Zaraah Abrahams
ITV
Since the age of 15 her star has been quietly flickering, with TV roles in Coronation Street and Waterloo Road followed by a place in Dancing On Ice.
Now Zaraah Abrahams is all set to shine in Hollywood after top director Spike Lee told her she could be “the next Halle Berry”.
After spotting her in a short film he cast her as the lead in his new movie Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus.
It’s a role which came at the perfect moment for 25 year old Zaraah.
She had become so disillusioned and frustrated with her struggle to hit the big time she was about to give up acting altogether. Zaraah says: “I did a short film in called Black Girl in Paris which went to the HBO Festival where it was nominated for short film of the year.
"Spike saw it there then he emailed me directly and said he liked what he saw and that he had a lead part for me in a new film.
“When I got the email I stayed quiet for five minutes and my fiance said, ‘Are you OK? You seem a bit quiet’.
"And I was like, ‘Yeah, Spike Lee just emailed me’.
“So I told him what he said and of course I went to meet him.
“He was pretty scary. We met up and he gave me the script and I was shaking, I was so nervous.
"It was bit awkward because one of the first things he did was point to my bag and say: ‘That isn’t big enough for a script’.
"I had two days to rehearse for my audition and that was it.”
ITV
Starting out: Zaraah in Coronation Street
Spike, 56, who directed Do The Right Thing and the Oscar-nominated Malcolm X, was quick to recognise Zaraah’s talent and she landed the part of the agonised girlfriend of a troubled drug addict.
It was her first Hollywood role and she understandably had a few jitters.
She adds: “I was really nervous to go over to America but he sent me a lovely email saying he saw something in Halle Berry that he sees in me.
"That was incredibly touching and comforting – I don’t know where he got it from but it was really nice to hear.” Zaraah soon got over her nerves and was mixing with the stars.
“It’s been great hanging out with Spike,” she says.
“I’ve met a lot of people from doing it. We would go out and do karaoke together and go drinking.
“Spike was telling me how amazing it was to work with Michael Jackson on his music video and what a great guy Denzel Washington was.
"He had a signed picture of Nelson Mandela in his house. The stories never ended and I was always asking questions.
"He was such an interesting person and to think that he believed in me too was amazing.
“It was hard to get my head around at times. One night I met Orlando Bloom when he was in Romeo and Juliet on Broadway.
"He was talking to one of my co-stars and we caught eyes. He came over and said hello. He seemed like a lovely guy.
"It was quite surreal.” Zaraah grew up in Brixton, South London, the eldest of three children to her teacher mum and welder dad.
AFP/Getty Images
Director: Spike Lee
In her teens she took an interest in acting and signed up to the renowned Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts.
She landed the role of Magda in a TV adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson’s Girls in Love and at 17 she was cast as scheming Joanne Jackson in Coronation Street.
After two years she moved on to play schoolgirl Michaela White in Waterloo Road. But her career began to struggle when she left.
She explains: “Leaving Waterloo Road was hard for me to overcome. I had to leave behind being a child actor and for people to take me seriously as a woman.
"I think it’s hard enough for women to find that confidence in themselves and put themselves out there.
"But when you are doing auditions and being judged it’s really hard. I had two years only doing a little bit here after working every day from of 15.
“Getting a job is what made me feel good so I had to learn to feel good when I wasn’t getting jobs.
"I worried about the way I looked or the way I spoke. At one point I just thought, ‘This isn’t going to happen – shall I do something else?’”
In 2008 she came third in the skating show Dancing on Ice and now she is a favourite to make the all-star final this year after wowing the judges last week, even acid- tongued Jason Gardiner, 42.
In fact Zaraah thinks Jason is “like a pussycat” next to Spike Lee.
“I was so pleased with the score last week,” she says.
“I was pretty shocked. When you are skating you don’t realise what you look like. I think Ray Quinn is my biggest competition.
"I’m a bit nervous about this week but the routine is coming together now.”
Throughout everything, Zaraah has relied on the support of her fiance, but she does not want to name him.
“He is normal a normal guy with a job in business, which is great,” she explains.
“He is so supportive. He is my best friend and whenever I feel happy, sad, emotional or very excited he is the person I turn to.
"I’ve known him for a long time now.”
ITV
Ice queen: Zaraah Abrahams during training for Dancing On Ice
Now Zaraah is waiting for the release of Spike’s movie, which was funded by fan donations at kickstarter.com in the crowd-sourcing site’s most high-profile film to date.
It will go to the Cannes film festival in May and come out here in August.
After her taste of Hollywood, Zaraah wants more of the same, although she believes black actresses have a tougher time making it to the top.
She hopes the rise of black British stars such as Idris Elba and Chiwetel Ejiofor – nominated for an Oscar for 12 Years A Slave – will improve matters.
She says: “I want to do more films. I know it’s not going to be easy though.
"It’s harder for black actresses just for the fact that there aren’t as many roles for us.
“But it has got better and we’ve got two amazing British actors with Idris and Chiwetel. I’m hoping that will open the door for more black actors and actresses.”
Zaraah wants to play strong, feisty females independent of their male co-stars.
She explains: “A lot of the scripts I get are male-driven and the woman is either the sidekick or the love interest.
“For me it has been difficult because there have been parts that I would have loved to have got and it doesn’t specify the race but they won’t consider you for the role.
"You just have to make sure you’ve got a good team around you.”
And while Zaraah is hoping her movie career will really take off, she won’t rule out a return to the cobbles if all else fails.
“Corrie is how I began my career and I owe a lot to it, but I’d have to think about going back.
"I’m still in contact with a few of the cast, including Samia Ghadie.
“At the moment I’m doing different things but I would never say never.”
