By Mike McCarthy
Mido Hamada is a name that you may not know, but after his masterful performance as Eamonn in Emerald City, you will want to see more of his work. Mido has been in some other amazing shows and films including American Sniper, 24 and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to name just a few. You see more of Mido’s personality come out in each scene you watch of his and it’s pretty incredible.
We talked to Mido at length about the locations and shooting of Emerald City and this is what he had to say: “ We filmed Emerald City like a 10 hour movie. My first scene was in episode 10 and I had no idea what my character was doing. The characters get revealed throughout the course of the show instead of all at the beginning. The show was filmed in some parts of Spain, a National park in Croatia, and our base camp in Hungary was Budapest but we filmed outside the city as well. The locations were absolutely beautiful and we tried to use as little CGI as possible. “
Not only is Mido absolutely fantastic in Emerald City, but he is filming a new show called Counterpart. Definitely different than Emerald City but we will get to see more of Mido’s work very soon. Make sure to see Mido Hamada on Emerald City, Friday nights on NBC at 9PM. We have seen the entire first season already and let me tell you, these next five episodes are epic and you will not want to miss them.
Wingman Magazine: Emerald City has been out for a few weeks now and it’s absolutely amazing from the scripts to the acting to the set and costume design. What has it been like for you to be on a television show that is on such a grand scheme?
Mido Hamada: To me it was just a real treat and pleasure. I love epic tales, it is a genre that I am definitely interested in. The fantasy genre is something I have always enjoyed, but that doesn’t mean that it will be done in a way that inspires you. In this case, it really really happened. It’s one of those things where everyone has a clear idea of what the Wizard of Oz is and when you go and watch Emerald City, you see something completely different, a complete re-imagining of Oz. So many times we talk about things being remade, but this is not a remake, it is something completely different. This is Oz like a way you have never seen before. For me it was just a wonderful experience. I got to work with this amazing group of actors and we all bonded so much because we shot the season away from home. At the same time we got to shoot at these amazingly stunning locations with such incredible set designs and costumes. All the various departments were all first class in their own ways. To be surrounded by that kind of talent in every department is something special and doesn’t come along too often. We all knew that we were going to be a part of something special, and to top it off with a director like Tarsem (Singh) who is such a visual master, who was able to make it magical and something that you have never seen on TV before.
Wingman Magazine: Your character Eamonn is the right hand to the Wizard of Oz, and the captain of the guard. We don’t see him much with the Wizard in the first few episodes, will that change going forward?
Mido Hamada: The reason you don’t see me is because he (The Wizard) sent me out to find Dorothy and that’s the main reason you don’t see me. You will see me quite a bit more later in the season with the Wizard. Eamonn is a complex character with a complicated history. As the right hand of the Wizard, Eamonn has to enforce the the laws against magic, which has been outlawed in favor of science. I’m not sure that Eamonn is toeing the line or is in sync with the Wizard which you will see as the season progresses. The gap between the two of them widens as the season goes on.
Wingman Magazine: You get shot by Dorothy in episode 4. Without saying too much about future episodes… how much does your character endure from the world outside of Oz and how does it affect him?
Mido Hamada: All I can say, is that the Wizard knows. The Wizard knows what the bullet is and recognizes it and has a plan for it.
Wingman Magazine: Eamonn is the right hand to the Wizard…. But with so many characters from the film being featured in the show so far in different renditions… my personal comparison would be that Eamonn could be the captain of the flying monkeys from the movie. I am probably way off, any thoughts on that?
Mido Hamada: It’s an interesting take on it and I haven’t heard that one yet. It’s a journey of discovery and people want to figure it out. I like that I have seen on Twitter trying to figure out who Tin Man is or who the Lion is. It’s interesting to see what people are thinking and I like it.
Wingman Magazine: Eamonn and Lucas/Rowan’s previous friendship is evident. Will we see that develop as the season goes on?
Mido Hamada: The problem that we are faced with is that Lucas doesn’t remember. Eamonn remembers and knows that he is Rowan but he has no memory of it, he still suffers from amnesia. It’s really all about Lucas’ battle with amnesia and him getting his memory back. Eamonn is trying to help Lucas by telling him that he was his best soldier in the Wizard’s Guard. He was his confidant and you see that develop. It’s really one sided at this stage because one person knows the relationship and the other has no clue or idea about it. It develops and it doesn’t develop because of the events that occur and they are torn apart into different directions. They both have different things that they have to achieve.
Wingman Magazine: Changing topics… you were The Butcher in American Sniper. Preparing for fiction like Emerald City must be completely different than preparing for a more actual figure. Can you tell us about your personal process for that?
Mido Hamada: When you are doing realistic shows or films like American Sniper, 24 and Homeland, I think that are more based in real time, you don’t have as much of a license to do what you want as you do as in the fantasy genre. It’s just a hyped reality that we have in fantasy that you can take full advantage of, because it’s Oz. If you want to wear your hair a certain way or you want to do something a certain way, you can do it because there is no transcript as how things are in Oz because it’s an imaginary place. That gives the actor a lot of freedom. I have played a few characters who actually lived and that can be daunting because you want to do right by these people whose lives you are portraying. You spend a lot of time studying how these people move, talk and their mannerisms to make sure that it’s authentic. When you are working on a genre like fantasy, everything is based solely on your imagination. If you can do things that way and figure them out yourself and you can make it up as you go along. It’s definitely more open than some of the other genres because you can completely make it up.
Wingman Magazine: What kind of training regiment did you have to go through for Emerald City?
Mido Hamada: We did a lot of horseback riding training. Before we even got started shooting, we had to proficient riding a horse, since I spend a good amount of time riding. Thankfully, I was pretty proficient on the horse so I didn’t have to do as much training as some others. Then of course I had to train with the sword and feel comfortable in the armor, so we did a lot of fight training. On our own, meaning the cast, we had to hit the gym and stay in shape. We were playing soldiers and bring some truth to do that, so in that way we had to keep the authenticity to the role and believe that we were warriors. Me getting into the warrior mindset was all about discipline and a regimented lifestyle, whether it be training or eating right or waking up at a certain time. All of those things help you become more disciplined.
Wingman Magazine: You have done a lot of acting over the past decade. Do you have any aspirations in getting behind the camera instead of being in front of it?
Mido Hamada: I don’t think I have an aspirations as a director as of yet. I do have some shows that I am developing, so I do like the producing part of it. I like stories, I am in the storytelling business. I like bringing stories to people and whether I am in the story or not doesn’t interest me. Sometimes there are stories out there without a part for me and that’s okay. I’m very blessed to be able to work on these other projects that I am trying to develop and bring to the people.
Wingman Magazine: I did read that you are working on a new show called Counterpart. Have you started filming as of yet? Can you tell us anything about the show, without getting yourself into trouble?
Mido Hamada: It’s an espionage thriller show with JK Simmons as the lead, who I love working with. The world has been duplicated and there is a little bit of a cold war between the two worlds. It’s a fantastic show that is incredibly well written and I am really ecstatic about being a part of it. Richard Schiff just joined our phenomenal cast recently as well.