‘Three years ago she first appeared in the Finnish-Belgian thriller series 'Bullets', in 2019 she walked the red carpet in Cannes and today your teenager knows her as Yasmina from ‘wtFOCK’. Nora Dari (19) is ready to conquer the world. But after successfully completing her ‘Marketing and Communication’ bachelor at the University college ‘PXL’.

Three years ago, Nora went to a trial drama class at the Genk art academy and that immediately left her wanting more. Her teacher saw potential and about 60 trial lessons later, she was on the film set of ‘Patser’, the third full-length film by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.

“I was an extra in two short clips, so you see me for about 1.3 milliseconds, which was quite a lot for me at the time. I remember when people looked down on me for becoming an actor, as if I had nothing better to do. I also had nothing better in my head than to be on a film set and get a taste of what life on set 'can be'. On set, I met Mathias Sourbron, the casting director at 'OiMundo'. On the ‘Patser’-set, he was coördinator for extras and that's how we got to talking. A month later, I received an email asking if I wanted to audition for the Scandinavian series 'Bullets'. I did that, got the part and I think from there the ball started rolling.”

A year later, you were on the red carpet in Cannes for the film 'Ghost Tropic' by filmmaker Bart Devos. What kind of feeling does that leave you?

“In my whole life, I’ll never forget that feeling. That’s something no one can take away from me anymore. Cannes was a far-fetched dream for me at the age of 17, so when I actually experienced it, it still felt like a dream. Until I got back home and thought 'holy shit', I did that. I will always be grateful to Bas de Vos and Maaike Neuville, she treated me like family back then and I will always hold her very close for that.”

In the beginning you weren't allowed to act by your parents. What made them change their minds?

“I'm going to be very honest when I say this question really annoys me (laughs)... It's the most frequently asked question I get, since I started acting. Because I immediately have the feeling that I’m seen as 'Nora Dari, Moroccan-Belgian actress' instead of 'Nora Dari, actress'. But I'll answer very nicely, because it's you (laughs). When I said that I got the part in ‘Bullets’, my father was a bit surprised and had the train of thought: 'If they want Nora for an international series, she might be able to do something’. Once they saw the result, they were completely sold. But it was always very clear that school came before film and never the other way around. I had my own doubts about that, I must say. ”

Today you play in the series “WTF - What the fock” on television channel VIJF, which is mainly known among the youth. For those who haven’t seen it, can you explain what it’s about and what your role is?

“wtFOCK is an internet drama series, produced by Sputnik Media and broadcasted by VIJF and Telenet. The series consists of individual videos that are broadcast in real time. At the end of the week, the videos are merged into a full episode. Each season revolves around one character and his or her battles. My character is called Yasmina Ait Omar, a strong, smart and unconventional girl who'll face some hot fires ... ”

Can you combine it with your studies?

“It was much easier in high school. And I just thought it was going to be easier now. Things are going well, I’m doing something that I love dearly, but I’m also certainly aware that I definitely want to obtain my degree in ‘Marketing and Communication’ for the things I want to achieve in the future. At university college 'PXL', they help me to combine those two worlds. They’re flexible in moving certain assignments depending on my shooting days. The fact that my university of applied sciences is behind me, helps enormously. ”

What’s your ultimate career dream?

“This may sound wishy-washy, but my ultimate dream is to be able to participate in projects that help the world. I would also really like to write projects and ultimately also direct them. I think directors have a certain strength and power to bring people together, to sketch the world in a certain way. And in our beautiful Flanders, I think we’re doing better, but still not amazing. Roles for people with a different ethnicity? I find it strange that the same people are being cast again and again, because of their skin color or origin. Why aren’t there any stories being written about Mohammed diving into a toilet and discovering a new world... That's why French films interest me very much, they look beyond that. And the result that you get, is amazing. Being one of the ‘Shooting Stars’ at the ‘Berlinale’ is a goal for me at the moment. Names such as Marwan Kenzari, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alicia Vikander, ... have also been there. But if you ask me this question again in a year, I may suddenly want to become a surgeon.”

Text: © Gerrit Schuermans