Interview: It took Tahar Rahim weeks to get back to himself after shooting ‘The Mauritanian’ [VIDEO]

Tahar Rahim broke through with audiences in 2009 with the BAFTA-winning, Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated film A Prophet in which he played a young Arab man sent to a French prison who struggles simply to stay alive.

Rahim now comes full circle in The Mauritanian, the true story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, a Muslim man who was initially accused of helping to plan the attacks on 9/11 and was detained and sent to Guantanamo Bay by the U.S. government. The film is based on his best-selling memoir “Guantánamo Diary,” and co-stars two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster (interview) as Nancy Hollander, a defense attorney driven by truth to absolve her client and see him released.

On Wednesday, Rahim was nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance in The Mauritanian and on Thursday he made the BAFTA longlist as well. 

AwardsWatch contributor Dewey Singleton talked with Rahim discuss just how far he went to give this brave performance and a moment that almost brings him to tears. 

STX Films will release The Mauritanian in select theaters on February 19, 2021.