Yes, you read that right. Both a flourishing actress, and an engineer, Camelia Rak was born and raised in Casablanca with both intelligence and beauty. Camelia graduated with a CEE degree, as well as a BS EnVe in Environmental Engineering. Through her hard work and passion in what can be described as two totally different fields, she has become successful in both.
Today, Rak is considered one of the most sought after and versatile actresses in Moroccan Cinema, having recently worked in leading roles in the local television series ‘Oyoune Ghaima’, she is in constantly in-demand. No matter how busy Camelia Rak is, she has succeeded to lead a balanced life with a healthy attitude towards creating a harmony between work and personal life
We recently met Rak in Marrakech during the Orientale Fashion show where she also walked the catwalk for designer Wafaa Idrissi.
What is a typical day like for Calmelia?
I wake up very early in the morning, have breakfast, get ready and go to work. At the end of the day I go to the gym.
When did you first become interested in civil engineering?
Since I was very young. My father is a civil engineer too, and when I saw him working on building plans, I was curious and couldn’t understand how a simple drawing could be used to build something! It was a childhood dream
As a woman, a well-known actress in Morocco, how is it to work as a female engineer, on construction sites, what are the challenges?
It’s true that it’s a profession chosen by men, and I generally work with men, but we see more and more women on construction sites these days. Being an actress hasn’t changed anything except taking a few photos with me or telling me that I’ve watched your series and that makes me happy. In Morocco and from my personal experience in this field there is no difference, people respect and judge your knowledge and skills.
The challenge is to give a perfect result, manage the teams and respect the deadlines.
How did you start your acting career?
I started very young with advertising and photo-shoots. I did a lot and was used to the camera. One day while shooting a commercial, the director told me that he saw in me a person who could act behind the camera and so he asked me to cast for a series. I did it and was selected. Since then I started to get offers.
Having acted in many leading roles, you’ve become very successful. Please tell us something about your career path.
My plan is to be able to play different roles and to be able to excel as an actress, to be able to have difficult roles to play and excel in them. And why not one day play in films or series outside Morocco
What projects are you currently working on in cinema?
I have two proposals in progress that seem interesting. They are not yet concrete but I am reading the scripts.
How do you manage to balance working on two very different jobs at once?
It’s a challenge but I’ll say it’s diligence! I set up a schedule and I respect it. Sometimes it’s very tiring, there are periods when I don’t sleep much and I don’t have any days off, but when you are passionate, and you do things for love you manage to find that balance to be able to do one thing without abandoning the other.
How do you organise your time between work and private life?
The shoots are in periods so when I’m shooting, I don’t have much time and I stay focused on that. The rest of the time I’m free to spend with my family and friends… I always make plans.
Describe the next five years of your life, and your plans for the future?
I see myself having my own construction company and an actress having fulfilled the wish to play the different roles I want to do.
You are a success story and an inspiration for a modern day Arab woman, what advice would you give for the future generations
I would say being ambitious is the key to success! And that the road to success is not easy! Our dreams must be fought for every day and never given up. With seriousness and hard work we will get there one day.
Text and Art Direction Suna Ahmed
Fashion designer Wafaa Idrissi
Hair and Makeup Al Sagheer Team
Location Mandarin Oriental Marrakech
Photographer Sajid Mohamed
