STX Films/Graham Bartholomew(NEW YORK) — Last week, The Mauritanian scored two Golden Globe nominations for its stars: Jodie Foster for Best Supporting Actress and Tahar Rahim for Best Actor in a Drama.
The film, out Friday, takes place post-9/11 and follows the true story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, played by Rahim, a man held without charges in Guantanamo Bay who fights for his freedom with the help of his dedicated lawyer, Nancy Hollander, played by Foster.
Rahim, who delivers a powerful performance as Mohamedou, tells ABC Audio that while all the awards buzz is welcome, he doesn’t want to get too caught up in it.
“It feels good, of course, I’m still an actor,” Rahim smiles. “It feels good, but, you know, I’m trying to not make a big deal out of it because at some point I know it could become too important and then you can miss what you’re living because it’s just extraordinary what I’m living at the moment.”
The French actor was previously part of the awards circuit for 2009’s A Prophet, which was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
“I don’t want to miss [the moment], I missed it the first time when I did my first movie, A Prophet,” Rahim says. “I was so scared and it was so brand new to me. So I didn’t take advantage as I should have done. I lost time. And I don’t want to lose this time.”
The Mauritanian, also starring Shailene Woodley and Benedict Cumberbatch, hits theaters Friday, February 12.
By Andrea Tuccillo
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