For Tewfik Jallab, the success of Paris Has Fallen has brought recognition, but also a challenge he is keenly aware of: not letting one role define him. As he returns as Vincent Taleb in the second season, Paris Has Fallen, Jallab is already thinking beyond the action-hero image the franchise could cement. The actor says the global response to the first season was beyond what he had expected, even as the long shooting schedule means he experiences much of that success from a distance.
“When you do a job and when you’re trying to do as good as you can, people want to lock you in, especially like action hero or whatever. And I’m trying to break this lock as often as I could,” he tells us.
The response to the first season, he admits, exceeded expectations. “When you work, you expect that people like what you do. But (that happening) like worldwide, it was amazing,” says Jallab, adding, “I have worked a lot on it, so we wanted that.”
With the second season mounted on a bigger scale, the 44-year-old was keen to retain one element from the first. “What I didn’t want to lose is the relationship between Zara (played by British-Indian actor Ritu Arya) and Vincent,” he says.
The action, meanwhile, remains a part he embraces. Asked if he prefers doing his own action sequences, Jallab is unequivocal: “Totally. 100% action is done by me, and I loved every second of it.” But his choices between the two seasons show why he does not want to be confined to the genre. “I try my best to not be boxed. Between two seasons, I shot two feature films, a musical and another one about two gypsy brothers. So I kind of felt that I was blessed to be able to play something else, and break the mould,” Jallab says.
Jallab is not looking to move away from action. Instead, the actor wants roles that allow him to explore more than physicality. “I love action. To me, it’s more than just two people shooting at each other. So I am trying to find that kind of balance, because I feel I have a lot of skills and there are a lot of things that I wish to and I am capable of playing,” he explains.
As for the international response to the franchise, Jallab says it is something he largely experiences through what people tell him. “We are happy to know that we are getting the love, but we didn’t really feel it. Seeing we are shooting eight months a year, we live under a rock. So when you tell us that, that’s good information for us. You let us know that it’s a success,” he ends with a laugh.