Missive From Morocco
Week one of working on Tut, Spike TV’s maiden drama series, directed by David Von Ancken and starring Sir Ben Kingsley. I’m playing General Yuya in King Tut’s army, and I’ve been knee-deep in rehearsals since touching down in Morocco at the end of August.
The show is shooting in the picturesque town of Ouarzazate. It may sound like exotic North Africa, but you probably know it better than you think. If you’ve ever seen Lawrence of Arabia, Gladiator, Patton, The Last Temptation of Christ, Alexander, Babel, or Game of Thrones, among myriad other films, then you’ve already gotten a taste of magical Ouarzazate.
The French Foreign Legion marked the area as a strategic base along the route between the mountains and the desert, building their first garrison here in 1928. It was a tranquil outpost—"Ouarzazate" translates to No Noise in Berber, the indigenous ethnicity of the Northern Nile Valley.
But by the 1960s, a steady influx of film productions from Europe and the U.S. was rockin’ the proverbial kasbahs. And yes, Sharif does like it—because it’s been a steadily expanding income stream ever since.
In addition to Tut, five other big-budget features are presently taking advantage of the breathtaking Atlas Mountains, Lake El Mansour, and the wide variety of sunburnt, sand-swept medinas. including Ridley Scott’s Exodus, Aladin, A.D., Killing Jesus, and Mission Impossible 5. I have yet to see Tom Cruise, but I’ll be sure to recommend swapping Scientology for Allah when I do…
A great deal of King Tut’s history was erased by envious pharaohs who succeeded him. Respect for political predecessors hasn’t changed much in 3,000 years, and as a result, his true story has been literally buried in the sands of time. But his nearly intact tomb, discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter and George Herbert, has revealed enough to piece together an inherently dramatic narrative:
A boy-king thrust into power at eight years old. An arranged marriage to his sister, Ankhesenamun. An advisor, Aye, with Iago-like ulterior motives. A greedy priest class consolidating power in an attempt to outmaneuver the boy-king.
The Egyptians had no shortage of enemies throughout their three dynasties—Nubians, Hittites, Assyrians, Hyksos. During Tut’s reign at the height of the 18th Dynasty (1332–1323 BC), their greatest threat was the Mitanni. Early in the conflict, the Mitanni bested the Egyptians, attacking with powerful chariots the likes of which Egypt had never seen. But the rulers of the Nile Delta were quick learners, and before long, they had developed chariots of their own—smaller, lighter, and faster. They eventually defeated the Mitanni, dominating the region for the next millennium… until they met another boy-god conqueror, Alexander the Great.
There’s no better way to learn this history than preparing for a role. We’re not just reading about it—we’re reenacting it. Week one of fight training included work with khopesh swords, archery with recurve bows, and chariot riding—the most challenging element to date. No shocks on these equine-powered bi-wheelers, so your knees and lower back feel every rocky blow.
Some of the horses—studs flown in from southern Spain for the shoot—aren’t too keen on pulling the heavy carts, and they buck and kick. Maybe if production had popped for business class, they’d be in better moods? Either way, trying to nock an arrow while bouncing around in one of these shaky ancient machines is borderline comical. Firing one off at full gallop with any accuracy? Nearly impossible. I’ve formed an entirely new respect for just how skilled these historical warriors were in defending their civilization.
Our fight training is orchestrated by an impressive array of former special forces badasses and stuntmen from France, England, Spain, and Romania. Many have settled in Morocco because of the near-continuous film production, mastering everything from complex horse stunts to thousand-man battle choreography. Others were born and raised here, becoming seasoned film talent simply by being in the right place at the right time.
They’re modern-day warriors, showing little fatigue during ten-hour days in hundred-degree heat. While the cast downs liters of Emergen-C-spiked water, most of the stunt crew are burning through Marlboro Reds, frequently one after the other.
The steady flow of dedicated Moroccan stuntmen is equally inspiring. They slaughter and are slaughtered day after day, week after week, in film after film. No CGI filling in here. These are real dudes crashing into each other, flying off chariots, falling from rooftops, taking swords to the chest, arrows to the back, and spears to the throat. They show up two hours before the cast does—just after the day’s first Call to Prayer—to begin rehearsals.
Overall, the project boasts a collective of artisans from eighteen different countries, all congregating to make this artistic Giza a reality. Producers from Montreal, London, New York, and Los Angeles. Thespians from Australia, London, Vancouver, L.A., NYC, Marrakech, Fez, and Tangier. A costume department almost exclusively from Rome. Hair and makeup from the U.K. A camera team from Cape Town. And a security team headed by former New Zealand and British SAS military—some fresh from Donetsk, Ukraine.
There are 500-plus carpenters, plasterers, painters, sewers, metallurgists, leatherworkers, camel wranglers, and cooks laboring from sunrise to sunset.
Local Moroccan fare almost never disappoints. Lamb, chicken, and fish tagines. Lentils in every way imaginable. Smoky or sweet eggplant and zucchini spreads. Couscous, saffron rice, green olives, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers. Red mullets, calamari, and the bevy of spices we crave worldwide—ginger, paprika, cinnamon, cumin, anise, sesame seeds. If the French left any legacy, it’s the coveted skill of winemaking. The local vintages taste like they’re straight from Côtes du Rhône.
Lou Reed put it best: It’s the beginning of a great adventure.
There’s so much more to explore… I’m looking forward to being out of the Western news loop for the next few months. Don’t think I’ll miss it much.
I did, however, whack my back out a bit during a three-Mitanni-kill combo slaughter this morning.
Anyone out here know a good Cairo-practor?
