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The second season of Tehran, the Apple TV+ espionage series about a Mossad hacker-agent, comes to a close with an exciting climax, leaving viewers wanting more. One of Tehran's most prominent facets is the Kamali couple, as their complicated past and estranged present adds layers to the narrative.
In an interview with Shaun Toub and Shila Vosough, the actors who brought Faraz Kamali and Nahid Kamali to life, Sneha Haldar of Sportskeeda tried to delve into their onscreen relationship and the amazing chemistry that manifested in Tehran.
The actors also divulged their initial doubts about the series, before exploring the inextricable bond shared between their characters. Toub, in particular, cherished his inclusion in the much revered show:
"Sometimes you know, in life, you gotta take a chance, and thank God I did."
The secret behind the Tehran couple's chemistry
The wonderful chemistry between Shaun Toub and Shila Vosough makes one wonder how that happened over the course of the series. Their back-and-forth quips during the interview provided a wonderful insight into their unique bond.
Shaun and Shila have known each other since before Tehran and both seem to hold a lot of love and admiration for one another's talents. Before Tehran happened, they acted in two other Apple TV+ productions together.
One was, Forgive Me, a 2019 production by Chelsea Winstanley, and the other was Little America, another Apple TV series. Speaking about their roles, Shila said:
"We played man and wife in that short, and then Little America happened. The night before our first day of shoot for Little America, I had an accident with my foot. You remember Shaun? And we thought my foot was broken, and he was worried I was going to be recast. I feel like our chemistry on the screens, or at least that's my story, that's where it started. There was so much caring about one another as human beings, behind the scenes, that created this lovely chemistry that everyone has been telling us about on the screen."
Shila Vosough had only words of praise for her co-star Shaun Toub. She admits to being an ardent fan of his work:
"I'm a huge fan and I sat and I watched his scenes as he was filming after I was done with my scenes. I'm sitting here just looking at this man's face, and I'm thinking, how does he do what he does? I've been going to acting schools for over 20 years, you know, these acting workshops, and, boy, no one can teach you that. No one can teach that."
We couldn't agree more with her. With his talent, Shaun Toub brought to life one of the most complicated characters of Tehran, Faraz Kamali.
How did the dynamic Kamali couple happen?
Watching Tehran makes one wonder how two such compatible actors come to be cast in the same series together. Shaun had the answer for us. Upon being asked how they came across their roles, Shaun answered:
"I was sent an email from Danny Syrkin, the director, and then we started talking. He told me about the series that they wanted to make. Amazingly enough, you know, Danny, from the very beginning, he said, "you know, you are the only one who is going to be able to do this." Then they send me as a script. I said, okay, you know, this is great, but I can't do this you know, I'm a Hollywood actor, so I can't do this series."
Shaun Toub was skeptical about taking on the role at first and almost passed on the opportunity. But Daniel Syrkin was determined to cast the veteran actor. He sent Shaun one script after another for two months before the latter finally confirmed the role. The actor had only good words for his director:
"Danny is a jewel. And he's a beautiful, beautiful person.When I came to LA and had dinner with them, with Sheila, that's really when I said, "okay, you know what, let's get this done." Sometimes you know, in life, you gotta take a chance, and thank God I did. Because it would be a very bad decision of mine, to not not take this job. And yeah, so that's what happened."
Turns out that it was Shaun Toub who suggested Shila Vosough for the role. She sent an audition tape for the role and was determined to make the former look good because of his endorsement. She revealed:
"I wanted to do a really good job, because I have so much respect for Shaun and I didn't want him to be disappointed in me. So I worked very hard on the audition. But I was still sceptical because I hadn't read the episodes and I don't have such agency as a Hollywood actor as Mr. Toub does. So they didn't send me the episodes to read. I had no idea what this was. All I knew is what these Israelis are making a show about Iran and calling it Tehran. I didn't know how they were going to portray Iranians."
But her skepticism was dispelled when she met Danny Syrkin and Toub for dinner in LA. Remembering the dinner, Shila said:
"There's a couple things he said that made me feel like I absolutely have to do this part. One was that I realised how much he loves Iranians, he and the rest of the storytellers that are making this series. They have so much respect for Iranians and they know us, they know that we, the people of Iran, are very different from the government of Iran. So it was heartwarming to know that it was a show that wasn't going to be taking sides or wasn't going to be a putting a negative slant on Iranians because it's an entertaining show."
Indeed, Tehran is careful not to fall into the binary of good and bad, and therein lies the show's credibility. Shila continued:
"The other reason was because when Danny told me about the character of Nahid I realised that this is a character that's not going to be one of those ornamental Middle Eastern wives that are always just a placeholder for their husband. Nahid was a character who was very multifaceted and she was intricately involved in the plot in season one. And then thankfully, she's much more intricately involved in season two. So as an actor that really excited me to take the part."
Fans could not be more happy that Shaun Toub and Shila Vosough took up their roles despite their initial doubts. Their amazing chemistry and bond solidified the Kamalis as such a dynamic on-screen couple, which in turn made Tehran even more exciting to watch.
Watch this space for more updates on Shaun Toub and Shila Vosough's exclusive interviews and catch-up on the series now on Apple TV+.
