Lola Hazim Talks ‘Where the Money’ and ‘North Brother Island’

Newsblaze caught up with leading lady Lola Hazim, to chat about her latest film roles in ‘Where the Money’ and the Netflix original ‘North Brother Island’ set to start filming this year.

Lola Hazim in the mirror. Photo credit: Fabiola Bonnot
Lola Hazim in the mirror. Photo credit: Fabiola Bonnot

The Interview

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us today, Lola Hazim. Congratulations on all your wonderful achievements to date. You were born in Morocco. Can you tell us about life living there?

Ah, it was amazing. I grew up in the beautiful city of Casablanca on the oceanfront. It is buzzing and full of culture and street art everywhere you look. The food, the music, the people were full of life.

Looking back, I took that for granted. It was pretty much sunshine all year round, which I loved. I was a carefree creative child, who loved to paint and surfed. I remember looking forward to finishing school so I could have my favorite snack – spicy snails!! Yes, snails ha. I do miss those days.

Your latest movie, ‘Where the Money’ from Max Grousse is set to start filming early 2020. Can you tell us about the project?

‘Where the Money’ is a film about the leader of a Los Angeles gang member being released from prison with the intention to do his biggest crime. I don’t want to give away too much, but this is a very careless character who’s ultimately morally flawed decisions are driven by his hunger for “success.”

This is when someone very close to him decides to team up – and she takes over the whole crime.

You play the lead character, Liz, in the film. Can you describe her, and how she fits into the story?

I play the lead actress, Liz in the movie and the love interest of the lead gang member. She is a character that portrays three dimensions; passionate, streetwise and a quick-witted woman.

We go onto understand the power of a realistic representation of womanhood growing up in a deprived area in Los Angeles. She is feisty and smart, but her heart gets the best of her.

You have starred in some other notable films and TV shows – from Netflix to the BBC. Can you tell us a little about some of your favorite roles to date, and why?

It has been such a blessed journey for me to have had a stream of work lined up. My favorite role to date has definitely been working alongside Jakob Verbruggen in the highly publicized and popular TV show ‘Black Mirror: Men Against Fire.’ He made it really easy and we had a good laugh.

The majority of our scenes were on a closed set with a minimum of six crew. There was great verve and energy on set. As an actor, Jakob allows you to just do your own thing and see what as an acting team we can come up with. We both had very similar referencing’s on set.

Can you tell us some of your most challenging characters to portray?

The past few roles I’ve had I would say I’ve been a chameleon transforming for each role, which I enjoyed the most. My greatest challenge, as of yet, has been my preparation for the Netflix original movie ‘North Brother Island.’

This is a personal and passion project to the amazing writer Valerie Babayan, so as an actor, I too take it personally. I have immersed myself in a heap of research about the project and looking at different ways to portray my leading role in the movie.

I feel that the script is a very small percentage of what this film is about and that the rest is up to me, as the main character, to deliver a memorable performance that gives the best representation of the character. I believe that is the most challenging part of my job as an actor – hoping that I make the writer and audience proud.

From Casablanca to the sparkling city lights of London, both are so different. Can you share with us some of your preferred London hangouts?

Yes, I’m in absolute awe with London. Its gloominess is full of mystery. The derelict warehouses and the rundown bridges tell us histories from hundreds of years to date that shape the city today.

There’s so much to do in London, but I love my local cafes. “Brickhouse” is the perfect spot for me to catch up on scripts, reading, and emails. Portobello Road market is my favorite spot to find vintage gems. Towards the end of the week, I like to pass by the London library as they have newspapers that are 300 years old, and I tend to get lost in there reading them.

What’s next for Lola Hazim?

I have three very big projects for 2020. Two of which is the Netflix original movie ‘North Brother Island’, which I know will be a major success and one of my biggest challenges as of yet, and ‘Where the Money.’ I also have a couple of projects for my live art performance which I am super excited to explore that side of my talent as an actor/performer.

To find out more about Lola Hazim, follow her @Lola.haz on instagram or HazimLola on twitter.

Lola Hazim. Photo credit: Fabiola Bonnot
Lola Hazim. Photo credit: Fabiola Bonnot

BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Association) professional member and award-winning, British born and fluent in Spanish, Liz Rodriguez has worked in the entertainment industry most of her life. Predominantly based between Los Angeles and London, with contacts globally, Liz Rodriguez has a portfolio of clients for personal or corporate marketing, branding and PR, as well as full service event management and production. As a feature film publicist, she boasts over 50 film credits to date. She enjoys working with today’s rising stars, and tomorrow’s future faces of entertainment.

Internationally Liz has supervised, and orchestrated, events and press placements all over the world including the Middle East (Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi), Europe, Egypt, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Aside from her working career, Liz is an active supporter of many LA-based charities including Dogs for the Deaf, St Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and volunteers her time to Make A Film Foundation, an organization that grants film wishes to children with serious or life-threatening medical conditions.

Follow Liz: EMR Media (est. 2004) www.emrmedia.com – Instagram @iamLizRodriguez – Facebook: www.facebook.com/emrmedia