LONDON: French Algerian actress and dancer Sofia Boutella is set to wow audiences worldwide with her biggest role so far, playing the lead character, Kora, in director Zack Snyder’s Netflix sci-fi epic “Rebel Moon — Part One: Child of Fire.” 

Boutella told Arab News that she found several parallels between Kora and herself. Like Kora, Boutella grew up as an immigrant, and the struggle to find acceptance not just as a newcomer but as a woman is something they both share. 

“Various aspects drew me to Kora; a big one was the chance to play a lead female character,” Boutella said. “I think that’s important. I’m grateful for Zack for thinking of having a woman as the lead character in his movie — whether it was me or someone else.” 

Aside from the rare opportunity to be a woman leading an action movie, Boutella also welcomed the chance to shape a character who diverges from the archetypal hero. 

“What drew me to the project was playing a character that was complicated and conflicted,” she explained. “From a drama perspective, it was ticking all the boxes: I get to do an action film with the best visual guy ever and play the most dramatic character ever.” 

Kora is a former soldier of the tyrannical Imperium who decides to join the fight against the oppressive forces of the ruling Motherworld. Her decision to go against what is expected of her resonated deeply with Boutella’s own experiences of feeling like an outsider. 

“Finding those colors around a character who’s a bit more introverted, dealing with so many layers underneath her to feel from, that gave me her sense of not belonging,” she said. 

Boutella drew on her history as an immigrant. She grew up in Algeria during its civil war and later moved to France, and found herself navigating the complexities of adapting to a different culture. This personal connection became the emotional anchor for her portrayal of Kora, who was abducted at a young age and had to adapt to a new world. 

“Having left Algeria young, when I go back there I don’t feel like I belong to Algeria. And then, in France, I don’t feel like I belong to France because I didn’t grow up there,” she explained. 

Boutella has learned to embrace her rootlessness, though. “I feel like I belong to this planet. I have the freedom to travel wherever I want, without any limitation,” she said. “But sometimes, I miss the proximity and attachment that people have to their country.” 

While deeply proud of her Algerian heritage, Boutella is quick to acknowledge the opportunities that arose from living in France and the US. She began her career as a dancer in the latter, performing with icons including Madonna and Michael Jackson before making the transition into acting. 

“I know the complications involved in growing up (in Algeria) — if I had had to grow up there,” she said. “The fact that I’m able to live my dream is not taken for granted. Algeria has one of the richest cultures in the world, but I would love for more art to exist in Algeria and for people to have the same chance I had to execute my art with such freedom. I am proud of my heritage and where I come from, but I’m very aware of the opportunities I’ve had, and there is not one day that I take them for granted.” 

While the setting for “Rebel Moon — Part One” (which lands on Netflix Dec. 22 — part two is due out in April 2024) is fantastical, its themes of resistance, trust and hope, Boutella believes, ground it in reality. 

“I feel like you can take a lot of inspiration from cinema, and I hope this movie leads people to be inspired on a human level,” she said. “There’s a time for reflection, a time for action, and a time for learning, and I think each of those steps is very valuable.”