By Louis Peitzman
Iranian-American actor Shohreh Aghdashloo first gained international success when she earned an Oscar nomination for her performance in The House of Sand and Fog (2003). Since then, she has continued to win critics over in a variety of eclectic roles. Now she stars as Zahra in The Stoning of Soraya M., based on the true story of an Iranian woman unjustly convicted of adultery and killed. Aghdashloo spoke with me about her background, the film’s political implications, and its ultimate message.
San Francisco Bay Guardian: Were you familiar with the story of Soraya M. before you did the film?
Shohreh Aghdashloo: No, I’m afraid I wasn’t, although I had seen a real (stoning) on tape. But it was a different one. The one I saw on tape involved two young men who were being stoned for being homosexuals. I had no idea about this story until (the director and co-writer) Cyrus Nowrasteh approached me with the screenplay.