In Morocco, Sami Fekkak developed a passion for acting during his teenage years. After spending years studying abroad and pursuing a career in finance, it was acting that brought him back to his homeland, where he established himself and gained recognition in series and films. Since then, he has discovered a spiritual dimension in the craft of embodying characters that are not his own. Sami Fekkak ‹ › In front of the camera, Sami Fekkak stands out for his fluid acting style, measured, natural, and closely aligned with his characters. He approaches each role with careful preparation, analyzing the script to identify traits to emphasize or tone down, ultimately enriching his performance. This thoughtful approach has helped propel his career across Morocco, Europe, and the United States. It was on the set of Secrets of the Colosseum for National Geographic that he was first spotted by a Moroccan assistant director, leading to his involvement in the film Hôtel de la paix. In this horror film directed by Jamal Belmejdoub and produced by Jacaranda Productions/Studios, Fekkak plays Zakaria, a hotel owner in Marrakech. Following the death of a cursed ancestor, his character is drawn into a series of paranormal events and must decide the future of the establishment. «I started working on this film in 2021. I'm happy to see it on screen in 2026. It's one of the most formative experiences for me», says the actor, now based in Morocco. The nephew of actor and producer Rachid Fekkak, he embraced the project while navigating a series of diverse national and international productions. Working in the horror genre, still relatively underexplored in Morocco, was both a challenge and an opportunity to step into a role far removed from his own personality. «These performances allow me to transcend eras and lives. It's an approach that suits me and, in a way, brings me closer to my spirituality, through the possibility of being several people while remaining myself». A passion shaped in Casablanca Born in Paris, where he spent part of his childhood, before living in the United States and eventually settling in Casablanca, Sami Fekkak developed his passion for acting in Morocco. It was there that he nurtured a desire to give back to the national cinema what it had given him. He recalls being «a very shy child». His father, a lecturer and academic with strong public speaking skills, encouraged him to take up theater. «Returning to Morocco during adolescence was difficult. I had to adapt to a new environment, and the stage helped me through it. I had already discovered theater at the age of seven», he explains. «My father always wanted us to be better than him. He insisted that I have a means of expression. I took classes at the FOL and appreciated being able to say what I couldn't express in everyday life». Fekkak later joined the CAFc, «the theater where Gad Elmaleh performed», as he likes to point out. He took part in several productions, often alongside adults, before landing a lead role at 18. Spotted by casting director Rakel Taxi, he was offered a role in Rock the Casbah by Laïla Marrakchi, but had to turn it down due to his baccalaureate exams. He then appeared in the advertising web series Switchers, which brought him to the attention of the Moroccan public. «The message of the series shaped my personality. It showed that you don't need to be someone else to be loved», he says. After taking part in its second season and securing several contracts, he stepped away from acting before returning at the age of 26. After earning his baccalaureate in Casablanca, Fekkak moved to Toulouse, where he obtained a degree in economics and sociology, followed by a master's in business administration in Passau, Germany. He went on to work in finance, banking, and insurance, but the pull of acting proved stronger. From finance to acting In France, he enrolled in a theater conservatory, where he was selected among 500 candidates and ultimately chosen for a class of 15. He performed in several plays before deciding to leave his job to fully pursue acting, a decision that soon paid off with new opportunities in Morocco. «I hadn't been back in the country for a while, but things happen at the right time», he says, recalling his casting in the series Shab L BAC by director Ahmed Aksas. Back in Morocco, he continued to train, enrolling at the Acting Institute and actively seeking new roles. Today, Sami Fekkak balances multiple projects, working across film and television. In Morocco, he has appeared in Chahadat Milad by Hamid Ziane and Ismail Saidi, The Wound by Seloua El Gouni, and Kanbghik.ma by Mansour Mellali. Internationally, he starred in the Spanish film Raqqa by Gerardo Herrero alongside Álvaro Morte, known for La Casa de Papel. He also played Nadir in the Dutch series Mocro Maffia, portrayed Moses in the Netflix documentary mini-series Testament: The Story of Moses by Benjamin Ross, and worked alongside Liam Hemsworth in Lonely Planet. «On that set, I experienced a completely different way of working. I've never been happier in front of the camera. Thanks to the coaches and actors, I learned that acting is not about intensity, but about presence», he says. Today, Fekkak believes that his background in sociology, combined with theater training, allows him to better understand his roles. Over time, he has come to value this ability to «transcend lives and eras». «That's why they say an actor is like wine: the older it gets, the better it is», he jokes.
