Tunisian Star Dhaffer L’Abidine on Starring in ‘Finding Ola’ Season 2

As the popular romantic comedy series ‘Finding Ola’ launches its second season on Netflix today, September 27th, we caught up with Tunisian star Dhaffer L’Abidine, who plays Ola’s business partner and love interest. L’Abidine shared insights about the new season and took us behind the scenes, revealing that he nearly guest-starred in ‘Ayza Atgawez’ back in 2003.

Can you tell us more about your character in the second season ‘Finding Ola’?

Karim Abd, who has an Egyptian father and a French mother, spent several years living in France. His background sets him apart from typical characters in Arab dramas; having lived for about 25 years in the West, he experienced a society that often had a limited understanding of his own traditions and heritage.

Tell us about the challenges of playing that character.

Whenever you enter as a cast member in a series that has already had a previous season, you enter amongst a group of people who already know and have worked with each other. It’s exciting but there is also an idea that everything will be perfect from the first take- this is impossible of course.

‘Finding Ola’ carries on from the series ‘Ayza Atgawez’. Have you seen it series or not?

I was actually going to be a guest star on one of the episodes of ‘Ayza Atgawez;. Hend Sabry called me at the time and asked me but I wasn’t able to as I had a shoot in England. But I made up for it and we worked together again in ‘Halawet El Dounia’ (2017) and now of course in ‘Finding Ola’.

Tell us three character traits you share with your role as 'Karim' and three traits that are the opposite.

Karim is a very calm person, and maybe this is something which I possess too. Perhaps also the fact that he always has a plan, Karim always has a plan, maybe not always a correct plan but he always has a plan. What is different to me than Karim is maybe that I always know that the plans I make can change, and that life is uncertain.

Do you think Karim can be the new groom of Ola Abdel Sabour, and if so, what is different in him to the grooms of Ola that preceded him?

He comes from a unique background, having lived in France while also being rooted in Egyptian culture through his father. This blend creates a conflict with Ola, who is not accustomed to someone like Karim—someone with a mixed background and a different perspective on women compared to traditional Eastern views. His approach to coping and treating workers is influenced by his experiences in Europe, which contrasts sharply with the dynamics in Egypt. Interactions with friends also differ significantly between the two cultures, adding to the tension with Ola. She finds herself facing an unexpected conflict, as Karim's perspectives challenge the norms and people she is used to.

This is the third cooperation between you and Hend Sabry, can you tell us about your behind the scenes relationship?

We have a great relationship, and we understand one another, and we improvise with one another, and this ease between us makes us work well together. Having such an easy personal relationship of course makes working together easy as well.

The series talks a bit about the period of adolescence for girls, how should a father interact with his daughter through this period?

The series talks about the interaction between different generations, and it is important for parents to remember at this adolescent period their daughter is changing and learning to understand their self. Self esteem, their view of the world, ambition, their energy, is all changing into the adult world, and parents must understand that this is not a problem but a natural progression. The mind and body are both changing at the same time- and the series shows this. There is immense depth and drama in this story, as much as it is also a rom-com.