Aghdashloo, who now makes her home in America, affirms, “I put a lot of who I am as an Iranian immigrant—my culture, my social beliefs—into the movie. But I believe it’s not only about the Iranian culture; it’s any different culture coming into the United States…a different flavor in the mix, I would say,” she smiles.
Aghdashloo remembers reading the book when it was first published and relating to the Behrani family’s plight. “I was devastated when I read the book—not that I was unaware of the difficulties of cultural transition, but to see it broken down in these human terms was heartbreaking. Above all, I love the story and its message, which I feel is very important, and which is why I wanted very much to be a part of the movie. The core of the story is that human beings need to become educated about one another and learn how to live together in this small world. At the same time, we need to respect each other’s identity and place in the world. I believe what the story is trying to tell us is that ignorance is no longer bliss; we need to get to know each other or we will face more tragedy.”
As is often the case, the person who is most able to see both sides is the one true innocent caught in the center of the battle, the Behranis’ son, Esmail. To play this pivotal role, the filmmakers took a chance on an acting novice named Jonathan Ahdout, whose audition tape caught Perelman’s eye, and, reveals London, not a moment too soon. “We saw a lot of kids from all across the country, but we couldn’t find one as heartbreaking and real as we needed. It was the night before we started shooting, which was very scary, and Jonathan came in. He seemed to have an intuitive understanding of the role. I don’t know where he gets it from—he’s had no training and no experience—but he just did it without any kind of affectation and it felt right.”
“He was wonderful,” Perelman agrees. “Literally, after take one, and with minimal direction, he just was the character.”
A first-generation Iranian-American, Jonathan Ahdout says that, with no prior acting experience, he had to discover his own way to become Esmail. “I isolated myself from the rest of the world and just thought about this boy—his friends, his mother and father, where he lives, his hobbies, his interests… I made myself that character and as I was doing that, I was able to understand him more and more. To learn how to become somebody else was a huge growing experience for me as an actor, and I feel like the luckiest boy in the world to have gotten this role.”
Ahdout’s work on “House of Sand and Fog” became something of a family affair. His mother, Jackie, who accompanied him to the set every day, was instrumental in helping Ben Kingsley, the only non-Iranian actor in the Behrani family, to immerse himself in the Iranian language and culture. Kingsley also learned Farsi with the help of dialect coach Dr. G. R. Bassiry. Their help, along with that of the other members of the cast and crew of Iranian descent, says the actor, “made any kind of academic research superfluous. The support and generosity of my Iranian colleagues and friends cannot be underestimated as contributing factors to my portrayal of Colonel Behrani.”
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