Cover Story featuring Rita Harb

Rita wears a Ziad Nakad dress and earrings by IRAM.

There is something quietly defiant about Rita Harb, the way she speaks, the way she has lived her life, the way her career seems less constructed than revealed, as if each chapter found her precisely when it needed to. In an industry that often rewards precision and planning, Harb’s story unfolds differently: instinctive, unforced, almost fated.

For years, she was a familiar presence across the Arab world, the composed face of live television, navigating conversations with poise, discipline, and a kind of emotional restraint that comes with knowing thousands are watching. But behind that control lived something more restless, something waiting. Acting, when it finally took hold, did not simply expand her career, it dismantled her boundaries. It asked her to feel where she had once contained, to surrender where she had mastered control. And she did, completely. 

What makes Rita compelling today is not just the breadth of her journey, from modeling for couture houses to becoming a household name on screen, but the timing of her transformation. Her rise as an actress came later, shaped by life, by motherhood, by choices that delayed ambition but deepened perspective. She doesn’t play characters as much as she inhabits them, drawing from a reservoir of experience that feels both personal and universal.

In a moment where hope and reinvention often feel like a necessity, Harb approaches it as a philosophy. She is not chasing change for its own sake, but for discovery, for depth, for truth. And perhaps that is what defines her most: not the many roles she has played, but her refusal to remain confined to any one of them.

Fashion Editor & Stylist: Victor Concepto 
Photographer & Filmmaker: Marco Nagui (Edge Studios)
Makeup Artist: Shams El Sergany
Hair Stylist: Salon Al Sagheer 
Location: Hotel Ancient Sands El Gouna

Earrings, IRAM. Dress, Ziad Nakad. 

AM: You’ve worn many hats; model, TV presenter, and now actress. Looking back, did you always see yourself multitasking, or did each chapter reveal itself organically?
Rita Harb: I’ve worn many hats over the years, from modeling and advertising to fawazir, hosting, and acting. Today, I feel I’ve truly come into my own, especially in hosting and acting. Interestingly, none of it was ever planned. I initially had a completely different career path in mind.

My entry into the world of shooting advertisements happened purely by chance. The positive response I received encouraged me to pursue it more seriously, and what started as an opportunity gradually became a profession. From there, things unfolded organically. I didn’t follow a fixed plan; I allowed myself to evolve with each experience and embrace the opportunities that came my way.

AM: Acting requires emotional exposure, while television presenting demands control and immediacy. How do you shift between these two mindsets?
Rita Harb: They are two completely different mindsets. I started in television live and pre-recorded across a wide spectrum, from entertainment and social topics to medical and political programs, as well as festivals and concerts. All of these require control, presence, quick thinking, and a certain impartiality. But acting demanded something else entirely. It pushed me to let go. I committed to intensive training with private coaches for over two years, which helped me truly understand characters, scripts, and, more importantly, myself. Acting became a form of liberation. It allowed me to access emotions I had long kept contained joy, sadness, vulnerability. I realized I was even more drawn to it because it takes me beyond myself, into other lives and experiences. 

Today, hosting a reality show brings everything together. I’m no longer just observing. I’m feeling, connecting, and sharing real human moments. And that, to me, is the most meaningful balance.

AM: Is there a role that fundamentally changed how you see yourself as an actress?
Rita Harb: There isn’t just one role. There have been several that shaped me at different stages of my journey. My very first experience was a single episode in Al Hayat Drama. Soon after, I took on my first leading role in Mourahikoun, a 30-episode Ramadan drama where I played Dr. Vicky, a very social and engaging character that brought me recognition and opened many doors for me. Then I can name Lamiss in Achra Abid Zghar, a complex and emotionally demanding role. The audience’s response was very positive, and it encouraged me to explore deeper, more layered characters. I continued with several Ramadan series, including Raghda in Tariq, alongside Abed Fahed and Nadine Nassib Njeim. It was a Pan Arab series that allowed me to portray a character full of emotional twists, revealing new dimensions in me as an actress and drawing me toward roles with strong transformations. I also made a special appearance in Al Moarreb, and my role in Arouss Beirut, where I experimented with a completely different look, an exciting and refreshing change for me. Later, roles like Joelle in Stiletto and Madame Noura in Al Kha’en further deepened my experience and visibility. Today, I’m exploring yet another side of myself through a romantic comedy, which feels both refreshing and creatively fulfilling.

Earrings, necklace, ring and bracelet, IRAM. Dress, Basil Soda. 

AM: Your acting career experienced a powerful surge a little later in life. How did that timing shape your confidence and perspective?
Rita Harb: Thank God, with each project I was able to confirm myself, my presence, and my ability as an actress, especially through leading roles and successful series. With time, this naturally built my confidence. People began calling me by my characters’ names when I walked in the street, which reassured me that I was on the right path. At the same time, it became a challenge in the best sense, always asking myself: what new will I bring next? What new character will I embody?

AM: Do you think this success would have felt different had it arrived earlier?
Rita Harb: Yes, maybe. But given my circumstances, I got married very early and had my two daughters at a young age. During my advertising and modeling years, I actually received several acting offers from Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt, but I wasn’t able to take them at the time and had to postpone that path. 

Whether that was for my benefit or not, no one can really know! Perhaps things would have unfolded differently for me professionally. But I truly believe that what is meant to be eventually finds its way. I eventually began my acting career in 2012.

AM: Do you approach scripts today differently than you did at the beginning of your career?
Rita Harb: Experience certainly plays a major role. I’ve come to understand that acting is not about simply reciting a script. It’s about feeling every word I hear and speak. Today, I know how to shape a character, explore its different moods, and deliver its message in the most truthful way. So yes, I now approach scripts very differently. I read them more deeply, analyze them with greater awareness, and connect to them on a much more emotional and intuitive level than I did at the beginning of my career.

Earrings and ring, Louis Diamonds. Dress, Rafik Zaki.

AM: Television made you a familiar face to a wide audience. What did TV presenting teach you that acting never could?
Rita Harb: Yes, especially since I started on the Saudi channel Orbit, which later became Alfa. I was the face of Orbit for 20 years, so I became known across the Arab world, particularly in Saudi Arabia, not just Lebanon. I built a strong foundation for myself long before becoming an actress. Television presenting also gave me a broad general knowledge and a kind of ongoing education through the thousands of guests I hosted. Preparing for a daily three-hour live program, in addition to covering festivals and concerts, taught me a great deal. The relationships I built with artists and guests along the way were also deeply enriching and taught me so much.

AM: And before all that, you started modeling with international-Lebanese designers like Elie Saab, what convinced you to choose this sector back in the day? Any special memories you can share?
Rita Harb: I was the main model of Elie Saab, whom I deeply cherish both personally and professionally. Over time, I also collaborated with many designers I am proud of and still admire today, from the older generation and internationally, such as William Khoury, Pierre Katra, Edward Chweiter, and continuing with names like Fouad Sarkis, Georges Hobeika and Zuhair Murad.

It all began with advertising shoots, which opened many doors for me. I had the face and presence that worked well in this field, and my name started to be in demand across the Arab world, not only in Lebanon, but also in Qatar, Dubai, Kuwait, Jordan, and Syria, especially among Arab designers. That’s how I naturally entered the industry, and from there, opportunities simply started flowing.

I feel a deep nostalgia for that period. I would actually love to make a modeling appearance again, especially for the designers I still work with today through sourcing dresses for my red carpet appearances. It would be a pleasure to appear for them once more, perhaps in a runway show, either opening or closing it.

Earrings and ring, IRAM. Dress, Yamani.

AM: Did stepping in front of the camera as a model feel more vulnerable or more liberating than acting?
Rita Harb: It is very different. In modeling, the expression comes through body language and the attitude you adopt to highlight the dress and bring it to life. In acting and presenting, it is something entirely different. The only common thread between all of them is being comfortable in front of the camera and under lighting, and knowing your best angles. 

AM: When you look ahead, what excites you more: reinvention or mastery?
Rita Harb: Both. I am very detail-oriented and meticulous, and I’m always curious about the smallest nuances of my characters. All three aspects reinvention, mastery, and discovery excite me. I don’t like to feel that I’m repeating myself. I always want to offer something new, something that challenges me and brings out another side of me. It’s a continuous process of exploration, where I discover what else I can offer as an actress.

AM: What do you protect most fiercely now, your time, your image, or your peace?
Rita Harb: It’s really a three-in-one, but I would say I mainly protect my image and my peace.