Menna Shalaby has never really been the “keep it simple” kind of actress. From women fighting to reclaim their lives to characters pulled into stories of violence, war and revenge, she has built a reputation for taking on roles that leave you with a lot to unpack. Now, she’s adding a particularly chilling one to the list with Anbar Al-Mawt (Death Ward), her upcoming drama inspired by a notorious Alexandria case from the late 1990s.
Shalaby plays a woman accused of murdering patients inside the hospital where she works, with the story taking us through accusations, a death sentence and the twists that eventually changed the course of the case. Before we see her tackle this unsettling new character, here are some of the roles that proved just how far she’s willing to go.
Menna Shalaby as Salma in Sohab Al Ard
Set against the ongoing devastation in Gaza, Sohab Al Ard follows an Egyptian doctor whose life becomes connected to that of a Palestinian man, throwing both into a brutal fight for survival. Shalaby takes on a character caught between destruction and hope, in a story that asks what it actually means to hold onto your humanity when everything around you is falling apart.
Menna Shalaby as Rouh in Be Tolooa Al Rouh
Talk about being completely blindsided by the person you trust. In Be Tolooa Al Rouh, Shalaby plays Rouh, whose husband deceives her into leaving Egypt and takes her to an ISIS stronghold in Syria. After managing to escape, she finds herself in a camp for women who have fled the organization, where getting back to Egypt suddenly feels almost impossible.
The role puts Shalaby in survival mode from start to finish, as Rouh tries to rebuild some sense of control over a life that was taken out of her hands.
Menna Shalaby as Nada in Leh Laa 2
What starts as one woman wanting to become a mother turns into a much bigger battle with society’s rulebook. In Leh Laa 2, Shalaby plays Nada, who decides to adopt a child and soon discovers that wanting to do something as personal as becoming a mother can apparently become everyone else’s business.
Her decision to adopt Younes, a child from an orphanage, puts her face-to-face with social expectations, judgment and the endless question of why some life choices are treated as “normal” while others need an explanation.
Menna Shalaby as Layla in Fe Kol Esbou Yom Gomaa
Now for something considerably darker. In Fe Kol Esbou Yom Gomaa, Shalaby plays Layla, a mysterious woman who essentially disappears from her old life and starts over under a new identity. She enters an unusual arrangement that makes her the wife of Imad, a man struggling with a mental disorder.
But Layla is hardly just a passive observer. As the story unfolds, she finds ways to manipulate Imad’s behavior and turn the situation to her advantage, using him as part of her own revenge against people who wronged her.
The performance earned Shalaby an International Emmy nomination for Best Actress in 2021, marking a major international recognition for the role.
Menna Shalaby as Katherine in Wahet Al-Ghoroub
Menna Shalaby went from revenge and murder to a completely different kind of complicated in Wahet Al-Ghoroub. She plays Katherine, a foreign woman fascinated by Egyptian history and antiquities who moves to Siwa with her Egyptian police-officer husband, Mahmoud Abdel Zaher.
What follows is more than a change of scenery. As the couple settles into life in the oasis, the series plays with the meeting point between East and West, modern life and the past, and two people trying to understand each other across cultural lines.
Menna Shalaby as Layla in Haret El Yahood
Set in Egypt between the 1948 Palestine War and the Tripartite Aggression, Haret El Yahood takes viewers into the Jewish Quarter during one of the country’s most politically charged periods.
Shalaby plays Layla, a Jewish woman whose life becomes intertwined with Ali, a Muslim Egyptian officer fighting in Palestine. Their relationship develops while the world around them is being reshaped by war, politics and rising tensions, making their love story anything but straightforward.
Next Up: Menna Shalaby in Anbar Al-Mawt
And then comes Anbar Al-Mawt, which looks ready to take Shalaby into seriously unsettling territory.
The series draws from the real-life case of Aida Nour El-Din, an Alexandria nurse who was accused in the late 1990s of killing patients by injecting them with a dangerous substance, as well as attempting to kill others and stealing medication from the hospital where she worked. The case initially put her at risk of execution, but conflicting evidence, disputed testimonies and questions surrounding the case eventually changed its course.
Aida was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison and served seven before her release. She later publicly denied the accusations, claiming she had been caught up in administrative mistakes at the hospital.
With Shalaby stepping into a story where the line between guilt, innocence and uncertainty is anything but clear, Anbar Al-Mawt could easily become her next big acting challenge. And judging by the roles she’s already taken on, we’re expecting another character who will have us questioning everything.
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