DUBAI: It is no secret that Andrew Garfield’s latest movie, John Crowley’s “We Live in Time,” now in cinemas across the Middle East, is a tear-jerker that will pull at your heartstrings from Scene 1.

Beginning with the cancer diagnosis of co-main character Almut (Florence Pugh), the story then follows her back and forth through time to tell the story of her relationship with Tobias (Garfield), from their first encounter after a road accident to the birth of their daughter at a filling station and more.

“I think the point of this film is that it is everyone’s story,” Garfield told Arab News. “I think after any human being lives a certain amount of time, if they’re lucky, they get to experience terrible loss. And I know that that’s a strange way of phrasing it, but I do see it as a privilege to love deeply and therefore to lose terribly, to lose each other, whether it’s a partner or a mother or a father or a friend.”

While over the past few years Garfield has been on an on-and-off break from filming in an attempt to know himself better, the script from Justine Wright lured him back to set.

“I was in a very peaceful, contemplative place in my life, and reflecting on everything and wanting to be creative, but not necessarily wanting to be on a film set. But then, you know, reading the script, I thought, ‘Oh, this will be a very natural creative process,’” he said.

“There was a certain amount of letting go, but it was a letting go of a different kind. It was a letting go of too much overthinking. It felt like a very natural letting go, getting out of the way of not working too hard, letting the moment define the moment, letting myself be filled up, and trusting that the moment was enough,” said Garfield, who lost his mother to cancer in 2019.

His subsequent journey of self-discovery has further helped his craft as an actor.

“This is one of the privileges of being an actor, I think, being an artist, but particularly about being an actor is that, depending on the roles you get to play, you’re accessing and finding and inhabiting parts of yourself that you didn’t know were there and capabilities that you didn’t know you had. Dark and light, expressive, expansive and destructive and shady. So, yes, I’m definitely drawn to knowing myself as thoroughly as possible,” Garfield said.

“And yeah, I’m definitely seeking out as much of being in authentic relationship to myself, and therefore others, and therefore the world, and therefore my work as possible. And sometimes it’s really, really painful, because there are aspects of myself that I wish I didn’t have, like all of us. But the danger is, I think, if we try to exile those parts of ourselves, we end up being in denial of what we’re capable of, and then we end up really doing damage and electing the wrong people to lead countries, etc.

“So, yeah, it feels important to me to find all of those different parts and own them and welcome them; and therefore be able to govern them and not be governed by them, because they’re just unconscious drives.”

DUBAI: US Palestinian beauty entrepreneurs Simi and Haze Khadra, the twin founders of SimiHaze Beauty, are stepping up to support those in need in their Los Angeles community.

This week, the duo announced that 100 percent of all sales generated through their beauty brand will be donated to aid displaced Black and Latino families affected by the recent LA fires.

The contributions will be directed to individual GoFundMe campaigns for families who have lost their homes or been displaced.

In a heartfelt message shared on Instagram, Simi and Haze highlighted the significance of their connection to Los Angeles, a city they have called “home for the past 14 years.” “Our community means everything to us,” they expressed, emphasizing their commitment to giving back during challenging times.

Their efforts mirror the actions of other public figures, such as The Weeknd, who recently pledged $1 million to support firefighters and residents affected by the wildfires.

In light of the disaster, the singer, born Abel Tesfaye, also postponed a concert at the Rose Bowl as well as the release of his upcoming album.

“Out of respect and concern for the people of Los Angeles County, I am canceling the Rose Bowl concert originally scheduled for January 25th,” he wrote on social media. “My focus remains on supporting the recovery of these communities and aiding its incredible people as they rebuild.”

For Simi and Haze, this initiative reflects the values their beauty brand has embodied since its launch in 2021. Known for their bold and innovative stick-on makeup designs — such as chrome wings and holographic cat-eyes — SimiHaze Beauty quickly gained attention for making statement looks effortless.

The brand later expanded its offerings to include a wider range of products, from lipsticks and bronzing powders to mascaras.

In 2024, they expanded their brand to the Middle East, describing the experience to Arab News as “so surreal.”

“The market has been such a huge goal of ours since we started because we grew up here,” Simi said in a previous interview. “We’re so happy that our products are finally accessible to our amazing followers here.”