Sharif’s latest feature, “The Traveler”, is in the running for the coveted Golden Lion award at the Venice film festival.

The Egyptian actor, who made a career in Hollywood back in the 60s, told the press conference on the Lido it was tough to survive in Hollywood being “the only Arab”.

Nowadays, Sharif prefers to work with up-and-coming directors rather than established masters, and there’s a reason behind it.

“I’m trying very hard to work with young directors because I want to rejuvenate myself. Not in age, but in mentality,” Sharif told RT in an interview on the Lido.

“Young people speak the language I don’t understand, they wear clothes I’ve never worn before. I want to be with the people. I can renovate my acting being with young people…”

Does the actor, whose career has spanned half a century, accept violence in film, sometimes overused by contemporary film makers?

Omar Sharif, Julie Christie in 'Doctor Zhivago'

“The world is full of violence. I’ve never seen anything like that before. Everybody kills everybody else. Everywhere. Not only Arabs with the Jews. I don’t love this world anymore. We lack education, democracy. George W. Bush talked about the democracy of the Arab world. The Arab world cannot be democratic, firstly because we don’t have enough knowledge, schools, and secondly because we are tribal people. We are not a population of a country. You have Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds… Before the war in Iraq I told him (George W. Bush), don’t go there, we’re going to drown there! They never learn… ”

One of the world’s best known contract bridge players, what Sharif had to learn himself was to stop playing bridge, which at some point started to become an addiction. Where did he feel happiest, in film or in bridge?

“In cinema, of course! I play bridge when I have nothing to do. But now I stopped because I have grandchildren. I don’t do anything except working in film and spending time with my grandchildren. By the way, my youngest grandchild is Russian…”

Valeria Paikova, RT, Venice