One Woman’s Escape From Iran

Shohreh Aghdashloo fled Iran on the eve of the revolution, when she was only 25. She remembers the moment so vividly that she can still tell you the time (4:30 a.m.) and the date (Feb. 28, 1979). She's never been back. But in a sense, the 57-year-old actress—best-known for her Oscar-nominated role in The House of Sand and Fog—is experiencing a bittersweet homecoming of sorts this week. Aghdashloo stars in the new movie The Stoning of Soraya M., set in a small Iranian village in 1986, playing a woman named Zahra who retells the violent fate of her niece. The irony that the movie is being released during a week when Iran is facing protests that echo the 1979 revolution and are fueled partly by young Iranian women isn't lost on Aghdashloo. She spoke to NEWSWEEK about all things Iran. Excerpts:

Setoodeh: How did you leave Iran?
Aghdashloo: I was 25. The airports were shut down. The prime minister at the time ordered all the airports to be shut down. I didn't have any other way but to drive out. I drove out at 4:30 a.m., Feb. 28, 1979. I am leaving no matter what. I am going to get myself more educated. That way, I would be more helpful to my people. (Story continued below...)

You left in the middle of the night. Were you scared of getting caught?
It took me seven days to get to the border. We had to pass by demonstrators on the roads. When I got to the border, I realized that thousands of cars were waiting to get out. The only way I could describe the scene was it reminded me of the movie The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Remember the scene at the border? People were claiming we were going to Turkey to vacation. That's why we didn't have suitcases or too much stuff with us. [The border patrol] couldn't say anything. There was not any law preventing them from letting us go.

Why did you leave?
Although young, I could anticipate what kind of life a person like me would have. I was familiar with the Islamic doctrine. I decided to leave and get myself educated in England.

What life would you have had if you stayed?
[It's possible] I would have been killed by now. I really can't tell. Knowing that I can't help myself; when I see something, I have to talk about it out loud. And being so concerned with the injustices. I can imagine I would have most likely ended up in a prison or been killed. [My character] Zahra and I share a lot in common. Although we come from different backgrounds—she is from a village, I'm from Tehran—we share strength and the courage to practice freedom of speech.

Have you watched the video of the young girl who was killed in the streets [Neda Agha-Soltan]?
Over and over and over again.

Did you think it was too violent to be shown?
Yes. But I am glad they are showing it. After 30 years. Iranian people tolerated this regime for 30 years. Out of fear or whatever it was, they never were able to tell the world what was happening to them. This is the first time. Let the world see what's happening to them. What we see is a mild version of what's going on. I'm more devastated for all those who are captured and put in prisons. They say our prisons are filled with new political prisoners. These kids are now being accused of being Leninist, Stalinist, leftist, where for each of them, the punishment [for their supposed crimes is] being hung. I know what kind of tortures they're going through. I can imagine it. Neda's picture is just an example of what these people are capable of doing.