Why is Olympia Dukakis in this?

Why the hell is Olympia Dukakis in this? She has, like, one line.

I even found some press releases online from that era, touting her involvement in the movie. "Olympia Dukakis joins the cast of RUBY CAIRO!" Really?

Had she worked with the director before? Was it extremely fashionable in 1992 for semi-recent Best Supporting Actress winners to appear in a scene with Liam Neeson? Did she want a free trip to Egypt? What?