Do I know you from somewhere?
Israel's relatively small community of actors makes for comically versatile roles.
This week, we will focus on how versatile Israeli actors tend to be.
Outside of Israel, actors tend to get type-casted into similar roles. A general personality and look might lock an actor into the manic pixie dream girl or jock archetypes. Israel goes in a different direction with its casting.
On countless occasions, an Israeli actor will play one role on one show and then something completely and utterly different in a movie coming to a theater near you. One of my favorite examples of this occurs with Zohar Strauss.
You might recognize him from Shtisel as Lipa Weiss, the husband of Kiva’s sister, Gita. Lipa is a full-fledged Hareidi man with peyot (side curls) and traditional Ultra-Orthodox gear. One may guess or assume that the actor is not in fact Hareidi based on the low numbers of Hareidi actors in mainstream TV shows and movies, but it’s quite impressive how authentic these characters seem to be. There are many Israeli shows and movies that feature Haredi characters and I’m always tickled by the one playing the character. I would almost venture to say that in each Israeli show or movie I watch, there is someone who I’ve seen somewhere else. There are jokes about some actors who seem to be in everything, such as a few who will show up below.
Mira Fox wrote in an article for the Forward that she refers to this effect as the “Six Degrees of Lior Ashkenazi” as a spoof of the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon”, or the idea that almost everyone is only six degrees of separation away from Kevin Bacon1. In the article, Fox shares a long list of the roles of Lior Ashkenazi, a highly regarded Israeli actor. It’s an astounding list as it covers 16(!) major(!) shows. Ashkenazi most recently showed up in Golda (a movie that will be referenced a little further down) as David “Dado” Elazar, the Chief of Staff of the IDF .
Another of those ever-present actors is none other than Michael Aloni.
Michael Aloni - Hebrew Heartthrob
Beloved for roles as Akiva Shtiesel, the protagonist of Shtisel, Gabriel in The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, and Dotan in When Heroes Fly. I fondly remember an interview with Aloni where he regaled the interviewer with the story of his beard in Shtisel. Instead of growing his own beard because he had to stay clean-shaven to host The Voice Israel, the costume team had to create a fake beard that was identical in color and texture to his hair and believable as fitting his face. No small feat at all for the whole creative team. A talent on and off screen.
Zohar Strauss - From Cool Cat to Black Hat
Next on this tour of tour de force range is Zohar Strauss. Known to many as the kind and caring husband of Gita Shtisel, Akiva’s sister (Neta Riskin, who is another great example of an actress who plays vastly different characters). My first experience with Zohar came from the show, Srugim, which is more or less the Religious Zionist (dati leumi) / somewhat similar to Modern Orthodox) version of Friends. Strauss plays the secular Hebrew U professor of archaeology who is dating Hodaya, the member of the friend group who is no longer religious and it is a bit scandalous that she is dating an older professor. Strauss looks pretty much the same as he naturally does in the show. These two contrasting pictures are not out of the ordinary.
Rotem Keinan - From Shy to Spy
Another example of this versatility comes from Rotem Keinan. I first noticed him while watching a recent show called שישה אפסים (shee-shuh ef-eh-seem / Six Zeroes) about six people who win the lottery and must attend a monthslong workshop before they can receive their fortune. Keinan plays a shy accountant named Alex (pictured below farthest to the right) who struggles with public speaking and avoids speaking almost entirely throughout the workshop. I accepted that the actor is similar to this character and thought little of it.
Until…while attending the premiere of Golda at the Jerusalem Film Festival, I saw him in person. Instead of a timid and nerdy man, he stood before me as a flamboyant and energetic man in a rainbow-colored suit. I wondered what he was doing there until I realized that he was playing Zvi Zamir, the head of the Mossad. A role that would more accurately be deemed cool and confident. What a wild transformation! Bravo, Rotem. Bravo. That example really hit home as it showed his range and talent.
Noa Koler - From Cart to Heart
Saving (some would say) the best for last, Noa Koler has shined bright in various roles over the years. Two that stand out for their drastic differences are those of Shira, the manager in Kupa Reisheet, and as Michal in The Wedding Plan.
Koler is able to transform from the goofy and loveable boss of Shefa Yisaschar grocery story to a pious and religious bride. These strong changes might lead one to consider a though exercise of imagining each character in the other’s role. In this case, the characters are so different that it probably wouldn’t work or it would be ridiculous. A testament to her skill and talent.
Song of the Week
נקודות
Neh-koo-doet
Points
What makes this one unique is that Shmuel is a Haredi soulful singer and also sometimes a boyband-ish entertainer. This one will leave you bopping along.
Slang of the Week
פיצוחים
Pee-tzoo-cheem
Nuts that you snack on (literal) / Jewish geography for Israelis (where did you go to school? What did you do in the army?)
It’s meant to show the cracking of the shell or breaking of the ice.
Thank you for reading this week’s post. I hope you enjoyed and have learned something about Israeli culture that leaves you craving more. Wishing you a Shabbat shalom!
“Is it just me or are the same actors in every Israeli show?” Forward. April 21, 2021. https://forward.com/culture/468166/is-it-just-me-or-are-the-same-actors-in-every-israeli-show/