Drama Queens - Work in Progress: Amit Rahav

Episode Date: July 11, 2024

Actor Amit Rahav has been making waves in Hollywood with high-profile projects, including a World War II drama close to his heart. The actor joins Sophia to chat about his journey to becoming an actor, the pressure he felt playing the first LGBTQ+ character to come out on a TV show in Israel, finding success in Netflix's critically praised miniseries, "Unorthodox," starring in Hulu's limited series, "We Were the Lucky Ones," and why the WWII drama is very personal to him and very relevant today. Plus, Amit reveals the type of project he would like to do next!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Hi, everyone. It's Sophia. Welcome to Work in Progress. Hello, Whipsmarties. Today we are joined by Amit Rahav. He is an incredible actor. And what a wild thing to say. for someone who is a peer, but a history maker as well.

In 2016, he actually made television history when he played the first character to come out in a teen television show on the Israeli show flashback. He got such incredible responses from LGBTQ plus youth about how his portrayal made them feel seen invalidated. He joins us today to talk about how he wishes he'd had a character like his own when he was growing up and what it was like

to go from teen television onto enormous globally successful series like Netflix's Unorthodox and his most recent series on Hulu We Were the Lucky Ones. It is a historical drama adapted from the 2017 book

of the same name by Georgia Hunter inspired by the story of her family surviving the Holocaust. It is an incredibly beautiful show. And I think in a time where we are all perhaps horrified by humanity's propensity to be cruel, an incredibly timely reminder that if we don't know our history, we might be doomed to repeat it. I'm very grateful that a meet joins us today. Let's get into it. Hi.

Hi. How are you? I'm good. It's so nice to meeting you. It's so nice to meet you as well. Congratulations on the show. How exciting. Thank you. Thank you so much. Yes, it's very exciting. Yeah. Yeah. Being here is like a whole new experience to me right now. because I did another show called Unorthodox that came out in the pandemic so being here right now and seeing the billboards and meeting people and like being on the street actually is such a refreshing experience.

Yeah, totally different from being like locked up and having, well, I mean, we're doing this on Zoom, but having to do everything over the internet. Yeah, but I feel the proximity energy between us. It's different. We're in the same country. We're not in different continents. So it's like it's a, that also affects my, my experience. Yeah, just like being here, meeting people, like going to an actual screening with like an audience.

That's a refreshment. Sure. And what has that been like to watch people see the project? Oh, wow. That's such a good question. It's been actually amazing, to be honest. I've seen it, I've seen the first episode and the last episode on the big screen. We had two screenings, yeah.

And in both screenings, like the energies that you feel in the audience are so different than just watching it by yourself at home. and also like the effect that a big screen has on like your experience is so crazy I don't think I've ever appreciated the fact that when you watch something on the big screen and not on your own TV like the differences I don't think I've ever had this experience of watching something on your own TV but then like right away on a huge screen with a pack a pack theater it's it's just like it's it's so um powerful to hear the actual reactions and people holding their breaths like you can actually hear it you know what I mean yeah when when a whole room goes you know and you feel that and you know that

something is is translating emotionally right yes yeah and also like I love theater so I and like you have this experience when you go to a play or a musical, like you have this feeling, but then like seeing it with your own, like, own piece of art is like a whole different experience when you're like in the audience, but you're watching it. It's, it's, um, I really, I think I was kind of like, I didn't know what to, what it would be like going in and then leaving.

I was like, wow, this was such a, a special, moment to watch it with so many people in a room. Yeah, that's incredible. Yeah. You know, what a moment you find yourself in now, when did you know you wanted to be an actor? Was that something that you always wanted to do since you were a little kid? Or did you kind of wind up here by a strange happenstance? No, I definitely knew I wanted to be an actor.

Like, definitely. I remember, well, I always, like, wanted to perform. Like, it was, I always wanted to be, like, on stage. Like, do remember the moment where I think I was in first or second grade, and I saw this, like, school sort of, like, singing group performing, and I did not know about it. And I remember sitting in the audience and just, like, feeling a physical sickness. jealousy like it was so it was so like strong i felt it in all of my veins and body that i needed to be

there i was i was fuming not being on stage i saw it and i and i don't know like why i knew to feel that way but it was just like a natural reaction wow um so i really like remember this as a vivid moment of like I I just need to be there and that was like my first sort of like I got a solo like I was singing by myself just like a few months after I joined so I like I really felt like gratified by joining this group yeah I'm like I really remember this this we have a CD up until today I need to listen to it from like me and second grade um and then yeah I just I just like I just like I I started joining all drama classes and majoring theater in high school, then going to drama school. And I actually started with doing teenage dramas.

Yeah. And this was like an amazing acting school for me. And then, yeah, and then like things just like started to become more and more like real and went like deep in a way. in a way yeah and and you know going deep as you say you know into these worlds wanting to tell people's stories and represent their lives it it's so personal and it's so emotional and it's so emotional and it requires so much presence and then I think not only as a performer do you have to be courageous enough to be raw, bare, but sometimes you have to be courageous enough to be the first. And I know that in 2016, you know, when you talk about like coming of age on

these teen shows, much like I did, you know, you were on flashback. And you made history in Israel as the first character who came out on one of these shows. Yeah. Yeah. What was that experience like for you? Were you apprehensive as an 18-year-old to do that? Or were you shocked that it hadn't happened yet? Like maybe both? What was that time for you? Yeah, I think it was everything.

I was, first of all, it felt slightly too late. Like 2016 feels like, oh, it could have happened earlier. But then I felt a huge responsibility to be that person. And yeah, it took a lot of courage. I don't know how I did that. But like it was, again, this urge of me wanting and knowing. It was like a calling from above. I don't know.

Like I just knew that I had to do it. I knew how significant it would have been for me to have this kind of character growing up. And I knew what it can be for people, for kids, teenagers watching this show. And I think I was, I was terrified going into this. I'm so glad that I did that. Because up until today, I get people coming up to me and saying how much they loved the show. And it was so clever to see someone, I think we're so used to consume, like, hard coming out stories. And it's devastating, like, um, uh,

people like devastating stories of people coming out and not being accepted by their surroundings or just like having the most horrific time coming out and what was so beautiful about this story is that none of this has happened he just told his friends they hugged him they loved him what was it like for you because you said it would have meant so much to you to have had a character like this to watch growing up so was it hard for you growing up realizing, you know, coming to terms with your identity? Or did you also have kind of a great experience and just wish there'd been more representation? I think that, yeah, in comparison to other stories, I think I had a genuinely, like, pretty solid story. like it was like my family is so supportive they're so open-minded they're like the most liberal family um i had it was it was more like the demons in my own head that were so um harsh um that were preventing me from coming out earlier um yeah i think that uh i i now remember when you asked that that i did like this interview like four years ago and

I talked about some moments in school, an elementary school, of being bullied. And my mom was watching this interview. And she was like, I did not know that this has happened to you. I wish I knew that you went through that. And I was like, yeah, I couldn't tell you. Like, I did not want to speak about my weaknesses and me being an outsider and me just like it's, there's like such a deep need. to be blend in and not to be labeled

and to just like not create any, any like sort of mess around you, just want to like be normal. So speaking about being bullied or like being mocked at at school was like to me the most, like the most, the closest thing to coming out. So I don't think I could have, could have been

too open about it but I did know that if I would have had this character growing up I would probably have such way more of an easier like easy life and and yeah

I think that it came in the exact right time for kids to consume this show because I was getting so many messages on my Instagram from kids who are like religious and have to come out to their parents

as like queer or lesbians or bi or gay and this was the most like one of the most meaningful experiences I've ever had to get actual people DM in you and thanking you for like for speaking up and for representing them and I think this I wouldn't trade it for anything if it helped one person and it saved one person's life.

So I feel like I've done like what I needed to do. Yeah, that's so special. And what a, I mean, what an immense privilege, like a thing for you to say, like, I got to do that. You know, that'll always be something for you to hold and those messages and that feeling. and I don't know, I think it's, it's so profound. Thank you, yeah. And now for our sponsors. Was it kind of wild to go from doing something that monumental to then go be on, you know,

we touched on unorthodox, and that was such a big breakout show also. Was it kind of crazy to do this huge monumental thing? to be on, you know, your next gig and have it also be kind of like a runaway train? Oh, my God. Yes, it was a runaway train. That's such an accurate term to use. Yeah, it was crazy. I think, yeah, I was, again, terrified going on unorthodox. I felt like the impasseur syndrome so hard. Did you have to study a lot and, like, meet with a lot of folks? to learn about the community?

The community and also like it was all in Yiddish, which I've never spoken before. Yiddish is so far from, it's like it's like learning, I don't know, on Chinese. So it was like learning a whole new language. And I felt so terrified going of that project. It was so huge and there was so much responsibility. And I also felt at the beginning that I didn't know if I could,

deliver this role if I could if I could serve the part right if I'm I was constantly scared that they'd like did find out that I'm not the right person for the role I this was such like a realistic feeling I believed it so much looking back it was only my mind tricking me and my insecurities and fears and my that I that I that I learned to live with since then. When you got that role, I know you were still in acting school. Yes. And obviously, it's such an enormous opportunity, but it comes with a lot of pressure.

How do you feel like you handled your life changing so much so fast? Wow, that's such a good question. Yeah, they did change. I don't think that I was aware of how much they're changing while it was happening. I was so, like, enjoying the ride. and I did not really like I did not really understand the meaning of it all it all just happened and it all became like bigger than life also like filming unorthodox we didn't come into this show feeling that we're going to create something that's going to get to every household we shot like it was honestly the tiniest crew, they were like 30 people on set. Wow.

Yeah, it was so tiny. It was just made with pure love. It's not lost on me that so many of these roles that you've played have required so much, you know, introspection. And whether it's making history in your, you know, home country on television or having to study, as you said, this sort of very different than your own life, conservative world. Now you're going back in time, starring on you were the lucky ones. It's such a profoundly emotional and important project. And the fact that, you know, in present day at work, you get to, you know,

honor the story of your grandmother, who is a Holocaust survivor. yeah what does it feel like to assume a role like that you know to to to be telling a story about one of our you know most sort of earth shattering um and traumatic points in history that's so personal to you like it's it's it's it's so important to the world but it's also so personal to you and your family yeah yeah um it's i don't know it was it was it was such an incredible experience it still is i mean um seeing like people reacting to that story and knowing how personal it was for me but also like for georgia hunter who's the writer of the book and this whole show is based on her own family and and book and uh but it's also personal to all of the cast and peers and we all felt an immense passion to tell the story. And we were also aligned with the importance of that storytelling and the time and the ignorance and racism and hatred. And we all really wanted to

to respectfully tell this piece in a way that would move people. Did you get to meet Georgia? She was with us on set. Oh, that's wonderful. Yes, she is the greatest human being. I love her so much. She allowed us to just join her family spiritually, obviously. But she opened up about anything and everything to us. She came in with a massive photo album and with so many documents and letters that we could read.

And she was open at any time and at any point. to ask any questions, and it was such a privilege to have her with us on set. And she came to set, and she also brought her mom, who's the daughter of Addie, who is played by Logan, but like in real life, Addy. So her mom was there, and it was such a special experience to have, like, the real family with us on set. Wow. And now a word from our sponsors that I really enjoy, and I think you will too.

Just earlier this season on the podcast, I got to interview Ava DuVernay, the filmmaker. And, you know, she released Origin this year. And it was so, that movie was such an emotional experience for me and to see her take all of the research of Isabel Wilkerson and turn it into this narrative. And it's so arresting to realize that hate is so infectious. It's so easy to hate. It's so easy. And why? Because we should know better by now. And I think it's such an, it's immensely painful to really look at these wounds and to really look at how far back this hate goes. and to realize that it's been systematized for all of these generations.

And I think sometimes people will say, well, you know, why do we have to keep talking about it? But I think if we don't talk about it and we don't make sure people know our history, then we become doomed to repeat it. Exactly. Yes, 100%. And I think that, like as we said, that hatred is so contagious and it's so easy. And I think that being in communication and talking about the complexities is the challenge. And it's that's like I think that when people try and face that like period of time

are also like nowadays, we're such an immense, horrible, devastating conflict as we speak. And I think that it's so hard for people to try and attack it from a whole different place. It's so hard to see the layers and the textures and to see that there's no good or bad that there's like a lot of pain and suffer. And there's like an endless grief. But these things are rooted in our own, like, DNA, but they can be sort of like, they can be talked about and changed. Is it, and, you know, I want to be very sensitive and also be very clear that, you know, I know people are not their governments. And I know I certainly wouldn't be able to answer for every shoddy thing America is, you know, done in its history. but I also do want to not pretend we're not in the moment we are and offer you know offer you my empathy

does it feel strange to be telling this story about this immensely devastating time you know not just in human history but in the history of the Jewish people when you are also in the midst of this horrific conflict, I imagine that it puts you in a very emotional and tough position. Yeah. I don't know. I don't really know what the question is necessarily, but I, yeah, I just, I feel for you trying to make art and honor the past in a moment where the present is so horrific.

Yeah, thank you. This, I do feel the empathy. I am so inspired by people like you are talking about who say, we are better than this. We see each other. We want, I want better for your family and I know you want better for mine. And it is exactly what you mentioned earlier. We should know better by now, but it seems like for some reason we do not. I don't understand why. Like, why isn't it so simple and basically. that we're all in, like, in an immense pain. And I think it must be particularly present and real for you because you are discussing this beautiful piece of historical work that is being mirrored yet again now. And I imagine it's very hard as an artist, because you're like, no, no, I'm trying to make us see each other. I'm not trying to make anyone pick a side.

I'm actually trying to say, we've been through this. We should know better. We should do better. And it's a hard place to be. That's so accurate. And I think that that is the only way for us to overcome this conflict, only with, like, actually meeting the people and talking to them and just hearing each other's trauma and pain and fears.

Well, I think I have a friend who, you know, who's worked at the UN for a long time who's talked to me a lot about how they rebuilt in Rwanda after the genocide. And the intense undertaking of making sure that every family was paired with a family from the, the other side and people sat in these healing circles and people people would talk to someone who murdered families and someone whose family members were murdered and and the whole country went

through this process and what you're saying it's painful to listen to trauma it's painful to reckon yeah the whole country did this this peace process together and everything changed and i think it's that sort of idea, right, that we're supposed to know better by now. And I'm very heartened by people who've said, this population, it's not us or them. It's us, all of us. We're here together. And I don't know. I know a lot of, you know, important people, powerful people, governments make a lot of money on war, but I'm very inspired by the people. Yeah, me too. Who keeps standing up every day and saying, not in our name, we don't want this.

And I really, you know, I've been very heartened to see so many people protesting saying, like, enough. This isn't, this isn't making anybody safe. What are we doing? And I don't know. I hope more of us wind up getting to set the course in the future because clearly a lot of the people, who've said it so far have not have not done so with the kinds of goals for unity that I think we all pray for and you know I am yeah I just I appreciate you know I appreciate it and I I can't quite imagine how it must feel to you know try to straddle all of these worlds at the same time for you

Yeah, it's chaotic. Yeah, I just imagine it's very, very difficult. And, you know, you're one human being who happens to be, you know, telling his grandmother's story right now. And I know it becomes about a lot of other things. And I also know as artists, our job is to sort of try to hold all of the world past and present and figure out how to tell stories. So, yeah.

Yeah, I just wanted to make a little bit of, you know, space for you there. I think, no matter what, you know, the subject matter of the show, of lucky ones, I would be asking about how you cope with the heaviness and the pressure. And it's, I would imagine, bigger now than you even thought it would be a year ago. Yeah, exactly. It's intertwined with the past and the present are so dominant. They're like, they keep fighting.

Who takes the spotlight? Was it an interesting thing for you? Because I would imagine, you know, with your grandmother's history, you've always grown up knowing, you know, what she survived, what she escaped. Was it sort of surreal to know that you were going to step into that world? When did you guys film this, like two years ago? Maybe more? Like a year and a half ago. Okay.

So in 2022. Yes. Okay. Was, yeah, was it bizarre to have to walk into that world and into that time period as an artist? But as an artist who's got such a personal connection? Yes, that's such a good question. Yeah, I, it was really a special moment because I really remember when I got, the part that I realized that I have to dive deep in now into this subject, which is the most,

like the heaviest subject of them all. And growing up, I've heard the Holocaust story from any, like, from every angle. Like, we are taught about the Holocaust since first grade. We, we have, like, the Memorial Holocaust Day in Israel, and there's always, like, a ceremony. And there's Holocaust films. So I've heard so much about it growing up. But then after that, there's sort of like, like after you finish with all your mandatory studies, you stop hearing about it all of a sudden.

So then going into this project, it was sort of like, oh, wow, I'm an adult now. And I can examine it and experience. it through a whole different lens. I had the actual ability to think about it as an adult, which was so, it was like, it was sort of like, I sort of like re-learned about it, and I realized how crazy these eight years were. The Second World War was something unbelievable.

It was very, it was so oiled up. It was like a whole machine that is just, it's like I don't think I still can grasp what was it like. Sure. Watching all the documentaries and rereading all stuff that I read growing up, but then like, again, like going back into the books, it was unbelievable to me. It was also walking on set. It felt like that I don't understand how these people lived through that time and also survived. Like them specifically, they survived. I don't know if I could.

I don't know if I would be able to survive the power of their thoughts and their perseverance and strength and courage. Yeah. And now a word from our wonderful sponsors. It becomes very difficult, I think, to wrap your head around, you know, the things we study and we see pictures of in books and we read the stats. It's different when your body begins to feel what happens to people. Yeah. You know, I had a very similar experience when I really started to, you know, become an advocate for, you know, close. all of these gender gaps and particularly about gender-based violence.

Like, when I really began to actually understand in my bones, not just in my brain, the statistics of what happens to women, I was like, what the fuck? Yeah, yeah. And there just is something different. When it goes from your brain to your body, it's different. And I imagine that's part of why it feels so important to tell stories. like this you know i i know it's why it feels important for me to you know use my platform you know for women and and for the non-binary community and i yeah i wonder do you do you think

that experience you had of it traveling from the intellectual to the emotional physical like you know brain to body was did that make you sort of even more sure that this is a story that's important to tell now. Interesting, yes, of course. I remember walking on set and seeing like extras dressed up as Nazis. And just like, yeah, and seeing like all these weapons and seeing and hearing like them screaming things in German. And it's just like it, I was just, I choked in that moment.

being dressed in my own outfit, my character's outfit, and then seeing it was sort of like traveling back in time in a way and I mean, we're actors, so we're like, I'm not like, I don't, like I know who I am, I know that I'm here to work and that I need to like learn my lines and do the scene. But then when you suddenly step out of work mode and you just observe the situation that you're in, it's, it does become a physical, like, you do develop like a physical reaction. Of course. I felt nausea on set, seeing those images come to life.

And we all cried there several amount of times. Just watching playbacks also, when you suddenly watch playback and you see yourself in that situation, it's chilling. And that definitely strengthens the need to tell more and more stories like that. When you think about what you want to do next, you know, there is so much importance but heaviness, obviously, in a project like this. does it make you just want to go do a comedy like do you want to go on dancing with the stars like what do you do to get something like this out of your body what do you what do you want to do next

I sure I'll do dancing with the stars but yeah I want to do something that's yeah like definitely light definitely comedy like I don't know like I just want to do stuff with good creators and good people because that cannot be changed when you work with like I've been very fortunate to to have like very good set experiences and have like good directors and good writers and and like after working with Tommy Kale who was the director of we were the lucky ones it's very hard to to go on to something that would be less meaningful. So I think it should be a combination of like something that's very light, it has to be light,

but also I need some like meaning to it. Of course. But also like I just, I don't know what I'm talking about. I wanna do anything and everything. I have so many treats. I have so many, like, so many, like, things that I want to do and be in. And I don't know. There's, I've got so many goals and dreams.

And I just, I don't know what we'll be next, but I, but I'm excited to find out. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that feels exciting. When you think about the year ahead, what feels like your work in progress? Oh, wow. So I'm now here in LA, which I'm planning to stay for a while here. And it's a whole different, a whole different life than back in Tel Aviv. So I think that my work in progress is to figure out how do people like, how do people like just live? here. I feel like I'm still settling in. I've been here for three months and I still feel like it's my first week. I don't know when will I feel that I belong or that I know that I've got it

all figured out. But I think that my work in progress is to find my own, like, favorite spots and to find good people to just like create an island. for me to exist in, that feels right and that feels nice and comforting in times of need. Yeah, it makes you feel at home. Yeah. Yeah, I think that that's what I'm mostly working on now. Wonderful. Well, we love it.

I'll send you a whole list of places I love. Oh, please do. I'm in desperate need. Okay, good. All right. Well, thank you. And thank you for your, you know, for your openness today. And, um, yeah, I really appreciate it.