“Gladiator II” came out this past weekend to much fanfare. The sequel of the popular 2000 film stars Pedro Pascal and Paul Mezcal as well as two Israeli actors: dancer and actress Yuval Gonen as Arishat, the wife of Mezcal’s Lucius, son of the OG film’s star Russel Crow’s Maximus, and “Fauda” creator Lior Raz as gladiator trainer Viggo. Viggo’s character isn’t Jewish, and it’s not likely that there were many, if any, Jewish gladiators in Rome, but the director, Ridley Scott, thought of Raz exclusively for the role.
Raz shared that he was offered the role by his agents without an audition. His agents told him that the recently knighted Scott was interested in speaking to him himself. The actor told Ynet that Scott is his favorite director, loving his movies from “Black Hawk Down” to “Blade Runner,” and that he never dreamed of being able to work with him. Scenes from “Black Hawk Down” even inspired some of Raz’s work on “Fauda.”
When they got on a Zoom call, the “Alien” director was apologetic. The role, he said, was too small for a star of Raz’s caliber, and he felt a little bashful about offering it to him. But Raz didn’t care. He told the British director that he would be happy to just appear passing by in a frame, or even just to bring him coffee, for a chance to be on set with a director he so admired.
When Raz finally got to his trailer on set, Scott visited him there. Raz was expecting to talk to him about the movie, or maybe even ask him some questions about “Black Hawk Dawn.” Instead, Scott sat with Raz for 30 minutes dissecting “Fauda” to minute details, from relationships to specific scenes, talking about the characters of Shirin (Laëtitia Eïdo) and Raz’s Doron.
“I was shocked by his knowledge about the show,” Raz shared. October 7 happened during the film’s shooting, and Raz even left a couple of days early when he discovered that “Fauda” star Idan Amedi, who plays Sagi in the show, was injured in action.
In the interview, Raz shared his love for his co-stars on the Hollywood blockbuster, how awed he was to see Denzel Washington, with whom he worked closely, in action. He found Paul Mezcal, who he fell in love with as an actor in “Normal People,” super affable, and added that while he didn’t get to work with Pedro Pascal, he got a feeling from him that he’s a really “good soul” in their few interactions, “someone who asks questions and is genuinely curious.” He also talked about having dinners with Dustin Hoffman, with whom he is about to star in the movie “Tuner,” where Raz will play an Israeli expat. He said the Academy Award-winning Jewish actor is, like Scott, a “Fauda” fan. In the same interview, he also dished about season five of “Fauda,” which will take place two years after October 7 and will address it profoundly. He shared that it was jarring to be interviewed abroad while his children and partner in Israel were running to shelters.
Raz and his wife, actress Meital Berdah, graced the red carpet this past Wednesday at the “Gladiator II” premiere in London, where Raz got to shake King Charles’ hand and politely chat with the monarch, who was the guest of honor at the event.
At that same premiere was Gonen on the carpet for the first time. The role is the actress’s first major international role. When she got the part opposite Mezcal, her first thought was “my dad is gonna freak.” Her father had watched the movie 20 times and was a huge fan, so much so that she didn’t want to tell him about the casting process at first. The actress learned archery to play Arishat, a proficient shooter, and said she was helped by her dance background. At the premiere, Gonen paid tribute to her Israeli roots by wearing a white dress by Israeli bridal designer Margot Studio and earrings shaped like the yellow ribbon to draw attention to the plight of the 101 Israeli hostages, designed by a close friend of the actress’s and her welding teacher.
“When I talk to you, all I can think about is the hostages…. it’s not fair,” she told the Israeli show “Erev Tov” about being there all dolled up while others were suffering. “I hope that in this terrible year, if I can give a little speck of pride to our country, I hope I succeeded in doing that,” she added.
