Last spring, the Israeli actress Shira Haas was undergoing a transformation in Berlin. Call it a crash course — with lessons in Yiddish, English, piano and voice — in playing Esther “Esty” Shapiro, a fiercely independent 19-year-old woman who escapes her cloistered Hasidic community in Brooklyn, in Netflix’s “Unorthodox.”
The hard work won Haas praise. James Poniewozik, the chief television critic for The New York Times, called her “a phenomenon, expressive and captivating.”
In another world, she would have ridden that high to the premiere of her latest movie, “Asia,” at the Tribeca Film Festival and the shooting of Season 3 of “Shtisel,” also on Netflix.
Instead, Haas, 24, was sheltering at home in Tel Aviv and pondering the 10 things she doesn’t want to live without. Here are edited excerpts from a conversation about them.
1. Nina Simone’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free’
A friend without any connections to [“Unorthodox”] sent this to me a week or two before I flew to Berlin. I was so into the script already and was like, I can totally relate to it as Esty. I can hear it all the time, it’s such a moving song. And to listen to her doing this live is so powerful. And that song is just, yeah, my song of the year for sure.
2. Female directors
Tali Shalom-Ezer directed “Princess,” which was not only the first female director that I worked with, it’s also the first project I ever did. I was not yet 17, and it was completely new to me, this cinema world. I was so lucky to work with Tali because she was so sensitive, and she taught me so much, and she gave me so many new ways to see. She was a true inspiration obviously as an actress, but also as a role model. That’s why I mentioned the other directors I’ve worked with — Maria Schrader, Natalie Portman, Niki Caro and Ruthy Pribar. You know that they were running all these projects on their backs. I’ve worked with the most amazing men directors. I cannot complain for a second. But working with strong and talented women is, for me, something that leads to more awareness. The fact that we’re talking about this says that there’s not enough of that, right?
3. Mandalas
A really good friend of mine is a big mandala maker, and a few years ago I was stressed and she was like: “You should make mandalas. I’ll teach you how.” Since then it’s like my meditation. It’s really only for my soul and for myself. I have a lot of them from the last years, and it’s interesting to see which mandala I made in what period, because there’s a lot of meaning in what you create.
You take calipers, and the basic one is really just circles. Then you can do whatever you want. Sometimes I put pictures that I love, sometimes I paint, sometimes with pencils or pens or markers. I know lots of people think it needs to be symmetrical, but for me it’s always a big mess. You have the basic shape of it, so you do have rules — but you can break them.
4. ‘The Sopranos’
It came out when I was 4, so I did not watch it when it was aired. But it was one of the first series that really influenced me. I felt like I’m seeing cinema in my TV. The writing and the acting — I mean, brilliant. I think it affected me as an actress and the stories that I want to tell.
I’m a Carmela person. I’m always attracted to the female strong part, so she’s my favorite for sure. But all of the characters, even though they’re talking about murders and criminals, you can really understand them and see their private life. And I think that’s the reason that I love it so much, because that’s how life is complex. In “Unorthodox,” you see a society that you don’t know, but you can understand the people. I’m not trying to say that we’re “The Sopranos.” But you see characters where, if you were to read about them in the news, you would be like, “Oh, this is awful.” But they really touch your heart.
5. Chava Alberstein
She is a singer and composer and a huge, huge symbol here in Israel. She’s been working for over 50 years. She has beautiful songs, and some of them are very old — what my parents and grandparents listened to. But every time I hear them, whether it’s her old songs or current songs, I always get emotional. And like with Nina, it’s not only that her songs are beautiful, but also how she presents the songs is so amazing. I feel like singing in a lot of ways is also acting. You cannot separate it.
6. ‘Beware of Pity’ by Stefan Zweig
It’s a very hard core book about relationships, about connections, and the pity and mercy that the man has toward the woman because she’s disabled. It’s kind of a mirror to society’s face, and how our actions and words have consequences. It really touched me. I’m not an easy crier, not at all. But this book was one of the few moments that I found myself sobbing. It was a knife to my heart.
7. Photoshop
I do it for fun, for friends, but sometimes it’s more like inspiration for my work and my roles. If I’m writing, for example, and I have this idea, I’m sometimes going to design it, to have pictures and references together and to make colors. It’s like a mood board, but it’s much crazier.
8. Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’
I told you before, I don’t usually cry. But I went to the cinema with a friend when it was just released, and I had tears in my eyes. It’s a story about history and about passion. I’d never felt such things. And the music and the soundtrack combined together with this cinematography — and even the makeup and the hairstyles — you can really see the emotional journey of the characters and the historical phases they’re going through. I felt like I’m seeing a masterpiece.
9. Brené Brown on Empathy
A friend of mine sent this to me when we were 19. It’s less than three minutes, and I remember smiling the whole way through. It was so simple, but not a cliché. And it was so beautifully said and so accurate. I think it’s really helped me in my relations with others, and the difference between showing that you know something versus to just be. You should just listen. It’s a helpful thing for actors because when you’re working on a character, it is so important not to judge her but to really understand and have empathy for her. That’s the key, I think.
10. Jérémy Comte’s ‘Fauve’
It’s about a friendship between two kids that are playing together, and they have this perfect chemistry. I don’t want to spoil it too much, but it’s about one of them losing the other, and moving on. It’s so, so beautiful for the cinematography and the location and for the art. And I recommend people to see it right now in this time that we’re living.
Source: Television - nytimes.com
