Meital Dohan -

By: Robyn Chelsea-Seifert

Meital Dohan is a tour de force. The Israeli-born actress received critical acclaim in her native country for her prestigious work both on stage and film. In 2000 she won the Israeli Theater Award for Most Promising Actress and two years later was nominated for an Ophir (the Academy Award in Israel) earning praise for her role in 'God's Sandbox.'

Her work in the U.S. has been just as captivating. Joining the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series Weeds in 2006 as the seductive rabbinical administrator Yael Hoffman, Meital received favorable reviews for her performance. She then collaborated with Soprano actor John Ventimiglia in the off-Broadway production of Stitching, and will soon debut on the zombie noir web series Woke Up Dead with Jon Heder.

Meital took time out of her busy schedule to speak with TheCelebrityCafe's Robyn Chelsea-Seifert to discuss her upcoming projects and whether Zombies are the new Vampires.

Robyn Chelsea-Seifert: You hit the ground running in the States with such a high intensity level. There seemed to be a real method of provocation as Yael Hoffman in Weeds. Since strong characters leave lasting impressions with audiences and are so difficult to forget did being typecast ever play in the back of your mind?

Meital Dohan: I think that everything you do in showbiz can either help you or work against you. It doesn't matter what you do it just matters how you move on from this point. So for me the whole experience with Yael Hoffman was eventually great and I try not to look at how it didn't serve me because it basically opened a lot of doors for me and created a fan base.

RCS: Having performed on stage nationally and internationally do you sense a difference in audience reaction between Tel Aviv, New York and L.A.?

MD: I've noticed a slight difference in the theater depending on where I am. I think that New York has more of a vibe, definitely. It's pretty different because the Broadway theaters in Tel Aviv are national so they are sponsored by the government. There are also a few theater troupes. Through out my career in Israel I was part of this big theater called Cameri Theater so obviously it's kind of a whole different experience. It was more like a Broadway show. For seven years I was on stage almost everyday so it was quite different. My experience in New York was off-Broadway when I did a show called Stitching with John Ventimiglia. My first experience was with a play called Bath Party and that was more of a small theater production which is intimate and much stronger. There is more excitement in the air.

RCS: Had you ever given yourself a timeline for success or failure? What is your definition of success?

MD: That is a good question because I'm always thinking about what's the dialogue that I have with the American film industry. Every time I tell myself 'Ok it's about time to go home to Israel' then something comes up and I get to stay in America. I love America and working in America. I love the culture but I have to make sure I am working. It's confusing. It's a dialogue that never really stops for me. A few more years would need to go by for me to feel like I don't have that dialogue in my head. I'm actually in Israel right now shooting a television series and it's funny because once they offered me a series I kept on thinking back and forth whether I should take it or not because there are things that are happening in America right now, but I also felt like I needed to come back and do something here and take care of my homeland.

RCS: A TV series is a commitment?

MD: Yeah, it's a commitment but I also had a few films I'm making in America so I will have to go back as well.

RCS: Tell me about Woke Up Dead, the web series on Crackle. I know Jon Heder wanted to get involved after watching Afterworld. How did your involvement come about?

MD: I auditioned for it and I got it. I had a great relationship with the cast and casting director Robin Lippon is great. We shot the series in L.A. a while ago and it was a great experience. I had most of my scenes with Jon Heder and he is a wonderful guy. The whole experience was interesting. I was attracted to the web series because I felt like the material itself was very funny and cool and sophisticated and I felt it would be a great thing for me to do.

RCS: The internet is drawing a lot of attention, big names and big money; it's un-chartered territory. As an actress what do you find appealing about?

MD: The appeal is to have a direct dialogue with the audience and working with the people who are choosing to create for the internet. As an actor your dialogue is with them. When you perform on television you don't have that immediate response. People can't forward it to friends and talk about it as it's happening unless they are all together in the same room. On the internet it's as simple as forwarding it to your friends or blogging and the response is immediate and much more interesting. You feel like you can get closer to people in an easier way. On the internet anyone can go and log on and watch something and all of a sudden it catches on because the audience liked it. It's that simple.

The competition on the internet is rising though. There is a lot of material out there and it's getting harder to find good content because you have to sift through more and more stuff.

RCS: Was the approach and experience of shooting the series different for you than working on a cable series? Had you ever worked on a web series before or known anyone who had?

MD: This was the first time I had worked on a web series and it was basically the same experience. I don't think people really know how to respond to web series yet because it's a new medium; it's new, it's not clear yet what's going to happen. It's a high profile production with high profile actors (also starring Jean Smart and Wayne Knight) and the writing was great. I didn't feel any difference.

RCS: Meital, you write, direct, sing, produce. You've been in theater, film, television, and a web series. You've taken on comedy and drama. Which medium do you feel more comfortable with and want to explore most?

MD: Basically I see myself as an actress although I also see myself as a creator as someone who has needs and thoughts and emotions and needs to put it out there and invites people to come in to take a taste from the inside world. I am always trying to explore new areas and create different characters. As for the writing I've done I see that as more a form to express myself. I've directed a little bit, but that is not really my goal or something I want to focus on. It's something that just happened with all the projects I've become involved with, but my main focus is with acting.

RCS: Is there an area you feel is more open and inviting to women?

MD: I know with feminism and all that women are obviously in a very different spot than they used to be and as we move forward in the capitalistic modern world woman are stronger and more independent but there is still a long way to go in terms of self expression. I feel like many of the roles played by women are the roles of subdued women and do not reflect how strong we are in reality.

It's as if the feminism wave in the industry still has a long way to go until characters come across as stronger. I don't think there are many roles for women to act strong. I feel when women act they are trying to be polite and they are trying to be sexy in the right way and not move the wrong way or make the wrong facial expression. I feel there is a sort of lack of self expression. Some believe when women get older they are no longer sexy and so they no longer serve the entertainment industry anymore and this is something that needs to be taken care of. There is a lot of work that needs to be addressed. I would like to help change these ideas.

RCS: What is your personal take on celebrity and how do you deal with it? Does it differ for you here than it does in Israel? I've noticed some paparazzi pictures starting to emerge.

MD: I am not aware of it and I don't really care about it. I don't really see it mattering in any way. Obviously it's part of my business so being successful means being famous but I wouldn't mind not being famous. The whole fame thing I really see as being a practical thing that comes with the profession. What I really love is acting. If the only thing that interested me was fame I would just stay in Israel and be famous in one country. It's more about what I do and the art and the process. Fame is just something that comes with the profession. I don't take it personally. I feel that people who do get into it for the fame are kind of pathetic.

RCS: How would you outline your own success?

MD: I think in my field success means that you have a voice which mean you have something you want to share. It's about people getting emotional, getting happy by your art. Communicating with as many people as possible and taking them in as many directions. It's about changing people. I think that interesting art and powerful art is as strong as any other element. A strong artist is as strong as the strongest politician because we have a lot of influence over a lot of people out there. I believe that strong art can change people lives.

RCS: How do you divided you time between Israel, New York and L.A.? Do you still call Israel home?

MD: Israel will always be my homeland. I was living in New York for the past six years but right now I am going to focus on Los Angeles. After I am done with the television show I will be living in Los Angeles.

RCS: As an Israeli living in the U.S. do you feel any more or less inclined to be politically active or vocal? Do you think there is an expectation placed on you?

MD: I think that Israel is a funny place in the world because it's such a small country and so controversial and sensitive. There is so much political baggage that comes with being an Israeli so I guess this baggage is not something you can separate from your identity. I was very surprised when I came to the U.S. because I never saw myself as an Israeli; I was just who I was and everyone else was looking to peg me as an Israeli. As time goes by it has all sorts of meaning to be an Israeli. It's a very emotional place and basically it makes people very emotional and thoughtful. Being an Israeli means being a representative of your country more than anywhere else.

RCS: Tell me about Human Loves Human, your production company.

MD: We produced Stitching, the play I was in with John Ventimiglia. It was written by Anthony Neilson. This is a production company I started so I can take projects that I would like to see whether it's for television or theater or film and then make it happen. I brought Stitching to Israel. I love the play so much. I read with John for the first time and it was so weird and powerful and emotional that I decided I wanted to make it happen so my production company was the first to get the ball rolling. I have a whole team of people working with me. We are in the process of trying to turn Stitching into a film. It will take a while. Anthony will be working on the early draft stages of that.

RCS: Tell me about the project you are working on ... what's coming up?

MD: I'm working on the television series in Israel but I'm not really allowed to talk about it. I will be back in the States to work on a few films. One film is called L.L. about a girl searching for her identity and it has many twists and turns that you don't expect. Another film I am very excited about is called Monogamy directed by Dana Adam Shapiro. He was the director for Murderball. It's with Rashida Jones and Chris Messina. I have a great feeling about this film.

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