Mr. Shaked, in teh series “The German” you play Steven milk, an American researcher who meets traumatized Schoa survivors. What was she interested in the role?
the figure Steven Milk is based on a real person. It is indeed about a researcher who deals with transgenerational trauma and asked Kibbuz members. In “The german” Milk comes to the University of Haifa. He falls in love with one of his students who invites him to their Kibbutz. Her parents are like many others who live there, Schoa survivors. Milk meets the student’s father, and let’s put it this way: he is not especially pleased with his daughter’s new friend. The captivating thing is that this story crosses a little with my own family history.
How exactly?
My parents moved from Israel to study in the United States in the 1970s. like many Israeli couples who lived in Boston at the time, the two were always in this conflict, which Steve and his student also carry: she does not wont to go out of Israel because she has her whole life there, and he wants to take her to the USA. A few between dreams and career, torn back
You have a background in acting. I needed something that creates me a little more creatively. Thus, the decision was made for this master’s degree.
Did these new developments help you with your role or somehow influenced your games?
In any case. This whole time brought me closer to my roots and proudly made me my origin. I am a grandson of Schoa survivors and also very proud to come from Israel. the filming took place in the middle of the war while the sirens howled.We turned across the country, in Kibbutzim in the north and also in southern Israel. I have probably never felt as close as this.That was just the thing for me.
How did you feel the collaboration with the German actor Oliver Masucci,who learned extra Hebrew for his part?
Oliver was a champion. He got a script wholly in Hebrew. To be honest, I still don’t understand how he did it. He worked hard and invested so many hours to perfect his Hebrew. It was almost like method acting. Oliver and I had a very nice scene together. I stand in the kitchen, sink dishes. He approaches me from behind and tells me: “Don’t come too close to my wife, don’t interview her.” It was one of my favorite scenes.
what made this scene so special for you?
Simply the feeling, this closeness. Of course I can’t speak for Oliver, but I know that we both loved to shoot this scene.She was in English and also gave him a little break from turning to Hebrew.
And what did you do after it was turned off?
After other scenes, I went to my caravan or through the kibbutz to get my head a little. But after this scene, Oliver and I just hugged, laughed, and it was like letting go. Like a relief, as the tension in the rotation, the intensity in front of the camera and also in real life was extremely large. It was good to drink a “coffee turki” with him, eat something and talk about things that had nothing to do with the scene. And it was so good to nibble a few sunflower seeds together.
In the past few weeks there have been petitions that were signed by artists. What do you think: should actors get involved politically?
I call myself an “in-between guy”. I grew up in the USA, live there, but have siblings who live in Israel. I am someone who sees himself as a world citizen. In Boston I grew up with people from all over the world, I was on backpack tours in South America, I have friends who consider themselves on the left or on the right. So I find it very difficult to make statements that only reflect one side of the medal as I really think that some things are just too complex. I am a guy who asks himself more questions than to make statements. To completely understand the nuances and the complexity of political situations is not easy.I would rather reflect, learn and understand instead of saying something. I am no one who is right or left, I am very flexible.
Katrin Richter spoke to the actor. “the German” runs on Magenta TV.
