Being an actor in the State of Israel is not easy, the primaries are sparkling, the love of the audience, the reactions that warm the heart. But the economic uncertainty that accompanies the profession leads many to the understanding that it is impossible to be just an actor. Elad Torgman (23) completely understands this, he is a musician with a debut album that will be released very soon, he appears on stand-up stages, a presenter for American Eagle and he plays in the new youth series “The 25th Precinct” that airs today (Sunday) in this educational channel.
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Turgeman comes to the world of acting with a background from home, he is the son of the respected and famous actors Anat Atzmon and Dan Turgeman and the grandson of the director and actor Shmuel Atzmon. If you ask him, it is a hereditary gene.
“I always knew I was good at playing, but it didn’t interest me at all,” Turgeman tells us about his connection to the world of playing and explains, “In high school I was in the tennis section, I actually went to competitions, I thought that would be my future. In the army I served in the 50th Battalion and during the service I was injured I dragged out the surgery… In the end the recovery took four months and during this time at home the stand-up suddenly broke out of me, I went up to improvise and the stage bug came out of the coma.”
Did growing up with parents who are part of the industry influence your career choice?
“On the contrary, she even delayed! They told me ‘if you don’t want to – don’t be an actor’. I saw both sides of the coin alongside the glamorous world, the financial uncertainty, the fact that you can hear a hundred ‘no’s’ until you get a ‘yes’… The passion brought me to play, and today I can combine many fields, there is a bigger safety net to artists than before, thanks in large part to social networks.”
“The 25th Precinct” unfolds the story of Uriah (Amir Banai) – who arrives at the zoo to perform service work. Uria joins the “Owl” team – a group of boys and girls who take care of the garden animals alongside the professional team, led by the revered guide Giora. It seemed to Uriah that he was on the right track on the way to self-repair and fulfillment, but the eagle theft incident threatens to collapse the new life he built. Uriah knows that he is not guilty, and he also knows that he was not alone in the garden that night. There was someone else there – and he too has his own disturbing secret. In Uriah’s quest to prove his innocence, he will discover the truth that simmers beneath the surface, and it is much darker and more complicated than he thought.
What was it like to play an acting role for the first time?
“A psychic experience, nothing was normal on this set; I played an ultra-Orthodox character that was different from my lifestyle, entering the Shemer was an experience in itself. The character is amazingly written and this is an opportunity to say thank you to the writers Raz Yovan, Elad Chen. The filming took place in a zoo, Taking pictures next to monkeys and giraffes is an unforgettable experiencegetting up every morning at 4:30 is something I haven’t experienced since the army, I went through acting training.”
Do you feel like you have to prove yourself more than others?
“When I was younger, the ‘hype’ around my parents was bigger, today they are mainly known as actors in the industry, I don’t feel like I’m carrying a ‘bag’. Every person wants to leave with the feeling that he did the best, to know that he is here because of his abilities and not the name. You can’t influence where you grow up and which family, you can do your best.”
How were the reactions from family and friends?
“When they see on the screen they will understand what I really did. They were very happy about this project because it connects to the fact that I am also a stand-up artist. Everyone is very supportive and very supportive.”
© Rom Eliad
Did you get tips from the family?
“Nothing specific, mainly I gained an incredible ability to memorize, at the level of reading three times and remembering the text, shooting a youth series usually includes twenty scenes a day, it’s really psychic and that’s mainly what helped me.”
What was it like to enter the ultra-Orthodox world?
“Amazing! I fell in love with the character. His view of the world is stunning. Shimer is very self-effacing and shy, he doesn’t like it many times. It fascinated me. I learned a lot of new concepts from the ultra-Orthodox world, ‘Hashem ishmor ve tsil’, it was interesting for me and I also got to learn and get to know another world.”
What message does your character come to convey?
“The series appeals to everyone and contains the diversity of the entire Israeli society, it somehow comes to bring religion closer, to make it accessible even to those who do not know and do not connect to this world.”
© From “The 25th Complex”, photo – Jorge Novominsky
Do you feel that your character and you are similar?
“A lot! During the filming I became a Shemer. I started talking like that at home. Shemar’s innocence is something I manage to see myself.”
In addition to acting, as mentioned, you are also a musician and a stand-up artist, which field do you like the most?
“In the last year, I mainly worked on music, so it took up the most space for me, in my opinion, I’m the best on stage in stand-up, making people laugh.”
What are the ambitions next?
“For the album to be released, for you to see the music videos. I worked hard on it, waiting for the audience’s reactions.”
What role would you like to play next?
“First of all, I would be happy for a second season of ‘The Complex’, and I would also be happy to experiment in the world of adults and the world of cinema. My big dream is to appear on stages as a musician and stand-up artist and act in series and movies.”
© Rom Eliad
What is the next project?
“Here’s an educational docu. I’m going to fly to Poland next month for a week together with other actors from the channel’s series. It’s a special docu project about the trip to Poland that will be broadcast in preparation for Holocaust Day 2023. It’s really in its infancy, the project is expected to be at a really high level.”