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Hopes for Emmy dashed, but ‘Unorthodox’ Israeli actress still makes history

Shira Haas, nominated for her stellar performance in the Netflix hit, spoke with ABC ahead of award night, saying the cast was like family.

Israeli actress Shira Haas receives the prize for Best Supporting Actress at the 2018 Ophir Awards ceremony, also known as the “Israeli Oscars,” in Ashdod on Sept. 6, 2018. Photo by Flash90.
Israeli actress Shira Haas receives the prize for Best Supporting Actress at the 2018 Ophir Awards ceremony, also known as the “Israeli Oscars,” in Ashdod on Sept. 6, 2018. Photo by Flash90.

Israelis woke up on Monday to the disappointing news that actress Shira Haas had not won a much-coveted Emmy Award, which would have been a first for an Israeli, but the star of Unorthodox nevertheless made them proud.

Haas, the first Israeli to have been nominated for an Emmy, spoke with ABC just before the virtual ceremony late Sunday night about her much-acclaimed role in the hit miniseries, which tells the story of a Chassidic woman who seeks to break free from tradition.

“I am very, very excited,” she said, revealing she was wearing a Chanel dress after she was praised for “glamming up,” despite being at home.

“It’s an amazing thing; Netflix is something that gives people different cultures and languages,” she said about her experience on the streaming giant’s production. “That is the power of the show; it connects us as people.”

“We have had a lot of jokes in between shots,” she said about the humor with Amit Rahav, who plays her husband on the show. “It was just a feeling of mishpuche, ‘family’ in Yiddish. It was a combination of being very professional but yet with as much as fun as possible together.”

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

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