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YEDIOTH AMERICA - NEW YORK, MARCH 23, 2001
On the Cover :
A Murderer or the Virgin Mary?The different roles of Inbal Samuel
Inside :
She's dreaming the American dream
By Yaniv Halily
Inbal Samuel, a direct descendent of King David's Dynasty, is taking big steps to fulfill her dreams. Already this year she has appeared in a handful of independent films, and the offers keep pouring in. Her recent movie roles include an assassin, a lesbian lawyer and the Virgin Mary. Remember her name.
A favorite pastime of Hebrew speakers in New York City is a game called "Identify the Israeli". By their outfit, voice, aftershave or identifying marks, the goal is to spot "brothers" as they innocently stroll around town. Anyone with the intention of spotting Inbal Samuel will most likely fail, as I did. Ms. Samuel has a European look with a French nuance. She carries herself as if she is already starring in her own movie.
We meet at a small café, adjacent to her apartment in Noho. The cafés inhabitants stare at her during our interview, as if they recognize her from magazine covers, a prediction that will surely fulfill itself.
On her resume, there are a significant number of student and independent film credits; on the table, there are a significant number of future proposals and projects. Recently, Inbal was cast in the successful and critically acclaimed show "Mono". She was also one of the lead roles in the movie "Timecollapse", directed by Samantha Lavin who is currently working on a new Al Pacino movie.
Samuel arrived in New York by accident. She lived in Paris, where she acquired a near perfect mastery of the French language. "At a friend's insistence, I came to New York for a vacation" she says. "After spending a day in the city, I knew I had to stay." It was in New York that Inbal decided to pursue acting. "I used to consult with my friends about my choice of studies. Everybody believed that acting was the right vocation for me. But it was only after I moved to New York that I realized it myself".
The decision is hardly surprising, considering Samuel's background. Her father is the lead director of Israel's air force productions and special events. She spent her childhood as 'the director's daughter'. "I remember going to a theatrical costume warehouse, where I used to look up at all the different costumes and my imagination would just start running".
Was that the reason you decided to become an actress?
"No, the time I spent with my father in the air force made me want to become an officer with the Force. My brother, Roy, who is four years younger, was the actor/model in the family. He starred in the teen television show "Young Dreams", the Israeli equivalent of "Beverly Hills 90210". Retrospectively, I realized that we were all born to be in the business. My younger sister sings and dances, as well".
During her stay in Paris, Inbal participated in some small independent productions. She used to enjoy the popular "Le Marais" club scene where she was spotted, and then cast, by young directors who were drawn to her beauty and charisma.
In New York she decided to go professional. She began with 'The Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute', the mandatory stop for an actor starting out in New York. From there, she went to the 'School for Film and Television' followed by the 'Michael Howard Studio'. Today, in addition to acting, she is studying speech, singing and pantomime.
Inbal starred in a series of student films and other independent productions. "The first role I played in NY was Bridget, the swindler looking for love, in the 'Maltese Falcon'. The movie's better known version stars Humphrey Bogart. "Movies give me serenity. When the camera lights go on, I'm in another world. When we were filming it was 10 degrees outside. I wore a skimpy undershirt but I absolutely forgot about the freezing weather. It was an extraordinary feeling, too grand for words."
From the chill she was taken to an action movie, called "Black Lash", where she played an assassin. You have to see Samuel to understand how far from her this role appears. Sitting across from her, Samuel seems a gentle beauty. She has luminous porcelain skin and delicate features. There is nothing about her that implies aggression.
Was it difficult to play a murderess?
"I was a gun for hire. The camera is sensitive, a part must be felt, it all has to become an integral part of you so that you are able to convey what you are trying to convey".
Next, Samuel was cast as the Virgin Mary in yet another independent film "The Immaculate Conception", about the birth of Christ. "When you build a character, you explore and recreate all the circumstances that surround that character. I believe you even need to know what she has in her garbage can, in order to know her best. If you're there, you've got the role down. When you lack details, you make them up for yourself. A screenplay, unlike a play, usually doesn't give you all the background information. So you can use the rehearsal process to start finding your truth and your layers. And, of course, the director has a vision that he or she wants to project through your character and the story. Some directors I've worked with want to see what I have to bring to the character before they make a decision on how and where to take it, and some just advise me on how the character's background fits into the story".
Is it harder?
"Not necessarily, it is simply another type of work. If a director does not provide a full analysis, I create my own interpretation, trying to be as true as I can to the story and style of the film".
After several other roles in a number of independent films Samuel was cast in one of the leading roles in "Timecollapse". In this movie, the prologue and epilogue are the same. Between the two, lies the story. Only in the final scene, do the viewers realize that their interpretation is completely off-track. The movie involves different relationships and a clash of egos. Samuel portrays a tough lesbian lawyer.
What happens with these roles?
"When I approached Jessie, the lawyer, I started with the most basic details. I thought about how I, as Inbal, would react and feel in Jessie's situation. I added other layers, like her independent persona - making it on her own, thus the toughness she had to acquire in order to pull it off, her hunger for success and the comfort she feels with her sexual orientation".
How did you approach this element of your character?
"I talked to friends of mine, who were in the same emotional place as Jessie, they were sure of their sexual identity. They explained that for them, it is more about love. Their focus is on the spiritual and emotional connection and less about physical flirtation".
The part required a sexual scene with another actress, was that hard?
"We had to kiss and be intimate with one another. For some reason, I was not tense at all, though I thought I might be. I was sure that everything would flow once the scene got going. I've done love scenes with guys in the past and figured there would be less discomfort and sexual tension with a woman. We wore underwear that barely covered our bodies. After nine hours of shooting, whatever was left of my shyness vaporized. At the beginning of the day I undressed under the covers, by the end of the day I freely undressed on set. I treated it like any other part. If anything, it's much harder to portray a murderer. It's harder to find oneself in it, to understand the motivation and way of thinking".
How do you cope with roles that are so opposite from your character?
"That's the entire premise of acting. I've been told by casting directors that they know if someone is right for the part a moment into the audition. That's why you want to enter the room with the right energy. I always try to find out as many details as I can about the character. If I am able to get some information, or have the script ahead of time, I give myself some time to 'live' in the character's world. I might be "in character" on my way to the audition. I try to be and react the way the character would, and explore her world. If I don't have any prior information, then I'm just being myself, and bring everything I have at the moment".
Currently, Samuel is in production for a new movie called "To Franklin Park". She will portray a go-go dancer who performs striptease private shows. Researching for that role, she visited a number of selected "gentlemen clubs" in town. Next weekend she will star in a new movie where she will play the role of a girl arriving in New York from Eastern Europe after the fall of the communist regime. Next week, Samuel is scheduled to start the part of "Sado-Nanny" in the critically acclaimed show "Mono".
It's hard to stay indifferent to Samuel's impressive body of work, although her winning presence explains her immediate appeal to directors. Samuel is the niece of the famous Israeli political cartoonist Ranan Lurie. His son, Rod Lurie is the writer and director of "The Contender", a movie that earned an academy award nomination for its leading actress, Joan Allen and a best supporting actor nomination for Jeff Bridges. "I think that "The Contender" is one of the best movies out this year, and I'm not just saying it because the director is family. The movie speaks for itself".
The Lurie family are decedents from King David's dynasty. With such credentials, Samuel might as well be cast in 'Ben Hur's sequel.
What character would you want to portray, more than anyone else?
"I find extreme characters very appealing, but there is also much challenge in portraying a simple every day girl, and making her as interesting as possible. In addition to that, I would love to play a man".
