Yoav Tzafir: 53 years old, actor, director, producer and television creator. Resident of Ramat Hasharon, son of Tovia and Yael Tzafir, married to Michal Tzafir, father of Mia, Shira and Gili.
He broke into the public consciousness when he starred in "Blues for the Great Holiday" in 1987, and then joined the Nahal band. He played in the series ("Hashir Neno") and since 1994 has been a director, editor and producer in "Teddy Productions" ("The Comedy Store", "Kohav Born", "Born to Dance", "Danny Hollywood", "The Pajamas" and more).
He served as editor and director of the last season of "Dancing with the Stars", and currently he directs the new season of "The Next Star" on Beshet 12.
controls the creation.
Yoav Tzafir, photo: Efrat Eshel
When was the last time you received a review?
"There is criticism all the time. Me, the people I work with and our talents are considered a rather cruel criticism group towards ourselves. We watch materials and facilities, and also go through focus groups where the audience gives criticism, and the audience criticizes harshly. It's the scariest, focus groups that tell you the truth Inside, and the bar is high for the spectators. The thrill bar is very difficult.
"You can only be successful when you remain authentic to the word itself, and you must do as little manipulation as possible because every manipulation is transparent today. We only do the truth. In 'Kochav', for example, put judges, put people who want to sing, they will tell them their opinion, broadcast it , and interfere as little as possible. The audience is so smart and intelligent that it should not be underestimated. I respect the audience, the audience is like me.
"I love talent and music, and every time something different happens. Tamir Greenberg will not come this year, and it's the same at Eurovision. We did pre-Eurovision for six years and saw that there were those who tried to bring last year's winner, and we didn't. We always knew how to bring something Completely different. When I saw Neta Barzilai, it was rare. When she was in front of me in the room, the first sentence that came out of my mouth when she finished singing with the crazy looper was 'You win Eurovision', and she said 'Enough, you're crazy'. I understood that Europe had not seen anything like that.
"I loved doing the pre-Eurovision, we specialized in it, we succeeded in it, we went to the finals and brought the Eurovision home to Israel. Noa Kirel has tremendous talent and a lot of diligence and creativity, and if she decides to do it, I have no doubt that she will succeed."
When was the last time you surfed social networks?
"Today. I'm on Twitter a lot, but I only read. I'm a wallflower, I have a user and I occasionally write about American football. I'm less on Instagram, I have my wife, who is the CEO of social networks, and my daughters on Tiktok, two of them are street celebs Because of this.
I know how to perform in front of an audience and I'm an actor, it's in my blood.
I allow myself to fool around in front of the cameras, and it's possible that Essie Ezer will tear me apart later.
I am at peace with the choice to be a director and editor, I do it from zero to a hundred, compared to an actor, who depends on many people around him and is just a pawn." Yoav Tzafir, photo: Efrat Eshel
"I'm not worried about the power of social networks or progress. It always makes me laugh when every generation says that the generation younger than it is spoiled. It also makes me laugh when people say that there are no quality songs and that everything is trash. When they say that there are no songs that will survive - that's nonsense in my eyes. Every generation has its own Anna Zak and Hanan ben Ari, back then it was Shalom Hanoch and the Nahal band was more 'easy', and some of today's trash songs will also survive.
For example, pop songs by Noa Kirel."
When was the last time you were disappointed?
"When I convince people to audition for the show and they don't pass. Some of them are people who have gone through the industry, and then they come because of me, audition, and to my terrible disappointment, nothing happens. The judges (Assaf Amdorsky, Ninet, Ran Denker, Shiri Maimon, Keren Pels and Iti Levy ; Shaz) They don't move them, and then I'm terribly blessed, because I convinced them to come and it's very unpleasant.
I probably won't tell the judges what to do, the judges decide what they want, and sometimes I get very angry with them, or think they were wrong, but they are all very opinionated and there is no point in telling them what to do, and if they do things for me it will not be good for the viewer.
It must be authentic in the eyes of the judge."
When was the last time you were on vacation?
"This month. We were on the weekend friends, we closed in the villa in Kalil and it was a pleasure.
I know how to disconnect on vacation, and specifically on this vacation we turned off the phones for 12 hours and I succeeded, because it was Friday, in the middle of the week it's difficult.
A month ago I was in Thailand with Michal and the girls, and there I disconnected from everything, two days after the final of 'Dancing with the Stars'.
"It was a difficult project, we picked up a format that had already seemingly lost steam, whose last seasons in Israel failed, and I was also afraid that I would fail because I always think that way, and it ended up working beyond all expectations. We took it to 2022 and we were most successful in the casting. The response of the stars was amazing, like the responsiveness of Adi Ashkenazi, which was a gift.
"It is very easy to analyze the success in retrospect, but before we went on I asked myself what I did, why did I take it, there was apprehension and I had a lot of anxiety, I didn't sleep at night, I didn't eat well and I didn't do sports. I stopped training because of the pressure and I was on my face, while everyone around me We trained all day. Now we are in the second season of hockey, and there is a challenge here to meet the bar of the first season."
When was the last time you cried?
"Today I cried in the edits, it moves me. I'm moved by the talent that comes out or by a mother who sees her son sing and is moved by him, it works on me. I manage not to be cynical about my work, and it seems to me the worst to be cynical about your work. I'm really moved From the action and the result. I know that contrary to what a senior TV person once said, I would watch my shows at home. Today I cried when I saw a mother cry while she saw her only talented son sing. She wants him to succeed, and you always blame it on yourself, So I thought about myself and my daughters. I have daughters who are taking exams, I feel their stress and anxiety and want them to succeed. My identification is with the parents."
When was the last time you spent time with your family?
"At Friday dinner at grandparents'. When we go to Friday dinners at grandparents', we know there will be Friday Tik Tok. In our house, everyone likes to take pictures. I experienced difficulty when I was known mainly as 'Tovia Tzafir's son.' At the age of 20, in the 80s, I thought that I would never I will not be like my father who was at the height of his success. I was an actor, but I quickly realized that I wanted to be a director. I starred in 'Blues for the Holidays', but unlike my father I had a role in one film that was very successful but I felt inside that I should go in a different direction. I am at peace with My choice, creation is my thing, and I do it from zero to a hundred, compared to an actor, who depends on many people around him and is just a pawn."
When was the last time you had a great meal?
"Wait. Michal made me lunch. At my age and in my condition, it's important to me what I eat. When I was stressed I ate junk, and a second later I told myself that it's not for my age anymore. I like to eat healthy. In the end, when you eat healthy, you feel good. Now I ate chickpeas with peas, rice and salad on the side. I don't eat sponsored food. I take care of my body, do sports and it's good for me. I play tennis and am in an exercise group. During 'Dancing with the Stars' I gained 5 kg.
I had acute inflammation of unknown origin, I was fine in the tests, then I realized it was from the stress.
My body really gave me a signal, and in the end they injected me with antibiotics intravenously."
When was the last time you checked the rating tables?
"Today at 9 in the morning. I want to know what world I'm living in. I'm not addicted, but I check every day. Now I'm facing a successful show on the network, 'Big Brother,' and it's never easy, but today we pretty much know what We did in the past and how to do it again."
When was the last time you checked your checking account?
"Michal checks and updates me almost every day, that's her job at home. I hate messing with accounts, and so does Michal, but she took it upon herself, and today she's involved and knows exactly what's going on."
When was the last time you wanted to do something different?
"We are a small market, work in a very creative business, and you have to constantly reinvent yourself. I didn't really think about doing anything else, but I had crises, like 'A Star Is Born 10', which was an unsuccessful season, so I thought what would be the next thing, But inside the industry - not outside it. I don't see myself outside the industry, and as a partner in 'Teddy Productions' I have to raise the next generation of television people and the next talents.
"In the last season of 'Dancing with the Stars' we bet on Lucy Ayoub, and it worked. We are constantly looking to the side and looking. We didn't invent Lucy, she was already a host at the 'Kan' corporation, but we were the first to take her to prime time, and it was a successful bet. It's very difficult next to Assi and Rotem, they have everything: humor, intelligence, and presence, but they can't guide every day of the week. That's why we have to find more talents, and Keshet knows that."
When was the last time you did something romantic?
"I'm romantic every day. We've been a couple for many, many years, and to me the most romantic is a hug in the morning and Michal feels like I see her. I'm not one of those who bring flowers, but if she's flying I arrange insurance, a surf package, whatever she needs. I brought her sandals as a surprise that she wanted, I ordered and brought them to her on vacation in Greece, and she really liked the surprise.
"I'm known as 'the husband of', and that makes me the happiest, to see her grow and do what she does on her own with ten fingers, it just happened in her real process. When I walk with her on the street, almost every woman stops her and says to her, 'How are you helping me?' , and it's very pleasant. Now I'm also a 'father of', and I get stopped on the street for that too, and it's a huge pride. It's a dream come true to see the girls succeed, Gili is a Tiktok star, Mia plays in the musical 'The Band', and singing is also a huge pride."
When was the last time you met someone you admire?
"I'm a sports fanatic, and if I saw Tom Brady I'd faint on the spot. I can also faint from athletes. If I see Avi Nemani it moves me very much, I'll be 14 years old when I see him. Two years ago I went on a football trip to England with friends. We went out into the street early and suddenly we saw Thierry Henry (a former French soccer player, now an assistant coach of the Belgium national team; Shaz).
We approached him like we approach my talents, we asked 'can we take a selfie with you?'
And I got a selfie from him.
"I don't get excited about my talents, I know everything there. I have ego management to do, everyone has their needs, and I'm there to balance. I love everyone, I'm like a kindergarten teacher who loves them all."
When was the last time you auditioned as an actor?
"The last time was with Roi Idan, creator and screenwriter of 'Manaich', when he was looking for an actor for the role of a psychopathic second lieutenant, and it turned me on. He will tell you that I did an amazing audition, and Guri Alfi was supposed to be in the lead role, but the series didn't happen in the end. I don't have Problem playing a hot role, I think I'm a very good actor, but my schedule is impossible so even when the idea comes up that I'll play, in the end my schedule is decisive.
"Uri Gross always puts me in his series, he put me in 'Our Song', and people who come to the auditions recognize me from my character. In fact, to this day my name is Ram Segev - and Odi Schnir, played by Delik Volinitz, was a mythological role."
When was the last time you gave good advice?
"Most of the advice I give is to parents who want their children to be famous. People approach me all the time - on the street, in a cafe, at the airport or on a plane, and ask me to help. I think that talent must be above all, and also willpower, but it must be authentic. But we also had failures. For example, Noa Kirel auditioned for the first season of 'Music School' and was not accepted. In the same choir was also Adi Beatty, who was accepted. Noa's ambition brought her to where she is today. Diligence and character are 90 percent of success, And not to start too early. Even though I examine 16-year-olds, I don't always enter them into the competition because there are some who are too early for them. Only if I see that it's phenomenal, like Jonathan Margie or Ella Lee. When it's ready, they'll enter the program. Also c "Stein Bieber and Noa Kirel started at the age of 14, sometimes it's ripe."
When did you first feel famous?
"I became famous in 'Holiday Blues', I was 18 years old and the movie was a huge success. I would get bags of postcards from fans, it was crazy. There was someone who threatened to commit suicide if I didn't meet her, so I met her, and walking down the street was difficult. I was also in the band "L, which brought more waves of admiration, but even then I wanted to be a director.
I think it has to do with my father, he told me that I should be more than a player, 'It's not enough for you, you can do more,' he said and he was right."
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