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"I'm nice to be an employee of 'The Champion,' but I do not want to be identified with just that."

Lior Shemesh, who talentedly played the footballer Ovia Habia in the telenovela "The Champion", talks about debating whether to participate in the "union" video that went digital on HOT, about the time he was asked if he was stupid in reality, and about the new profession, new fatherhood and desire to return to play On TV.

Interview

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• Lior Shemesh

• The champion

Nir Yahav

Wednesday, 06 January 2021, 00:00

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Mountain in India.

Sun (Photo: Reuven Castro)

It has been 11 years since the last episode of the telenovela "The Champion" (HOT) aired, and clues have recently begun to emerge that the cast is being reunited.

But it soon became clear that "The Union" is nothing but a ripping parody video created by screenwriters and directors Mickey Trieste and Aaron Geva.

The invested and crazy documentary video documents the journey to raise a union even though the actors are not interested and the creators do not approve.

Trieste and Geva succeed in deceptive and angular ways in deceiving the players and make them participate in "Union" without them being aware of it at all.

As expected, the wonderful "Union" video exploded on the net and became the talk of the day.

The biggest surprise in the video was the appearance of Lior Shemesh, one of the big stars of the telenovela who very talentedly played the sweet footballer - Ahbel Oved Havia - and since then the series' decline has somewhat disappeared under the radar.

"I must admit that when the talented Mickey and Aaron called me, I did not quite understand what the matter was," he says in a rare interview with Walla!

culture.

"I told them in a conversation that it was very nice of me to be recognized from 'The Champion' but I did not want to be identified with just that. I progressed in life and I did not want to be 'the one from that series'. I have my life now and everything is great for me. "Part of their video. In the end they convinced me. What's more, the wink and humor in the video only helped convince me and I'm glad I did. It turned out very funny in the end."

How did it work behind the scenes?

"Aaron and Mickey sent out a general idea that looked very, very strange on the page. Suddenly I find I need to hold a bomb, and throw it away. There was a moment when I looked at what they sent me and asked myself 'is it really funny what is written here?'. But the result came out funny. "I met fun and cute people and it's always nice. Also the reactions I get are fun to Allah. There are a lot of people who think everything there is real. That they really worked on me and that I don't really play there. It seems to me that this is the biggest compliment on my game."

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"A key part of the brand."

Lior Shemesh (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Your character in "The Champion" has over the years become one of the most remembered characters from the telenovela.

"I remember the series' producer Yoni Paran called me during the filming and told me that this character will stay and be remembered for many years to come. Not only is he an excellent professional. He recognized it, and he was right. It's very flattering to me because I worked for very big stars in this series and I have become a central part of this brand. "

How did you even get the job?

"I auditioned and I was accepted. At the third audition, I said to Gal Zaid, 'Tell me, what's up? We're already at a third audition.' So he replied, 'Because we don't know where you suddenly fell on.'"

What was the weirdest reaction you got to the job?

"First of all there were countless responses. It was the first time I was exposed to such a powerful and meaningful experience. It was a fascinating human experience that I enjoyed exploring in depth. One of the most problematic and angular responses I received was when asked 'Are you really stupid?'. The truth is that there is no really intelligent way To answer that. "

To this day do you recognize them?

"Yeah. Not like back then, but still recognizable and approachable. I have to admit that at the current dose, it's very pleasant for me. When someone once in a day or two comes out of nowhere and flatters me - it's fun. It used to be much more massive and oppressive. "Myself with a bunch of 14-year-olds hanging on my back. Today it's much nicer."

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The "union" of the champion

Sun never left the field of play, though he took his foot off the gas a bit.

Before the Corona broke out and shut down the entire cultural world he played in two different plays.

"I played 'Mother in Love' with Hannah Leslau and 'Surprise' by the Orna Porat Theater. On the one hand I have a comedic character in Leslau's play, so I can get an immediate response from the audience. And on the other hand my role in 'Surge' is super-dramatic that can "Also make the audience cry at the end of the show. So I have a range of options in these two shows and I can show different acting abilities."

Five years ago, Shemesh discovered a new professional world - and he also fell in love with it pretty quickly.

"I added the 'copywriter' profession to my set of tools and I work with private clients and advertising agencies. It gives me another intellectual aspect that is fun to express. I enjoy both acting and copywriting. Being a copywriter is like solving sudoku. You have to think about how to turn a message into an idea. "Creative creative. A game is something very emotional and very immediate. I end a day in an advertising agency and no one applauds me."

Do you miss the applause?

"I thought I was weaned off this experience, but since Corona I feel how critical it is to me. It's really weird. It's hard to explain. There's something in the game that's kind of an experience of control. You manage in your cue to make the audience laugh or cry. It's totally fictitious of course but It's wonderful to cause in one moment to create such strong feelings in the audience, certainly when it comes to hundreds of people in the audience. "

"I thought I was weaned off the applause."

Lior Shemesh (Photo: Reuven Castro)

How did the corona period go for you?

"It started with 'wow what fun', because suddenly it's just me and my partner. We cooked, we were not committed to anything, it's like reality said 'take a big break and focus on what's fun for you'. So we spent a lot of time together. Of my partner our daughter who was born three months ago.So I also had time to concentrate on it and address all the excitement to it without splitting attention.The problem is that I am a very physical person, and I now very much lack the light touch on another person's shoulder.or even the hug with "People who lie to me. It's very strange and it makes me feel like I've moved away from people. I wish it would be over already."

You did not talk about earning a living.

All your friends in the world of culture are in a difficult situation.

"Fortunately and fortunately I work as a copywriter and for the first time in my life I work in a profession that people need. Anyone who has a small business needs help with the name, site, strategy. Who needs players? They are the first to give up and the last to return. I guess they could find an outline that could put people in "If they found an outline that would put people in IKEA, they could solve that as well. On the other hand, I do not know any artist who would take responsibility for the health of 300 people in the hall."

And what do you think about the government's treatment of the plague?

"There's a deep sense that things aren't really going well. The more careful one is and the more one examines what will bother anyone. It's all political. We do what pays off most politically."

Is it true that when you knew your wife, she did not know who you were and did not know you from "The Champion"?

"It's true. She was only in the country for a year. She immigrated from Moscow. When I once told her that there was a situation where people would recognize me on the street, she later told me she thought I lived in a movie. Indeed, she was very impressed by the number of people I know in the city because she did not understand "Still the language and did not understand what they told me. Only later did she watch 'The Champion' and understand that there was interest."

"My wife did not know."

Lior Shemesh in the days of "The Champion" (Photo: Aviv Hofi)

And how about fresh fatherhood?

"It's a tremendous happiness. It happened to me at a relatively late age, 42, and in retrospect if I look back, I have focused most of my life on this moment. I have worked with children over the years, studied for a degree in education, watched parenting, and today I feel my whole life has guided me to this moment. "It's a big thrill and I have to admit I enjoy having a lot of time with her."

You also worked in 2006 with Israel Polyakov, "Polly" from The Pale Tracker, who directed you in the play "My Wife Does Not Understand Me."

Not everyone goes out to work with a legend.

"Right. He's one of the most talented and funny people I've ever met. There was a lot of oh-oh around me at the time, and I came to this show with great caution. He passed away shortly after we put on the show and I had no chance to deepen the connection with him. Speaking of entertainment and comedy legends, I remember that in 2008 a newspaper made a list of the 100 funniest comedians in Israel. I was ranked 68th and Dudu Topaz was ranked 70th. It finished with me, it killed me. Of course everything he did after that "I dimmed his doing, but at the same time it just seemed forced-good and unfair to me. It made me pinch in the heart that it was the treatment of him.

Are you tickled to go back to TV?

"Yes, I must admit that lately I feel like going back to TV productions as well. I would love to bring more of my color. It seems to me that I also bring maturity and a broader emotional dimension. I think I can express an interesting color, and not just because I'm red. "By the way, I'm also developing something that is mine as a writer. I do not know if it will become a book or a series but it is something that is mine."

Is there a moment you want to go back to?

"No. I'm not nostalgic. If anything, then maybe for a magical moment when we sat on a mountain in India and everything was perfect."

"I feel like going back to TV."

Sun (Photo: Reuven Castro)

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