Maor Schweitzer: "Niv was put off by the fact that I was addicted to drugs, but she saw my insides"

knows Israeli racism ("'luckily' my last name fell on the Ashkenazi quarter"), is not afraid of falling back into drugs ("I know how much I was in a bad place") and does not let success get to his head ("I tell myself, chill, You don't deserve anything."

Maor Schweitzer stars in the movie "Good Guys" and talks about everything

Sagi Ben Nun

09/23/2022

Friday, September 23, 2022, 09:07 Updated: 09:12

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From the movie "Good Guys" (courtesy of United King Films)

"We are a racist society," says the actor Maor Schweitzer, "'Fortunately', in quotation marks, I am one-quarter Ashkenazi and three-quarters Mizrahi, but my last name fell on the Ashkenazi quarter. So, as it were, I won from the homeless. But I can tell you that in recent years it has turned around and there Racism is also towards Ashkenazim. Today, Mizrahim have their chests raised, sometimes rightfully so. Today they say 'Ya Ashkenazi' or 'Don't be an Ashkenazi'. So racism is something that exists in our society, unfortunately. But I think the new generations experience it less. I have cousins Little ones and nephews that I'm not sure they'll know what it's about."

Schweitzer was required to address the issue of racism in an interview following his participation in the new film "Good Guys" directed by Erez Tadmor, which was released these days.

Walla's film critic, Avner Shavit, defined the comedy film as follows, and rightly so: "On the surface it is a charming romantic thriller, but in fact it deals with the terrible racism in ultra-Orthodox society."

The film is about an outstanding student at Yeshiva Moti, Yaffe Vashkenazi (Amit Rahab), who fell in love with a young Mizrahi girl named Nachmi (Liana Ayon).

Matching them is out of the question in the closed community, but Muti does not give up on the love of his life even though they try to match him with other girls.

In the film, Schweitzer plays Baruch, a streaky Yeshiva student, who finds himself the right hand of Malki (Irit Kaplan), the number one matchmaker in the ultra-Orthodox sector.

And by the way prejudices, there were those in the ultra-Orthodox society who criticized his casting because he revealed that he used to be a drug addict, and also about the casting of Adi Beatty as an ultra-Orthodox character while she uploads immodest photos to Instagram.

"This is a conservative society in the end. They have the things they believe in," Schweitzer says in response to this, "the producer Yakki is ultra-Orthodox, a strong figure in ultra-Orthodox society, and they feel that this is their film, and that is one of the beautiful things - that it will be seen by both ultra-Orthodox and secular people . It may be that they don't understand why they cast me and Adi. But already at the premiere, which was attended by many ultra-Orthodox people, and they enjoyed, loved and comforted me personally and Adi Beatty. In the end, you see the product and don't think about this nonsense."

"The producer and one of the creators of the film, Yikki Reisner, is ultra-Orthodox from Bnei Brak. We became very good friends. His son took me for tours in Bnei Brak, I walked and walked around there, I saw the nuances there, I talked to people. I was there on Thursdays. The madness and celebrations that happen On the streets of Bnei Brak on Thursdays, Tel Aviv is not at its best."

Faith is not only for the religious and ultra-Orthodox.

Maor Schweitzer from the movie "Good Guys" (photo: courtesy of United King Films)

The movie is about matchmaking.

Thank God you are no longer there and married to actress Niv Sultan, but precisely from this point of view, do you think it is a better method than Tinder?

What do you recommend to your single friends?

"First of all - it works. I'm sure there are also cases where it doesn't work. But many times it works. There's something very true about it. You can meet someone at a party, fall madly in love with her at first sight, you go on an amazing journey, you've been together for two years , crazy love, and suddenly you say - I want a wedding, and she says I don't believe in a wedding. Or okay, get married, and you want children but she doesn't want children. Or one child is enough for her and he wants five children. Or the other way around. Things that are very relevant to life You don't always date at the beginning, because there is the force of inertia, you are in a relationship and you fall in love and all that. On the other hand, in matchmaking among the ultra-Orthodox, first of all, life is laid out, do we see eye to eye on the future, with the attitude of 'falling in love is always possible'. There is something in that Quite true. Because if you open your heart, you can find something to fall in love with in every human being. Love doesn't have to be the most exciting and craziest thing in the world. It's not necessarily stronger than a couple who are best friends.

"Religion, with all its flaws, has good things in it. It's just a book of rules for a good life, that's what I call it. Take for example the observance of the Sabbath, despite the prohibitions that prevent me from going to the beach, for example - we got one day to rest. You don't have to take the Shabbat until the end, but it's good not to work on Shabbat and give one day of rest to your body and mind. If you decipher the Torah and religion as you want, it can be a great book of rules for life. From a religious point of view - I'm an apostate. But I get up in the morning and say 'I confess before you' - and for me it doesn't matter if I say it according to the way they say it should be said, or if I get up and say thank you for creation, thank you for waking up and thank you for the new day. If before I drink I say 'may everything be in his word' - this is saying thanks for Material that enters my body is from the more connective place. When I look at the laws of religion in a non-religious way, you can find many things in them."

"That's right, my beach is open on Shabbat. There is one part above that is kosher. I'm a very religious person, but I don't look at religion and decipher it more deeply, according to my point of view. Personally, I hardly ever go to the beach on Shabbat. Because I rest on Shabbat. I Yes, I go to my parents or Niv's parents, I smoke a cigarette on Shabbat and watch TV. I don't keep Shabbat, but it is a day of rest for me after a week of madness. In recent years there has been a lot of talk about Nida. And I think it makes sense - to create more Attraction and longing between spouses. This book is given to the Jewish people, neither to the religious nor to the ultra-Orthodox. The fact that there is a feeling that the faith belongs to the religious or the ultra-Orthodox - that is not true. There are sages upon sages here and a history that cannot be treated as a garbage can and ignored. I do not Getting stronger, my faith is the thing. Faith is not a religion. And the Torah does not belong to the religious. It belongs to the Jews."

More in Walla!

Under the guise of a Burkes comedy, this film exposes the racism and judgment in Israeli society

To the full article

The game is a hobby.

Maor Schweitzer in the series "Locking Time" (Photo: Vared Adir)

Schweitzer is not only a successful and respected actor but, as mentioned, is also a co-owner of an ecological beach in the Sharon lily, which opened three months ago.

In this case he is not a presenter but an investor.

"Almost two years ago, a childhood friend who owns a surf club on the beach in Hatzalet Hasharon suggested that I enter a tender on the beach, because at the time I lived in the Philippines for three years and did business there, in a hotel and restaurants," says Schweitzer.

"I got there and saw the most beautiful beach in Israel but very neglected, you can see that it hasn't been treated for several years. A childhood friend who lived there in the area told me that the council really wants to make the place ecological, and that's exactly what speaks to me and what we did in the Philippines. I built a group of partners. We won the tender in front of the Emek Hefer Council. I invested a lot of time and money so that we would be the first real ecological beach in Israel. One of the horrible things you can see on the beaches is the pollution, the plastic and the dirt in our great resource that is. So we have zero plastic. The vegetation is about water recycling. Our workers spend days Study on the subject.

We connected to this the matter of wellness - sports, body and soul.

The restaurant is a health restaurant, you won't find chips in the place.

It's a place that gives a lot of light and learning, lectures and community."

"It may have arisen subconsciously because of this as well, but consciously it was never due to a financial reason for me. It's not that I don't want to develop and grow, I'm a young man and want to start a family. But it comes from the fact that I like to do a lot of things. Happily, In recent years I've made a decision that I don't do anything I don't like. If in the early twenties I had bars in Tel Aviv - that's something there's no chance I'd do today. I found out that I don't like doing it. It doesn't speak to me, not in my lifestyle and it's not Tells no good story ever. And it probably has to do with my father, my entrepreneurial nature."

"Look, I was born into the world of acting from the world of therapy, I wasn't a kid who ran around on stages and dreamed of being an actor. There are other things burning in me, and I'm not the artist who when he's not working he's tormented, and when he's working he's tormented, and I always want the bug of the stage. For me it's Not like that. I really like the game, but it's a hobby for me. A professional hobby, but it's not the sacrifice of my life."

"We have mutual friends, but the truth is that I didn't ask for his advice, but Mosh is really an inspiration, certainly for how to make a super special place. He is the first to make another beach here."

not going back

Maor Schweitzer and Niv Sultan (Photo: Nir Pekin)

Schweitzer is one of the hottest young stars on the screen at this time.

He was born in Jerusalem 33 years ago, was released from the IDF for medical reasons and studied acting. One of his first roles was in the series "The Special", and since then he has also played in the series "Hatzoya", "Euphoria", "Gallis", "Profil 64", "Ish" Very important", "Shtisel", "Deep in the water", "Foreign actor", "Kill the grandmother", "Polmon", "She has it" - in the filming of which he met his future wife, Niv Sultan - "The Policemen" and "Shat In addition, he played in the films "Ibiza", "Emek", "Driver" and starred in several commercials.

Two years ago, Schweitzer bravely revealed in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth that he was addicted to marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogenic drugs and stimulants, which led him to depression and suicidal thoughts, but he quit.

"Many people who experiment with drugs do not know that they are in a difficult situation. This is one of the most serious problems of addicts. That they do not admit that they are addicted and think that they can stop at any moment, but this is a big lie. And secondly, that they do not understand how deep they are in the matter. This What happened with me - for years, I didn't think and those around me didn't think I was in a bad state. Until one day this thing exploded. It takes one trigger for this thing to explode. One trigger like - not on us - a death in the family, a breakup or a personal matter, can turn your whole life around."

"There was a week when three difficult things happened to me. There was a death among friends, there was some family incident, and there was a breakup. These three things came to me in a boom and simply caused my systems to collapse. This collapse was due to the fact that the only tool I had throughout my life was drugs, and I did not build No tools for dealing with things. When I said, OK, I need a moment to reset and stop the drugs - the collapse only continued, because suddenly this tool didn't exist either. Then I realized that I had to build tools. And building tools at the age of 27 is not easy. It is possible, but It's a process. When you collapse systemically, and you literally lose your sanity, you tell yourself that you don't want to lose your sanity again."

"I have zero fear. My mind has totally changed in this matter. I know how much I was in another life, and in a bad place. I don't look at my past life and say, it was not good. On the surface it was fine - I enjoyed it, I had relationships, I had friends, I flew abroad - but I know where I ended up mentally.

And when I look at the lowest place I've reached mentally I see how much I didn't notice along the way.

I have zero fear because I literally lost my mind at one point.

Places of rehab and healing of the soul often do not accept you if they think you are not already at the bottom.

Because when you touch the bottom, you get burned in such a way that you can't go back."

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"Lectures for teenagers are win win".

Maor Schweitzer (photo: courtesy of those photographed)

You are a lecturer on drugs for teenagers.

What do these lectures mean to you?

"I do a lot of lectures specifically aimed at teenagers, because they are the people I want to help change their habits, give them light or a different point of view. I estimate that 80 percent of teenagers today experiment in one way or another with drugs. Sometimes they think about This thing that's cool. I thought it was cool in a way too and I enjoyed it, but in the end it's a bottomless black hole. These lectures are two-sided: every time I give a lecture it's another percentage of my healing, just by sharing them. And there's a lot Healing for them too. It's something amazing. Many times I come across lectures to children that we then refer them to for help where needed. And many children, even at very young ages, say that they are in the situations I was in and ask for help. This is the most amazing thing I do. It Win-win, and a good business, in quotes, is a business where both parties are satisfied."

"I can understand what she meant. When a person doesn't want to help himself, you can't help him. Niv and I met right at the end of my rehab and at the beginning of the change, and we started going out. She was very much an anchor for me. I think she meant that if I did it for her then it's likely I would fall for it again. If you don't do it from your inner place, if you don't decide that it's for you - then this place is fragile. I think Niv was afraid that this thing is fragile. She didn't want to be the reason, she wanted to be part of the way."

"In retrospect, I know that I did. When we met on the set of 'She Has It' we were very different people, today we are already similar. I was an addict at the beginning of his cleaning, a karachanist. And she is a good girl Jerusalem par excellence, never did drugs in her life, almost never drinks Alcohol even, never smoked a cigarette in her life. This thing created reluctance. On the other hand, she saw the inside of the inside of the inside in me and liked it, and decided to go for it. But of course, at first there was reluctance."

"Yes, there was a period of separation. After the marriage proposal, she had an anxiety attack that lasted about a month, a month and a half. But it ended well."

"You can't please everyone."

Maor Schweitzer from the Fox campaign (photo: Guy Koshi and Yariv Payne)

Niv starred in "Teheran" alongside Glenn Close.

Which star or star would you like to star next to?

"It was super exciting that she played with Glenn Close. They really connected. It was an amazing experience for her. I told her, it's like I'll play basketball with LeBron James. One of the best players in the world I'd love to play with is Tom Hardy, he's really a phenomenon , and there are quite a few more."

"Most likely yes. I'm one of the only characters in 'Lockdown Time' left alive. If not me, then who? (Laughs) It's still in development. I'm supposed to be inside. I'm in communication with Ron there, going a long way with him, now I'm done taking pictures For another series he wrote, 'Red Sky'. This is an amazing series directed by Alon Zingman, who made 'Stisel.' They are really in the most amazing and best friendship that can be. Then the second intifada comes to Jerusalem, and little by little they become friends and enemies."

In addition to the filming that took place or will take place for the series against the background of the Yom Kippur War, the Lebanon War and the Second Intifada, Schweitzer was also photographed for the film "Air Combat", which takes place against the background of the Six Day War and is seen as a "right-wing film".

As first published in Walla!

Culture Seven years ago, the film caused an uproar after it was not supported by the Israel Cinema Fund, which is financed by the funds of the Ministry of Culture.

In a letter from the director Roi Hornstein to the former Minister of Culture Miri Regev, he wrote that although the film was praised in the opinion of the lecturers, they rejected it for reasons such as "a low dose of the anti-war dimension" and that it "does not ask moral questions", and the director claimed that this is "discrimination from political considerations".

On the other hand, it is claimed that Regev intervened politically in an appeal to the Film Council and asked it to examine the issue.

Who did support the film is the controversial Samaria Foundation.

"The film 'Air Combat' should be released next summer, it will be a kind of Israeli 'Love in the Sky'," says Schweitzer.

"On the level of principle, it is supposedly a right-wing film in its approach, in its agenda and in its director. And that's fine. There are many films that bring the left side of the map, then the right-wingers jump, and there are films that bring the right side of the map and it is likely that the left-wingers will jump. It is impossible to please everyone Never".

"It's a shame. It's their right to say it if it goes against their values ​​and agenda. I acted in a movie with the support of the Shomron Foundation, 'Air Combat,' and there's nothing here that goes against my values ​​or my agenda. I think in general that's how we are A small industry. I think it's blessed that there is another fund that wants to give money and be part of the cinema. After all, this is the State of Israel, Israelis and Jews live there, these are territories that are considered ours. I choose not to enter these places, I try not to fall for it."

More in Walla!

"It makes me angry that they think I'm a loser because I lost the Oscar 8 times"

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"Fame is not something I fear."

Maor Schweitzer at the premiere of the movie "Good Guys" (Photo: Rafi Delvia)

Schweitzer said that in the past he reached a weight of 107 kilos, after that he lost 45 kilos and today he is one of the presenters of the Fox company.

"I like the approach that they didn't take models par excellence. The four presenters - me, Dana Frieder, Maya Wertheimer and Ofer Hayon - are not sketchy people. They took people who are all over 30, because of the actors they are and the people they are. There is some place where the world is going, at least dolls And less plasticity. There is a lot of truth in this thing."

No one addresses me.

I remember looking at him and saying to myself: one day I too will be treated like this.

So we came to these days.

It is exciting.

Succeeding is fun."

"It's education from home. I have my wife Niv at home, the most humble person in this world, God willing. I'm protected by my very nature, the home I came from and the home I chose. But sometimes when I'm in front of myself, I say to myself, chill, take it down, You don't deserve anything. But fame is not something I'm afraid of. I don't walk down the street expecting to be recognized. It even surprises me when I'm recognized on the street."

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