Israeli actress Alona Tal’s American breakthrough is fast approaching. As Jocelyn Harris on Amazon’s “Hand of God,” Tal is a strong-willed rape survivor and daughter-in-law to Ron Perlman’s God-fearing judge-turned-vigilante Pernell Harris.
On chasing the dream.
“There’s always that dream of going to the epicenter of where things happen. [Los Angeles] was where I needed to go. There were a lot of reasons to stay in Israel and stay with my family and continue working, but there’s always that question in the back of your mind: Am I doing everything I can? Will I look back 40 years from now and say, ‘I wish…’? I didn’t want to have that question, so I packed my things.”
On building Jocelyn’s strength.
“It’s interesting that [Jocelyn’s rape] is actually not the traumatic event that sets the series in motion; it’s the son attempting suicide. She’s left dealing with the aftermath of a lot of events that she doesn’t have control over. [She’s] trying to get control and put things back in order and mend the wound that she has—so gaping, so deep—while dealing with very powerful people like Ron Perlman. She’s pretty much the only character who stands up to him.”
On auditioning for “Hand of God.”
“I worked with my husband on it, believe it or not, because nobody knows me better than he does. He pushes me. He said, ‘You better go and risk everything you have.’ And I went in there and I did exactly that. You know how actors say ‘I poured my guts and blood and everything on the floor and left it there?’ That’s how I felt. I was so drained at the end of that audition I had a migraine.”
On researching for the role.
“This reality is sadly a reality that a lot of women have to deal with on a daily basis. It’s a very different reality for women and for men. Going into [the role], research is not something that I needed to go very far [with]. It’s not a wonderful thing to be saying. I wish I had to go through a lot more to find out what it would be like or what it’s like to have to deal with such a trauma. [Jocelyn’s rape] is the background of what happened to her and it’s definitely the reality that we live in, but it’s how she copes with it that is more interesting.”
On bringing strong women to screen.
“I don’t necessarily look for darkness in the material that I audition for because it’s not picking and choosing the material—I’m not at that level in my career yet. But I’m definitely at the level of going at it and trying as hard as I can to get the ones that I really want. It’s the ones that reflect honestly on different types of women, different walks of life, different worlds, different environments. Things that are fun and well-written and exciting. And when they hire me, that helps.”
Like this story? Read more of our Spotlight On interviews!