© Anika Molnar/Netflix
Culture & Living
Star of Netflix’s Unorthodox, Shira Haas on the show’s success, shaving her head, and powerful female leads
“People from all over the world have said they can relate to Esty, that they cried for her and that she reminded them of their own trauma.” The lead of the groundbreaking new series talks overnight fame, life in lockdown and going bald on the very first day of production
Few are as deserving of overnight stardom as Shira Haas. The Israeli actor shot to prominence in March after her startling performance as Esther ‘Esty’ Shapiro on Netflix’s Unorthodox. The four-part series, partly inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2012 memoir Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots, follows Esty’s escape from an ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn to Berlin, the home of her estranged mother with whom she has long had a fraught relationship.
Filmed in a heady mix of Yiddish, English and German, it sees Esty adjusting to secular life and finding friends at a music conservatory where she practises playing the piano and singing—both of which she was forbidden from doing back home. But, her newly gained freedom is soon threatened when her husband, Yanky Shapiro (Amit Rahav), and his cousin, Moishe Lefkovitch (Jeff Wilbusch), arrive in the German capital determined to find her.
At 24, Haas already had an enviable CV, having acted in Natalie Portman’s directorial debut A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015), worked with Jessica Chastain on The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017) and scooped an Ophir Award—the Israeli equivalent of an Oscar—for her supporting role in Noble Savage (2018). Unorthodox, however, has quickly morphed into a global hit on a scale she could never have anticipated. As the buzz continues to build, Haas speaks to us from her home in Tel Aviv, to reflect on her recent successes and explain why Esty’s story feels so universal.
Unorthodox is a unique project. What was your first impression when you read the script?
“In the beginning, I only got sent a few scenes that were part of a script for a TV series called The Orchestra. No one told me its real name, that it was based on a bestseller or that it was for Netflix. It was all a secret. I remember reading it for the first time and thinking it was amazing, and getting really attached to the character. Only after a few more stages, when the producers and director came to Israel to meet me, did I realise that it was not only a great story, but also a big project.”
What appealed to you most about Esty as a character?
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“There are so many burning conflicts within her. She’s tough, stubborn and knows what she wants, but she’s also very naive and wants to please people and fit in. It’s a beautiful challenge for an actress to be all of those things, and it’s still rare to find female leads who are that powerful.”
You also took Yiddish, piano and vocal lessons. How much preparation was needed for the part?
“We were all really committed to this project. It was shot in Berlin, so I got there almost two months before filming began. I had Yiddish lessons—I didn’t know the language and it’s very different from Hebrew, which I speak. That took a lot of time, as did the piano and singing lessons, but there were also lots of rehearsals for the rituals we show on screen. We had a two-day rehearsal just to prepare for the wedding scene. It needed to be perfect and everyone needed to understand what they were doing, which involved speaking to our religious consultant.”
That scene in which Esty marries Yanky is so richly detailed and emotionally heightened. Was it overwhelming to film?
“When I put that wedding dress on, I didn’t have a mirror so the costume department helped me and then I went straight to the location. I remember walking onto set and I thought, ‘Oh my god, all eyes are on me.’ I was wearing this enormous dress, so much makeup and I wasn’t sure what I looked like [laughs]. The creators were very well prepared when putting together that scene, but the same could be said for the Passover scene. Even in the smallest scenes, every detail was important—from the prayer before we sat down to eat, to not sitting with your legs crossed because they wouldn’t do that. Maybe just one per cent of the people watching the show will appreciate this but, for us, it was crucial. We did all of it with a lot of respect and love, and I learned so much.”
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The show provides a real insight into the religiously strict and culturally conservative Satmar community. Were there things you learned about them that surprised you?
“So many things. Every Jewish community is different and you really can’t generalise. In this particular community, there were lots of rituals I didn’t know about, including the practice of shaving your head after marriage. I’d heard about it years ago, but I didn’t know it still happened.”
What was it like shaving your own head for the part?
“That was the final scene on the first day of shooting. When Maria [Schrader, the director] told me it was going to happen right at the beginning, I was so shocked. But, it was great because it really got me into character. Of course, your head can only be shaved once so I knew it would be one take and I had to get it right. I was nervous, but I was willing to do it in order to tell this story.”
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Esty’s wardrobe also transforms as she goes from Brooklyn to Berlin, moving from long skirts to jeans and short-sleeved tops. Did you collaborate with Justine Seymour, the costume designer?
“I got an email from her very early on and we spoke about Esty’s outfits. In Esty’s story, which is about freedom and change, her clothing is so important. We wanted to bring some colour to her outfits, even when she is in the Hasidic community, because she is so different from all the other characters. And then, there’s a scene in Berlin when she tries on jeans for the first time. At the beginning, we thought, ‘Yeah, she tries the jeans on and leaves the store wearing them.’ And then, we thought, ‘No, she puts them on and it’s suddenly too much for her, so she leaves wearing the long skirt.’ It’s only in the next episode, that you see her having the courage to wear those jeans. We always talked about Esty in New York and Esty in Berlin, but they are the same character. We needed to combine the two and show the emotional journey she goes through.”
How has it felt to see Esty’s story resonate with so many people across continents?
“I wasn’t expecting the sort of response we’ve had. This is a story about a specific community, but people from all over the world have said they can relate to Esty, that they cried for her and that she reminded them of their own trauma. It doesn’t matter if you’re Jewish, Muslim, Christian, secular or whatever else—people are people and that’s what this show is all about.”
Unorthodox dropped on Netflix at a time when much of the world was going into lockdown. Has that been strange for you to process?
“Everything is very different right now. I’m currently quarantined at home in Tel Aviv. I recently did Passover via Zoom [laughs]. But, I’m also feeling the love—for Esty and for the show—on social media. Of course, I wish the show had been released under different circumstances, but it has also provided an escape for so many people. I’m grateful for that.”
Unorthodox is streaming now on Netflix
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