Israeli Actress Shiraz Tsurfati Says Dropped Interview Won't Silence Her

Israeli actress Shiraz Tsurfati said a September interview with a major foreign magazine was removed just three days after publication, after the outlet received hostile reader reactions over featuring an Israeli. According to her New York agency, the magazine said it could not afford the backlash and risk losing subscribers. Tsurfati called the deletion “like a slap in the face,” but said it also strengthened her resolve: “If they do not want me because of where I was born, I will work harder and prove it will not stop me. Nobody will silence me or stop me from advancing because I am Israeli.”

Tsurfati, who turns 28 next week, was born in Jaffa to an Israeli father and a French mother. Her mother came to Israel at age 32 and gave birth to Shiraz at home after a negative experience with her first daughter’s hospital birth. The family spoke French at home, and she studied in French-language schools from kindergarten through high school, which made army service difficult because she had to read and write in Hebrew. Until then, Hebrew had mostly been the language she used with her father.

As a teenager she studied theater alongside the sciences and had planned to study biochemistry at Columbia University in New York. After her military service, she gave herself one semester at the Lee Strasberg School of Acting in New York, and realized within a week that acting was what she wanted to do. She later studied in Paris and took small roles in productions including “Queen of Snakes” and “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” which helped her believe a professional acting career was possible.

Her breakthrough came after she returned to Israel from Paris after five years, following the October 7 attack. She said the attack made her want to live near family and friends, and the lack of auditions had made her consider a backup plan. The audition for “The Terminal List: Dark Wolf,” an August Amazon spinoff of “The Terminal List,” arrived the same week she attended an open day at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, and she was shocked to get the part. In the series, she plays Tal, an Israeli Mossad agent, alongside Rona-Lee Shimon, who plays another Mossad agent and becomes Tal’s mentor. Filming took place in Budapest, where Tsurfati and Shimon were the only Israelis among an American cast that also included Chris Pratt.

Tsurfati said working with Shimon, whom she had admired for years, was especially meaningful, and she described her as “like an older sister.” She added that she is currently single, is not actively looking for a partner, and is focused on her career and frequent moves between countries. Asked about her everyday style, she said she usually wears wide jeans and bold earrings, preferring a mix of comfort and style.