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What "Tyrant" Star Moran Atias Googles & Binge-Watches

What "Tyrant" Star Moran Atias Googles & Binge-Watches

9:44·By Gemma G
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The talented Moran Atias visits the YH Studio for a chat about her hit FX drama "Tyrant" and what we can expect from her kick-butt character in Season 3! She also reveals the one politician she'd love to have dinner with in real life, plus she explains the hardcore prep she did for her role in the film 'Third Person' and tells us which shows she likes to binge-watch!

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Young Hollywood

I read this that you once Googled, you Googled and you know, to search, the best stories ever told. Yeah. What else have you Googled that's interesting?

Moran Atias

Uh, on Google, I've been I probably Googled you before I came here.

Young Hollywood

Did you?

Moran Atias

No, but that would have been a really great answer, right? Would have seen that old haircut. Let's get rid of that.

Young Hollywood

I'm Oliver Trevena here on the Young Hollywood sofa joined by the lovely Moran Atias. How are you?

Moran Atias

I'm great.

Young Hollywood

You're looking very flowery.

Moran Atias

I am. It's not I got the memo. I got the memo ahead of time and they said she's wearing flowers. So I had to like the dark version of it. I'm the dark version, I guess, which you said you're the dark version on the inside. I don't believe that. But I haven't spent a lot of time with you.

Moran Atias

Just give me a glass of wine, I'll come out.

Young Hollywood

Give me a glass of wine, I'll come out. Can we get one glass of wine please? One glass of wine. I want to see her dark side. Um, yeah, Tyran. I mean, you're you're dark in that. Layla's very The story's dark. I mean, the story's dark, but you're definitely, I'm glad it's you and not Layla, because I don't think I could hold my own. I really don't think so. I'd be shivering on the inside. I'd be like, So, yeah, yeah.

Moran Atias

I was actually thinking today that I would like some of her strength, to be honest. Look what I did to your dog. I know. Clearly, I have a great option. She's just trying to stay still. She's seen you on TV and she's like, I'm friend, I'm not here. She love me put down immediately.

Young Hollywood

Um, but yeah, and it's nice because season one and two, obviously more on the sidelines, and now she's come out and she's just, I mean, taken over. Yeah. That's amazing. But, you know, how did you start preparing for her in the third season? Obviously becoming this stronger.

Moran Atias

Um, actually, you know, every season I think like the stories inspire me in a different way, and I kind of like try to create my own palette of emotions and and and brought to to Layla. I really wanted Layla to go in a political uh, journey. And that's something I don't think they considered in the first season. You know, I was the wife of the dictator and nobody knew if he would live or die, but he was supposed to live. Um, like most people. Or not. But and that's something that I really wanted to portray and bring into the story of a strong female character that is not on the sidelines, but in in the in the war room. You know, this is the first day she's in the war room and uh, in that office and she immediately has an opinion about how things should run differently in the country. Um, and she's right, always. Always. Also, that's also true in real life. Okay. Just telling you. Okay. And you as well. Okay.

Young Hollywood

That's the dark side come out. I can see it. It's the hidden of the dark side.

Moran Atias

I'm always right. I'm always right. No, that's the day where No, that's the day where you say that. No, just telling you. That's true. It's Aries, it's Aries. It's not my fault. I I blame it on the stars, darling. I'm not doing that one before. It's Aries. It's not my fault. It's Aries. It's my fault to be born in April. You know.

Young Hollywood

Saying that, you know, obviously, Layla, you know, the premise of the show, big in the political world. You're big into politics as well. You, you know, strong strong minded about it all. Um, if you could have dinner with one politician, past or present, who would it be? And what would you like to say?

Moran Atias

Oh, I probably I would like to ask, more than say anything.

Young Hollywood

No, tell him. Tell him. I told him like,

Moran Atias

Um, I guess Begin. Okay. Um, he was the um, uh important political figure in Israel in history, but he was the one that created peace with Egypt, so I would just like want to ask, like, what's up? No, no. Let's do it again. Let's do it again. Let's do it again. And um, just learn from that I think old school um, graceful politics.

Young Hollywood

We can't make it happen, by the way. I'm just I know, no, it's not. I thought that's why he's here. And he's like, what's up? And he's like, she she she would get school. I'm sorry. It's so a Georgie. She's a passive little woman. That's how you like it. You know me, let's start talking about that.

Moran Atias

No, I don't, in fact. I like a tyrant in the bedroom. I should edit like this is

Young Hollywood

No, don't edit. That's right.

Moran Atias

I need like filters, like, you know, on Instagram. I need a filter of mutes, like. I'm now going to have a like a coffin hit for me. I'm like, Boom. Um, so we're talking about um preparation for rolls. Obviously, Third Person was was huge. You you actually was was homeless. You slept on the streets. Is this right? Or not? Because sometimes you read things and you're like, how true is this?

Moran Atias

Um, well, a big part of it is true. A big part of it. Wow. I Well, first of all, I think I was very insecure. I was in the beginning of my career, I was insecure and I had to prove to everyone that I'm a committed actress and and I'm believable as a Gypsy. Um, and in the beginning, even Paul, who I developed the script with, didn't think that I could play that part. I mean, he believed in me, but he didn't see that I could go all that all that way. And and I did, and it really helped me, you know, even the sweat of someone. There's a different type of sweat when you get out of the gym or in the sauna. And the sweat of people that live on the street is so different. It's it's just sticky. And I wanted to have that on my skin and it just makes you feel, behave, and also provoke different reactions from other people, which is what I wanted. You know, the character I play is is treated as dirt in in Italy. And she's a beautiful woman, but still, because she's a Gypsy, she's treated as dirt. And to really feel that once I stopped showering and dressing differently and to feel it on my own self was incredibly educat educating for the part. Like, I really felt that I had to do to survive and not apologize for it. Um, yeah, leaving my little emotions aside and just like be a street cat cat, street cat, or cat street. Street cat, I think.

Young Hollywood

Street cat. What am I asking you for? You think you have a dog? I'm kidding. Street dog. Same thing. They're on the street.

Moran Atias

Street cat. Yeah. Is it street cat or street cat cat street? No, I think it's street cat. Yeah.

Young Hollywood

That's what I said. I was like, you said, you said street cat as well. You said street cat as well. Okay. Um, it's no, it's it is massive. It's fun. This this part is going to be cut, right?

Moran Atias

No, that's the best part. Um, I keep waiting for you to cry as well. I'll just be cut. Yeah.

Young Hollywood

I keep waiting for you to cry.

Moran Atias

I could do that immediately. Just I could cry about to cry to hear.

Young Hollywood

I've heard that you cry a lot. Is this this is true?

Moran Atias

I cry and laugh a lot. I do everything a lot. It's big and it's never boring. So it's a roller coaster. And it's it's a roller coaster. And sometimes during, you know, five minutes it could be like just Okay. psychopathic. Well, but it's fun. It's fun. Why go to Magic Mountain when you can have me? I'm not I was going to yeah, yeah. Let's stop there, Oliver. Um, why ride the roller coaster and Magic Mountain when you can ride you? Oh, Gotcha. Gotcha. That's what I was going. I had to say about I had to go to that. I'm sorry.

Young Hollywood

Um, so you cry a lot. You cried watching Kung Fu Panda. Now you cried. She's laughing, she's crying. I'm crying.

Moran Atias

No, but Kung Fu, I'll explain Kung Fu Panda. And by the way, did you watch it?

Young Hollywood

I haven't actually seen it, but it maybe want to watch it because I love a good cry.

Moran Atias

Oh, well, you should.

Young Hollywood

I'm normally triggered by like notebook and stuff, not so much Kung Fu Panda.

Moran Atias

I cry there too. So you did, okay. But Kung Fu Panda was on the Here's the thing. I think when you're on a plane, the lack of oxygen just Okay, seriously, makes people feel differently. So I was watching the film because I, you know, on the plane, I fly a lot and I was flying back to Israel and I watched the film and I start sobbing. It's just like I cry on planes, yes. Right. when I watch movies.

Young Hollywood

Um, talking about shows going into movies, obviously Crash, you know, was a was a pinnacle point of your career. Yeah. When when you know, you you're on a plane once again. Yes. Um, I read that story and I saw Crash on the plane and you dedicated yourself to getting something involved in that in, you know, getting a part of that TV show. Um, if you could turn any movie into a TV show now, what what one would you like to do? You know,

Moran Atias

Oh, I would love to see anything that's Scorsese, because there's so many like characters in Casino and um, Goodfellas. So that could be definitely something, because, you know, in TV shows, you're looking for to uh, marry these characters for a long time for like three, four, five years.

Young Hollywood

I mean, Casino is one of my favorite movies, so why ruin it? I guess so. Unless I'm in it, you know, let's say Scorsese's like, hey, what up? Unless you're in it. You know, you say Scorsese's like, "Hey, what up?" You want to do a TV show? I could see that happening.

Young Hollywood

It could see that happening. I love that. Yeah. It's a great film. Um, and, you know, going into the talking about that. Going into the future. I can't do that. I can't do that. I've tried. I've tried. Going well, talking about the future. The fact that people can just watch, you know, you can go on now and watch Tyran and just watch them all. Binge watch. Last thing you binge watched? Or are you into binge watching?

Moran Atias

Mm-hmm. Okay. Yeah, I lost a lot of friends when Homeland came out. House of Cards and Narcos. Okay. Yeah. No friends at all. No friends at all. No friends at all. Just. Okay.

Young Hollywood

Do you do what's the most you've ever done in one night? Episodes. Why does that sound like? When it comes out of me right now, I did not I did not say it that way. You're turning everything around. I did not ask that question. You see me like, that's dark. You see me I'm like happy. That wasn't dark. I asked you how many episodes you binge watch. That is not a dark question. You took it a certain way.

Moran Atias

All right. True. Yeah. It's how you translate reality. I I agree with you. Yeah. Um, but you put it Okay, okay. I feel like I'm 12 right now. You made me stressed. I feel like I'm 12 right now. I think this is perfect. As what we do. Exactly. Um, what was the question? How many episodes? How many episodes you can watch? I I think the co the fast the most committed I've been to to uh, binge watching was probably with Homeland for a season. Okay. And how fast season was amazing. Yeah, and House of Cards is one of my favorite shows as well. Okay.

Young Hollywood

One more thing. I read this that you once Googled, you Googled and, you know, to search, the best stories ever told. Yeah. What else have you Googled that's interesting?

Moran Atias

Uh, on Google, I've been I probably Googled you before I came here.

Young Hollywood

Did you? No, but that would have been a really great answer, right? Would have seen that old haircut. Let's get rid of that. Um, this is a pleasure. It really was.

Moran Atias

My pleasure. Thank you.

Young Hollywood

Georgie enjoyed it as well. She's not She's she's like, She's like she's she she likes expression. Um, but she did really enjoy it. I enjoyed it. And I also enjoy Tyran. So uh, check it out.

Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.

PEOPLE MENTIONED

  • Moran Atias

    Featured guest, star of 'Tyrant'

  • Oliver Trevena

    Interviewer, Young Hollywood host

  • Menachem Begin

    Israeli politician Moran Atias would like to have dinner with

  • Paul Haggis

    Filmmaker Moran Atias developed 'Third Person' script with

  • Scorsese

    Director Moran Atias mentions for potential TV show adaptations

FAQ

Who plays Layla in the TV series "Tyrant"?+
Layla is played by Moran Atias in the FX drama "Tyrant".
What kind of preparation did Moran Atias do for her role in 'Third Person'?+
Moran Atias engaged in method acting for 'Third Person', including sleeping on the streets and not showering to embody her character as a Gypsy.
Which TV shows does Moran Atias enjoy binge-watching?+
Moran Atias enjoys binge-watching shows such as "Homeland," "House of Cards," and "Narcos."
Which politician would Moran Atias like to have dinner with?+
Moran Atias expressed a desire to have dinner with former Israeli political figure Menachem Begin, to ask him about making peace with Egypt.
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