Noa Cohen, the young Israeli actress who plays Jesus’s mother in the Netflix movie Mary, said she received multiple death threats while the movie was filmed in Morocco earlier this year.
While she was on the set from January to March, her life was threatened over and over.
“I got messages from Moroccan profiles [on social media] who said they know ‘what hotel you’re staying at,’” she told the Keshet 12 program Good Evening with Guy Pines on Tuesday night. “That didn’t make me feel the safest in the world. And you go to film in what is, after all, a Muslim country, Morocco… and you need a special visa to get in, and you have to have heavy security guarding you at all times.”
This heavy security was written into her contract, she said.
“It was scary. Some people began to understand that I was in Morocco and I got messages on Instagram, I got threats, the feeling wasn’t always the most comfortable.”
Despite the threats, the film, which was budgeted at $70 million, proceeded smoothly. Cohen, who had previously acted in Israeli teen and children’s shows, received star treatment, with her own trailer and makeup artist, but the biggest thrill was working with Sir Anthony Hopkins, the two-time Oscar winner who portrayed King Herod.
Peace on set
The 86-year-old came to Morocco to make the film and he “was like a 16-year-old when he stepped onto the set,” she said. She tried to be casual when she first met her distinguished co-star, saying, “Hi, nice to meet you, I love your work… it’s a pleasure to work with you.”
But he quickly broke the ice, she said, “And he made dad jokes, and it was like, OK, he’s a regular human being.”
While they did not have in-depth discussions about politics, she said that he told her, “I’m praying for your country and your people.”
Cohen said that once the trailer for the film was released, “It was amazing to see how the responses started with ‘Zionist,’ then went to ‘Israeli,’ and finally ended up with straight-up ‘Jew… you Jewish whore’ – excuse the language. It was amazing to see how much of it was pure antisemitism and not anything else.”
Gal Gadot, the first Israeli actress to achieve Hollywood superstardom, contacted Cohen to offer her support.
While doing publicity for the role, Cohen was never told what she could and couldn’t say, but was given tips by those in charge of publicity on how to diplomatically avoid any questions that made her uncomfortable.
The actress, who was previously unknown outside Israel, was surprised to be cast in the lead in a movie for a major streaming service. Before the war broke out, the producers were in the midst of discussions on how to tell the story before shooting started. After October 7, 2023, she was sure the producers and director D.J. Caruso would back off and that she had lost the part.
“I never thought they would dare to continue… and get themselves into the conflict by keeping an Israeli actress in the lead,” she said.
Not only did she keep her leading role, but the producers cast four other Israelis: rising star Ido Tako, who plays Joseph, and Ori Pfeffer, Hilla Vidor, and Mili Avital.
Mary, released in early December ahead of the holiday season, has been leading Netflix’s ratings charts around the world for nearly a month. The entertainment industry website, Deadline.com, reported in December that the talent agency, Anonymous Content, signed Cohen “following a competitive pursuit,” so she may well be cast in more high-profile roles.
After her targeting by antisemitic trolls for her work on Mary, the young actress will likely be ready for anything she has to deal with in the future.