Israeli actress portrays an Iranian immigrant named Ava in new show.
By AMY SPIROMoran Atias and Daren Kagasoff in NBC's 'The Village." (photo credit: PETER KRAMER/ NBC)
One of NBC’s newest buzzworthy TV shows, The Village, stars Israeli actress Moran Atias.The drama, which premiered last month, spotlights the lives of the residents of a Brooklyn apartment building. One of the main characters is Ava, an Iranian immigrant portrayed by Haifa-born Atias. In the pilot episode, Ava, a single mom, is arrested by ICE officers for entering the country illegally.“It is a drama, but with a lot of laughter and moments of joy and hope,” Atias said in a recent video interview with IMDb. “It’s a great reminder of the importance of community.”The Village has received decidedly mixed reviews, and a wave of comparisons to another NBC tearjerker - the popular This is Us.Atias joins an all-star cast in the show, including Frankie Faison (The Wire), Michaela McManus (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit) and Lorraine Toussaint (Orange is the New Black).Atias told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal last month that she spent five months living in New York during filming for the show.“I was lucky enough to meet a beautiful Jewish community that hosted me for Shabbat dinners,” she said. “I think it’s one of the most beautiful things in our culture, people coming together and blessing the wine and bread and what we have. I’m hosting 18 people for Shabbat tonight, trying to continue the tradition.”The Israeli-American actress, who lives in Los Angeles, is no stranger to the small screen. Many viewers will recognize her from the 2008 Starz series Crash, the Fx show Tyrant, or the Fox medical drama The Resident.The Village premiered to so-so ratings, but it was the winner in its 10 p.m. time slot. A TV writer for US Today said Wednesday that the show is touch-and-go for NBC to renew for a second season.
