Fehr Game

Oct. 2002
by Sascha Bogin
photos by Brie Childers

Best known for his portrayal of Ardeth Bay in the wildly successful film The Mummy, Oded Fehr can now be seen weekly on the television show Presidio Med.

After serving three years in the Israeli Navy, Fehr moved to Berlin to study business. He ended up taking a drama class that ultimately led him to star in a play, and that's when he realized he was never happier than when he was acting. Fehr explains that he was always "the noisy kid in the family." His father and sister are both doctors of physics and his brother is "a genius." Fehr's father encouraged him to pursue his desire to act, and the rest, as they say, is the rest. He subsequently lived in England for a short time where he studied at the famed Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and appeared in several television features. But he decided that moving to the United States would best direct his career.

The move to America was an easy transition for Fehr. "You know how some people say that Israel is the 51st state? Well, living in the US is a lot like living in Israel. It feels like home here. There was more for me to adjust to when I lived in England." He adds, "There is a lot more to get used to in England in terms of humor and drinking habits. Everyone goes drinking right after work, and if you're not used to that, you're in for an interesting ride."

As an Israeli, the current situation of his homeland is an extremely difficult one for Fehr to watch. "It's very hard for me. I have no right to express political views because I'm not involved enough," he offers rather guiltily. "I can't make any accusations on either side." The majority of Fehr's family still lives in Israel. "I wish they didn't have to go through it. They live day to day through those hardships and all I deal with is what I hear about on the news." He says that Israel's predicament is "very complex. I'm only an observer. It's not fair of me as an Israeli who doesn't live there any more to pass any judgment." He speaks about a recent trip he made to Israel for a visit with his family. He speaks of a pain in not being able to show his wife the places where he played as a child (there is too much violence in those areas now). "What can I say," Fehr says in dejected tones, "I care. I worry. I'm saddened."

Due to his olive complexion and culturally unspecific facial features, Fehr has been able to play a variety of ethnicities. He enjoys this because it gives him more options as an actor. "I wouldn't have gotten the part [of an Arab] in The Mummy if I was some pasty Englishman," he jokes. In fact, Fehr is proud to say that when The Mummy was released in Israel, everyone thought that he was truly an Arab. "That made me feel pretty good," he laughs. In Presidio Med, he plays a doctor from Greece. He explains: "We chose Greek [as a nationality] because I obviously have an accent and it would be interesting to make him not American. If the character were made into an Israeli, there would have been an issue about why an Israeli doctor would leave his struggling homeland to work in America." Fehr adds in jest, "Plus, people typically don't know as much about Greek accents, so no one could say yea or nay to my version."

On the topic of ethnic ambiguity, he thinks that Vin Diesel's refusal to adhere to one racial identity is right on track. "Every actor has something that works for or against them. For some of us, it's how we look. Luckily in Hollywood right now, people are finally embracing interracial people and relationships, which is how it should be."

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