Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Fehr likes to describe himself as German on his father’s side and Dutch-Spanish on his mother’s side. "I do have an interesting family in many ways," he says, laughing. "My father has a Ph.D. in physics, but became a businessman back in Frankfurt after the divorce. My mom went back to school in her mid-30s and has a masters degree in special education; she runs 25 day-care centers in Israel now. My sister also has a Ph.D. in physics, but is involved in cancer research and my brother is an architect. (TV CLOSE-UP, November 15, 2001)

"My dad's a doctor of physics, my sister's a doctor of physics, and my brother is a genius. So, when I came home with a report card, my parents said "Oh well, two out of three ain't bad." Presidio Med's Oded Fehr (E! 9/17/2002)

VG: Well, you go home sometimes?
Oded: I try to. I try to go home as often as I can. It's funny when you have family both in Germany, Israel and in the States. You'll never really get to take a vacation. Every time you'll try to take a vacation you gotta go there.
VG: They'll be mad at you.
Oded: But I try as often as I can.
VG: Your brother is in Germany?
Oded: No, my brother is in Israel, my sister is in Israel. My Dad is in Germany. (Vicki Gabereau, transcript, October, 2001)

Oded: "I'm the little in the family. For my mum I'm still the little son. I can call up and say I got that, I was on this and that paper and so on, and my mum would ask if I'm eating well and dressed up warm enough. Mum is mum, no matter what". (Erev Tov Show, 2001)

Oded: My Mom... oh, it's just great... I keep calling my Mom up and I'm all excited about things that's happening and everything. And I'm calling her up and I'm going, "Mom... you know, sexiest import... and Mom this... and Mom, I got this movie, Deuce Bigalow, I'm playing...." And she's all... all she does... [imitating his mother] "Yeah, yeah, that's great, that's great.... You have enough to wear?" Well, you know, "Are you fed? Are you eating?" That's all my Mom cares about.(Donny and Marie, TV, December 1999)

Q: With the world situation as it is, is it hard for you to be here working while your brother and sister (and perhaps other family members) are in Isreal? I think how hard it must be for you to be so far away. I'm orginally from NYC. When the terriosts attacked the Trade Centers, a part of me was lost with it. I know I felt helpless being so far away. How do you deal with the stress and the worry? (Praying there is a peaceful end to it all.) (Vee)
Oded Fehr:That is definitely the hardest unresolved part of life. I am very, very close to my family, and being away from them is so hard, let alone the state of affairs in Israel. Sometimes I wish I could just keep them all in my suitcase and take them with me wherever I go. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

 

Navy

Fehr had no career ambitions when he joined the naval branch of the Israel Defense Forces at the age of 18. As an enlisted man for three years, he spent the bulk of his time in uniform doing "intelligence and counter-intelligence work, but never anything too physically dangerous. I loved the work – a lot of it applies to my job on "UC: Undercover" today; I know how to infiltrate small groups, gather information, set up security procedures and use all kinds of surveillance equipment." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001) "Life in the Navy is very different and life in Israel is very different," he says. "The fighting in the acting world is a lot different from the fighting there. My skin still crawls when we get guns on the set because guns for me, and in Israel, are something that is there for killing. That's it. It's a little harder for me. But the sword fighting and all that is just boys with toys. It's all fun." (13th Street, May, 2001)

Oded: I don't know. I had a very good Army service in the sense that I have a bad back, so that I wasn't really allowed to do anything that's too dangerous. And yet, I was very involved and did a lot of interesting things. So actually I enjoyed my three years in the Army. But I mean, some other guys, like some of my friends, they go through nightmare.
VG: Of course, because they have to do... terrible things, and they have to witness terrible things and they might be victims themselves.
Oded: I have to say that I spent three weeks in the Gaza strip and that was very shocking. It's very difficult to explain. How it feels, what it feels like. It's very harsh. (Vicki Gabereau, transcript, October, 2001)

Ernie and Bert

Although if a studio ever gets it into their heads to do a live-action version of Sesame Street, Oded might not be too keen to take on the role of Bert or Ernie. "I don't know when I was stupid enough to mention that...or maybe my mother did," it dawns on him. When Oded was very young he used to impersonate his favourite Children's Television Network characters in Hebrew. Although his mother may be able to coax him into an impersonation still, Ones2Watch4 couldn't. (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

first acting impusle: "As a child I'd watch shows like Sesame Street on television - that's how I learned English - and I would always perform songs for my family." (In Style, May 2001)

Growing up in Israel, Fehr never expected to become an actor, though he admits to a childhood obsession with mimicking characters he watched on TV. I would see a comedy on the television and I’d repeat all the lines to everybody and perform them again and again and again. I used to do Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street all the time for my Mom. To this day she always says to me, ‘Do Bert and Ernie!’
Although Fehr was later introduced to acting by his mother, who studied it for a short time, he recognized what a tough life actors led and decided to study business. However his practicality eventually succumbed to his lack of interest in business. I was in Germany, in business school and it was so boring, it drove me nuts. (Brntwd Magazine Online, May 2001)

Oded: Yeah, well ah, well I mean watching the films and stuff.  I always, I always performed at home, for my parents, but I was quite a shy kid.  I wasn’t a big performer for the other kids. (Live with Regis and Kelly, May 2001)

VG: How come you're an actor?
Oded: I don't know. I always kind of loved it. I always used to perform to my family when I was a kid. And I never thought of becoming an actor, I actually thought I'd be more of a businessman. (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

Picture on the right courtesy of Willow. Thanx!

 

The start of his acting career

Prior to The Mummy, Fehr served in the Israeli navy for three years, attended three different universities and then worked with his father in marketing and telecommunications. (US Magazine, October 2002)

Fehr went to live with his father in Germany while studying business administration at a local university."I was convinced that I would work for my father’s marketing and communications company, but lost interest six months later," he recalls. "The only thing that kept my sanity was a drama course at the English Theatre in Frankfurt." He was hooked the minute he stepped on stage in a modest production of David Mamet’s "Sexual Perversion In Chicago." "Completely in love with acting, I told my father about it and thought he would be horrified," he says. "But my dad gave me the opposite reaction. He said, ‘Go for it go to the best school you can find.’ " Fehr enrolled at England’s Bristol Old Vic Theatre School from 1994 to 1997, then moved on to London in order to use his new acting tools in an obscure stage production of "Don Juan Comes Back From The War." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Originally deciding to be a businessman, "at that time I didn't want to take part in acting, which I thought was just a TERRIBLE profession to be involved with." So he set out to join his father in business, marketing and telecommunications. That journey landed the young Mr Fehr in Frankfurt, Germany, where the father-son business was established. The partnership lasted two years. "Though we got on very well, business just didn't do it for me at all." To pass the time, Fehr embarked "on some silly drama course", which led to his participation in a local production of David Mamet's stage play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago. "The only reason why they asked me was because I could speak English better than most Germans." The would-be actor did the show "and from then on I was never happier", he now recalls. Fehr then made up his mind to become an actor, went to London, and was ultimately accepted into the none-too-shabby Bristol Old Vic, which he called home for the next three years.Oded Fehr/The Mummy Returns Interview by Paul Fischer in Los Angeles)

Oded Fehr: "Next I auditioned for drama school in Bristol in England and I was there for three years. "
Q. Was it a full-time school?
A.. Oh, completely. On the holidays, I'd go to Germany, where I used to work security for the Israeli airlines at the airport. (Movieline, September 2001)

Ardeth Bay

Grunting a couple of lines on the British series "Killer Net" and "The Knock" didn’t pay the rent, leaving Fehr with a series of odd jobs, including as a security functionary for an Israeli airline. His acting career apparently going nowhere fast, he felt as though he had nothing to lose when he auditioned for Ardeth Bay in front of "The Mummy’s" director Steven Sommers. Never thinking that I had a chance to get the part, I was totally relaxed," he explains. "Then, after a long series of little jobs, "The Mummy" changed my life completely." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

 

VG: Was that your... when you auditioned, did you have that hair?
Oded: Yeah. That was my hair.
VG: Oh my god! They probably fell right over. You'll do fine for Ardeth.
Oded: Well, they sort of... they were looking for somebody that looked like that. And don't think there were... I was very unique in that respect. I don't think there were too many people in England, at the time, that looked like me. So when they were auditioning, I came in and it was either "me" or "me". So I got the part.. (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

 

Playing an Arab

"The whole thing about me portraying a heroic Arab is a wonderful bit of casting," says Fehr, smiling. "The greatest compliment I’ve ever received came while I was sitting in a sidewalk cafe on L.A.’s Westside. A car pulled up and the driver an Arab American leaned toward me and said, ‘You make people from the Middle East proud.’ He knew that I was an Israeli, but it didn’t matter." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Q. Who's been your most surprising fan?
A. I'm always surprised when somebody comes up to me. The nicest compliment came when I was sitting right outside this café, and this car comes by, stops, the window rolls down and this guy goes, "Hey, man! You make us Middle Easterners proud." It means a lot that my family and people in Israel are proud of me, but the fact that other people in the Middle East, like Egyptians or Arabs, would feel that I portrayed an Arab character well and made them proud, that's huge. It's great that they managed to forget that I'm Israeli and they're Arab and they still love what I did. (Movieline, September 2001)

"I am very Israeli. You grow up in a country where it's all very hard and it's a very painful history there. You leave the country and you find the most wonderful people who used to be on the other side, who are supposed to be your enemies. I wish there will be peace there but, for myself, I am very honoured to play Arabs or Muslims or Christians or Jewish." (Toronto Sun, May 2001)

You’re an Israeli Jew. What’s it like to play an Arab?
I’m very proud to play any religion or nationality. I don’t have any problems with Arabs, yet I come from a country where there’s a lot of history and a lot of hatred, which, truthfully, breaks my heart. I think most artists in Israel are pushing towards peace. They’re more left wing than right, and want to work together with the Arabs. A lot of the material that’s done in Israel is obviously political in the sense that it’s asking "Why don’t we have peace?" Most of my family’s in Israel, and I worry for them. I just visited there a month ago, and the mood is somber. People don’t like the way things are, but no one can see a clear way out. You could say the people there are narrow-minded, but I think they just don’t know there’s any other way to live. Fighting is all they’ve known for generations. But as far as I’m concerned, I’m very proud to play an Arab. And I think it’s about time that there are heroic Arabs on screen, and not just terrorists. (Venice, May 2001)

As for the Tel Aviv-born actor playing an Arab character, if a dichotomy exists, Fehr isn't aware of it. "I have no conflict whatsoever in playing an Arab or playing ANY character whatsoever." Fehr recalls sitting in a café in Los Angeles and a car stopped next to him. "The window comes down and the guy in the car shouts out: You make us Middle Easterns proud! I thought that was the nicest thing anyone ever told me, because it's obvious to me that a lot of Israelis are very proud of me and I feel very honoured for that. If JEWISH people are also proud of me, of course that's even better." Discussing the sensitive issue of Middle Eastern politics, in his relation to playing this character, Fehr remains philosophical. "You know it's weird. You grow up in a country that is hard, complete with a very painful history, and you leave the country, and then come across the most wonderful people who USED to be on the 'other side' and SUPPOSED to be your enemy. It all seems very pointless to somebody like me, but I still respect it. I can only wish there'll be peace there." Fehr remains defiantly proud of his Israeli heritage, he says emphatically. "I'm VERY Israeli and remain very proud of who I am" and as an actor, he is honoured "to portray ANY Middle Easterns in a positive light and hopefully they'll enjoy it." On his character, Arab or not, Fehr says that he simply "loved the character, as well as the culture and the beauty of it." Fehr further admits to also being "intrigued by ancient Egypt," enhancing his boyish enthusiasm in doing the film. (Interview by Paul Fischer in Los Angeles, April 2001)

Girlfriends

Q. What were you like in high school?
A. I grew up being a very shy kid, and then I broke out in the 10th grade and I was relatively popular. I didn't date a lot of girls. My first girlfriend and I were together for, like, five years. I'm more of a long-term relationship type of guy. I was never big on dating 100 different girls. (Movieline, September 2001)

In real life, however, he complains he hasn't had a date in four months. Hard to believe, but he says that as his career has risen his social life has taken a nosedive. (He also admits he is picky.) (People Magazine, August 1999)

Tal Pitel: "So you've got married, it's like you've given up all the wild life of Hollywood."
Oded: "I wouldn't know what to do with the wild life of Hollywood. I don't believe in many many relationships, messin'up, different girls every night - it's not for me". (Erev Tov Show, 2001)

 

Rhonda

Shortly after arriving in sunny Southern California, he met Rhonda Tollefson, Sean Connery’s California-born production partner ("Finding Forrester," "Entrapment," "Just Cause") of Norwegian ancestry at a dinner party following the premiere of the Los Angeles Opera season. "We ended up sitting next to each other, chatting and soon became friends," he says, smiling. "By the time I proposed, I kind of knew she would say yes. And we got married about a year later. "But I must admit that it took Rhonda quite a while to get over the fact that I was an actor," he continues, laughing. Getting the ‘Sexiest Import’ thing from People magazine didn’t help. Knowing actors and the way of life, she was suspicious of me a long time before discovering that I’m a regular kind of guy. It all worked out great in the end. She’s a wonderful, wonderful woman and I’m a very lucky man." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Q. Where did you meet your wife?
A. At the opera. When we tell people that, they have this beautiful image of us sitting in opposite boxes and seeing each other through the opera glasses and falling in love at first sight. But it wasn't like that. After the show, there was a dinner and we ended up sitting next to each other. I really liked her and I think she really liked me, but she's in the business and she always told herself that she was never going to date an actor. So I wasn't pushing too hard. We dated here and there and then a girlfriend of hers broke the ice by taking her aside and going, "What's wrong with you? He's a nice guy."  (Movieline, September 2001)

Yes, darn it, he's a newlywed. Fehr met his bride, Sean Connery's producing partner Rhonda Tollefson, when a mutual friend invited them to see an opera, Samson and Delilah. (USA Today, May 2001)

Oded: No, we actually, we met at the Opera and we only realized it’s a great line a couple of months later, when we were actually dating.  Every time someone would say, Where did you guys meet? We met at the Opera. Everybody says, Oh my god, the Opera. (Live with Regis & Kelly, May, 2001)

Brad Leggatt: "I think everybody here hope so too. [audience cheers and Oded smiles] Okay, you’re married we talked about your wife. How did you propose to Rhonda?"
Oded Fehr: [pauses and smiles] "Ahhh we were shooting The Mummy Returns and I took her away to a romantic weekend in Belgium and did it there." (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

Sexiest Import

And in 1999 People Magazine voted him - this is the worst...
Oded: I know
VG: ... sexiest import. I don't know, it's sort of like a Huyandi. This is Oded Fehr.
VG: Isn't that kinda like a Japanese car. Isn't it.
Oded: I know, I know. That was a very difficult thing to handle. I was dating my now wife at the time and she wouldn't have anything to do with me for three months just because of that nice little article.
VG: She was embarrased.
Oded: Well, she wasn't embarrased. She's in the business herself. She's a producer and she knows, you know, kind of actors and so on. You know, that came out and Deuce Bigalow was coming out and me with the long hair and all the rest of it. She just wouldn't have anything to do with me.
VG: She thought you must be really a jerk.
Oded: Yeah. People think it's good, it's not necessarily. (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

 

Working together with Rhonda

Oded: "Well, I always say that we're very happily married at the moment and I think - there's no need to challenge it. I never wanna make a movie with her and she would never wanna make a movie with me where people would say 'Oh, she got him the job because she's the producer' or something like that." (Erev Tov Show, 2001)

"My wife is brilliant at what she does and has been very supportive of my career moves, particularly ‘UC:
Undercover,’ " says Fehr. "The reason we aren’t developing projects together is that we don’t want to be in the position where people on the production feel we gave each other the jobs. Besides, we’re not starving at the moment." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Asked whether he sees himself employed by his wife the producer, Fehr pauses before choosing his words with care. "I think our marriage is very healthy at the moment and we're very supportive of each other and are there for each other. I'm the luckiest guy and it's the best marriage, BUT I think we need to give it a few years before we get to a point where we risk it by working together", he concludes laughingly. (Interview by Paul Fischer, 2001)

Career ambitions and plans for the future

"I want to do well enough to get some recognition. I would hope to become an actor who is good enough to win Oscars. That is my goal, to do as much as I can. I feel very lucky to be doing what I am doing with my career."  (jewish.co.uk, November 2001)

The intense actor with the quick smile hopes to start a family in the near future, but isn't planning on working with his producer wife, even on a long-range basis. "My wife is brilliant at what she does and has been very supportive of my career moves, particularly ‘UC: Undercover,’ " says Fehr. "The reason we aren’t developing projects together is that we don’t want to be in the position where people on the production feel we gave each other the jobs. Besides, we’re not starving at the moment." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Asked whether he sees himself employed by his wife the producer, Fehr pauses before choosing his words with care. "I think our marriage is very healthy at the moment and we're very supportive of each other and are there for each other. I'm the luckiest guy and it's the best marriage, BUT I think we need to give it a few years before we get to a point where we risk it by working together", he concludes laughingly.
... "Directing is something that is very frightening for me at the moment. There's just so much stuff that I need to learn and there's so much more experience that I need to get as an actor before I can ever imagine directing. I think yes, I think one day in the very distant future I would be interested in doing that. As far as writing is concerned, every once in a while I do try and then I realize how incapable of writing I am so I stop. So basically I can't do anything and once people find out that I can't act everybody will know that." (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

"I'd like to get to a point in my career where I've established myself enough that I can afford to take three or four months off so I can do some theatre. But I think that will take a little more time but I'd love that. I'd definitely love that. My biggest wish is to one-day do Shakespeare on a London stage. That was my biggest challenge when I first joined drama school. I couldn't understand anything from that language. It was like Chinese for me. If it's done well than you understand it and can see the beauty of it. And that's the difference between a good Shakespearean actor and a bad one." (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

Q: Would you consider the role of 007? You'd be perfect as James Bond, and... we'd get to see you in a sizzling role! And what with the business partnership between your lovely wife Rhonda and Sean Connery, I'll bet I'm not the first to suggest this. (Vicky)
Oded Fehr: Bond? Sure one day that  would be great! Though I think the English would get a heart attack. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

 

Q: I just wanted to ask this quick question. Now that you've done TV, stage and movie roles. Do you prefer one over the others? (Julianna)
Oded Fehr: to rehearse and prepare, and I love the raw feeling of the theatre. It's hard to explain. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Choosing roles

Q: What kind of part would you like to do that you haven't done yet?
A: I'd love to do Shakespeare on a London stage. When I entered drama school, Shakespeare was like Chinese to me. It took three years to get to a place where I could actually perform in that language.  (Movieline, September 2001)

Do you want to break out of the leading man action roles and do more character parts?
I feel very lucky that I’ve gotten to a point in my life where I can choose my parts. When you’re an actor at drama school, all you’re thinking is that you’ll be very lucky to pay the rent with your acting. Now I’ve gotten to a point where I want to move away from the ethnic characters. It’s not that I don’twant that side of it, but I think to have a good, long career, you’ve got to do as many different things as you can. That’s why I did Deuce Bigelow and Texas Rangers. I’ve also cut my hair, because I’m looking to do something where there’s no action in it. Something that’s smaller...a lot smaller. Maybe a romantic comedy.
... Has any particular actor or character influenced you? There are actors that I really enjoy watching, but I don’t have a specific character that I want to do. I just try to do good work. It doesn’t have to be an arty film. It just has to entertain. When I was at drama school, I had an old teacher by the name of Rudi Shelly, who taught people like Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons. He always said that the most important thing an actor had to remember was that his job is to entertain. He hated the actors who would stand on stage and go through this immense emotional thing that the audience wouldn’t understand. The point is that the audience is paying money to enjoy what they’re watching, and if you enjoy what you do, that’s great. But your first priority is to entertain the people, and I want to do movies that will move the audience in one way or the other. (Venice, May 2001)

"I hope the next job people see me in is a much smaller film, no special effects and not necessarily ethnic, just a nice sweet love story."(TheIndyChannel.com, April 2001)

“It’s difficult. I’m turning down a lot of stuff. What I’m trying to do is find really good material that isn’t necessarily ethnic. Not that there’s anything wrong with playing ethnic roles, but I know if I do another big role like Ardeth Bay [of The Mummy], I will forever be playing ethnic roles. I think when one builds on one’s career, they must step forward all the time. (Brntwd Magazine Online, May, 2001)

Oded Fehr: Make it easy for me, why don't you! I think a role that would be interesting for me to play next would maybe be a nice guy in a romantic comedy. Or a regular Joe in a powerful drama in which the character develops through the film. Most important, something different from what I have done so far!! (Oded answers questions from the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Q: What attracted you to a television role as opposed to another movie role following "The Mummy Returns"? (ClaudiaWhiteDove)
Oded Fehr: I believe that in order to have a long career one must try and do as many different roles as possible. Also the opportunity to work continuously with a very rigorous schedule, a schedule that permits no rehearsal time, was a great challenge for me as well as a wonderful training ground. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

 

About his job

Q: What's your favorite part of your job?
A. I just love the job itself. When you're actually in front of the camera, creating something, its the most fulfilling job. Just being butch all day, shooting guns and riding a horse and talking in a deep voice, is fun in itself.  (Movieline, September 2001)

When I was at drama school, I had an old teacher by the name of Rudi Shelly, who taught people like Anthony Hopkins and Jeremy Irons. He always said that the most important thing an actor had to remember was that his job is to entertain. He hated the actors who would stand on stage and go through this immense emotional thing that the audience wouldn’t understand. The point is that the audience is paying money to enjoy what they’re watching, and if you enjoy what you do, that’s great. But your first priority is to entertain the people, and I want to do movies that will move the audience in one way or the other. (Venice, May 2001)

"Our job is to entertain, to give people an enjoyable out for an hour, to just sit and watch something different. And to do a show about terrorists is just too hard at the moment. Each person uses entertainment for his own pleasure in a certain way. I do most definitely. After a long day, I love putting on the television and it just takes me somewhere." (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

Q: First, I LOVE you as Frank, this role fits you like a glove. Have you become more comfortable in your acting ability? I read in an interview you did once that you were afraid everyone would find out you couldn't act. Was that you just being coy or is that what you really thought? If so, has working on a weekly show helped you fine tune your skills any? I find your acting thus far exciting to say the very least, though I'd love for you to do something that doesn't include weapons, a love story perhaps. (wink wink) (taunya)
Oded Fehr: I think it will always be hard for me to see my own work, and I hope to always think: "I could have done it better" Though working on a weekly show has definitely allowed me to feel somewhat more comfortable and therefore enabled me to try something new every once in a while. It is like driving; in your first year all you can do is grip the steering wheel and change gears. After three years you eat your burger talk on the phone and change a CD all while driving. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Kids Cancer Connection

But we will hear about his other children's love. And that is the Kids Cancer Connection, a charity for children with the disease and their families. "My wife and I wanted to do some kind of charity with children," he explains. His wife, Finding Forrester producer Rhonda Tollefson, found out about Kids Cancer Connection. Oded went to one of their meetings and says it became very clear, very quickly he could do a lot for the charity with The Mummy and a charity screening. His film schedule and working up in Canada, makes it harder for him to be involved in the charity but he tries to keep a hand in it. (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

Who are your heroes?
The kids from the "Kids Cancer Connection" are my heroes. These children fight the worst enemy of all, cancer. One time a 13 year old said about a five year old: "It is sad that he never got to experience life as I did."  (NYPOST.COM, October 2001)

...I think it's wonderful that you have chosen a charity that focuses on children. How did you and your wife choose this particular charity, when there are so many of them to choose from? (Michelle in Indiana)
Oded Fehr: ...As for the Charity we knew we wanted to do something with kids, but it was most definitely Rhonda who found the specific Charity. She makes me a better person, my wife! (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

 

 

The Mummy Returns

But what does Mr Fehr think the toughest part of shooting this film was? "Walking around in a dress and high heels was the hard part", he says, Israeli accent still in toe. "When I'm going up the steps, constantly tripping over myself, not to mention being made fun of by all the other actors, THAT'S the hard part." It's good to have a sense of humour and Mr Fehr has that in spades. Not that working in the desert was a piece of cake by any means. "Oh, we had sandstorms and floods, we even had hail the size of ice cubes." The Ten Plagues perhaps. "It was certainly unnatural. I don't normally believe in curses, but boy oh boy, it was almost as if somebody didn't want us to film. You'd wake up in the morning and it was a beautiful blue sky, then you'd get on set and then all of a sudden a sandstorm would hit." All's fun in love and moviemaking. ( Interview by Paul Fischer, April 2001)

Actually, for Fehr the biggest challenge in the sequel was avoiding the problem that plagued most of the cast and crew in the first film: dysentery. ; "I was sick on the last film almost the whole time," Fehr says. "So this time in Morocco I ate like a pig thinking, 'Okay, I'll get sick and I'll lose all the weight.' So I'm eating and eating and eating and I never got sick. It was terrible. My wife kept calling me up saying, 'Okay, stop with the vision quest.' I'm Jewish and she'd say, 'Look, your people were in the desert for 40 years, don't you think it's about time you came home now?'" (13th Street, May, 2001)

The Rock

"I have to say that I didn't know anything about wrestlers before I made this movie," Fehr admits. "They told me, ; 'Yeah, we're getting this guy The Rock who's a wrestler to play the Scorpion King' and I thought they must be joking. I've seen pictures of The Rock, but they're kidding—they're bringing some heavy-set guy who's reallyslow to play the Scorpion King?" As it turned out, Fehr's impression of the actor quickly changed upon meeting him. "Here shows up this good-looking, gentle, sweet man that is extremely hard working, extremely nice, extremely dedicated, very smart, very intellectual," Fehr says. Perhaps the most memorable moment shared with The Rock came during an off camera moment – one that required the two to perform some real life swashbuckling. "The production brought in these jeeps with this skinny little driver and we shared the same one," Fehr recalls. "We were driving and all of a sudden this jeep starts sinking in a dune. We looked at each other, got out of the jeep and started pushing. The driver was there, but didn't know what he was doing. He was trying to use the four-wheel drive, but it wasn't working. Both the Rock and me were in costume, full makeup, I'm in a dress and high heels and he's sick and we were both trying to get this jeep going. It was very surreal." (13th Street, May, 2001)

Arab accent

Oded: No... obviously, when I did the show... when I was rehearsing "The Mummy" and I was working.... My brother, I always share everything with my brother. And we both grew up in Israel. And I would talk to him over the phone and I would say [puts on accent] I'm going to be speaking like this as Ardeth Bay. And he would [say] but that's not an Arab accent. [I said] Yeah, I know, but Americans, you know they like it that way and that's the way it is.
Oded: Steve Sommers, he's so great because he would just... you know he would write a line and he would want it to be in Arabic. But he doesn't know Arabic. When he's writing, he doesn't have anybody with him to do it for him. So, he would just write something that sounds Arabic to him. And he actually wrote a line in the second one, which was ha-room barashad [spelt phonetically]. Which doesn't sound Arab in any way to me at all. So I changed it when we were actually there, I made it into something that actually means something.
That's when I go [hand over heart and outward motion] Allah humah ah [phonetically spelt].
VG: Right, which means something.
Oded: It means "God is with us". (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

Horseback Riding

Fehr worked hard to improve his horseback riding skills so as to do more of his own stunts in a huge battle scene against nine-foot creatures, which took about a month to shoot in the Moroccan desert. Stunt men stood in for the creatures, later added by digital special effects, but no one was standing in for Fehr during scary stuff like when he had to "rear up his horse or 200 extras behind me who didn't necessarily know how to control their horses...or lean ; out from the saddle to pull up a sword stuck in the ground." (Boxoffice Online, May 2001)

Even having been a soldier in the Israeli army did not prepare Mr Fehr for the kind of desert warfare he encountered shooting Mummy Returns. Oh God it's so different. The Israeli army was a piece of cake in comparison to all the tough horse training I did for this film. I've never worked so hard in all my life." (Interview by Paul Fischer, April 2001)

Regis: You did a lot of horse back riding in this one. ; Learned to ride a horse for the movie?
Oded: Yes. ; Yes, I did, I did. ; After I was very much embarrassed with the first movie because I didn’t really get to ride on the first movie. ; It was mostly a stunt guy. ; They actually had boxes up for me, you know they held boxes up for me, I was like standing on a box and they’d go, “Action” and I’d sit down on the hourse and I’d (waving hand), “Yallah, imshi” and you know, they’d cut and put the stunt guy and he rides off. (Live with Regis & Kelly, May 2001)

Stunts and special effects

Surprisingly enough, Fehr admits to receiving better training for his onscreen battles in drama school rather than in the military. "You do a lot of training for stage fighting so you learn a lot of the basics," he notes. "You learn a lot of dance, which is very important because all these fights you learn are sort of like a dance. I had a lot of training this time with the stunt guys. I stayed in a hotel with them and it was great. I think I did everything myself in the stunts on this one. They might have done some cover shots with a stunt man, but I did all my own stunts and the stunt guys were great about it. They gave me a jacket with my name on it and I'm so proud of it I can't say. At home I'm like 'Oh, my back, I can't move,' but on the film I was a tiger." (13th Street - Interview with Oded Fehr, May 2001)

When asked about his preparation for the shoot Oded says, "The Israeli army was a piece of cake in comparison to all the tough horse training I did for this film. I've never worked so hard in all my life." (Brian Linder - IGN, April 2001)

But no matter how advanced the special effects become, Fehr said the skill of imagination must remain sharply intact. Among his special effects scenes in the film is a spectacular scene where Ardeth leads a fight against the Anubis warriors. ; "It's hard work, but you try to do your best," Fehr said. "You have to really concentrate. You try to learn the move of the fight like a dance. Once you have it down you've got to keep the level of intensity there. It's definitely an experience." ; (TheIndyChannel.com, April 2001)

Deuce and Rob Schneider

"I was surprised because my role in Deuce is not that big either. I come in and the beginning and at the end but I don't participate throughout the movie. I got a lot of recognition for that film, which is fantastic." Oded says doing comedy is difficult for him, but had fun working on Deuce Bigelow and wants to work with Schneider again. He would like to work with Sommers again too, now that he has a bit more of an idea what to expect. (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

Brad Leggatt: ..."Talk about uhh Rob Schneider. He’s a lot of fun to work with…"
Oded Fehr: "Oh yeah he’s fantastic and we’re ah good friends since the movie and we’re hoping, we’re hoping to do ahh something else together soon. I so I don’t know. There’s always talk about Deuce Bigalow II and things like that but hopefully we’ll do something together." (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

Undercover

Fehr had no career ambitions when he joined the naval branch of the Israel Defense Forces at the age of 18. As an enlisted man for three years, he spent the bulk of his time in uniform doing "intelligence and counter-intelligence work, but never anything too physically dangerous. I loved the work – a lot of it applies to my job on "UC: Undercover" today; I know how to infiltrate small groups, gather information, set up security procedures and use all kinds of surveillance equipment." (TV CLOSE-UP, November 2001)

Q: How does your time in the Israel army influence this character, if it does at all? Thanks (Burton)
Oded Fehr: I served in the Israeli Navy for three years and was involved with Intelligence and Counter Intelligence. As the Army, the Navy, The FBI all use similar means of intelligence gathering, preparations for an operation, hostage negotiations, training, discipline and so on, I felt I could relate to the material on UC much easier. I suppose it's a way of thinking that I am more familiar with. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Television and Frank Donovan

"I was interested in doing both either film or television. What drew me to television was it's very quick but for a very long period of time. And you get to play the same character and get a chance to really explore it. As far as Frank Donovan is concerned, he's a very interesting character. We're going to find out a lot about him. And he does get the opportunity every so often to go undercover. Which for an actor is fantastic because you get to play different roles. "
When he first attended drama school, Oded says, actors rarely crossed-over between film and television but it now happens regularly. Choosing a television role doesn't bother him over a feature film career. He just wanted to make sure he chose the right project for his career. (Ones2Watch4, October 2001)

"I believe that a TV series is a great training ground for an actor. You have to work quickly under pressure, but you also get the time to really develop your character. It's an opportunity for me as well to play a non-ethnic character, which is nice for a change." (Empire Magazine, October 2001)

Television and sit-coms

Brad Leggat: ..."Besides UC: Undercover and Select, of course, what uh, do you like to watch on television when you’re at home?"
Oded Fehr [grinning] "UC:Undercover and Select, no…"
BL: "We already…"
OF: "No beside those. No, usually I would just uh I watch sit-coms. I watch a lot of sit-coms. I find it kind of relaxing to let my brain go and you know, just watch Friends and Fraiser…"
BL: "Mindless humor?"
OF: "All that, yeah. Kinda stuff yeah." (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

Hobbies

Questioned about his hobbies, he answered: "everything".
His favourite sport is swimming. He likes indoor and outdoor sports, especially hiking.
He and Rhonda are practicing Hapkido. He knows how to scuba-dive and enjoys watching Basketball.
His favourite book is Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird".
His favourite song changes everyday, but he says that he really enjoys Lauryn Hill.
He doesn't specify about his favourite color, but he says that he likes mostly earthly warm colors.
He doesn't like ice cream and he plays guitar.
He is a really good photographer, as is proven by the 1998 graduation photos from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

Favorite places

His favourite place is Israel. His work has taken him to a lot of places. When asked about which of them he enjoyed most, he said: "Iceland, so different from any place I ever visited."
About Hollywood he said: "I thought Hollywood was great, though I think someone should do something
about the weather, it's too perfect!"

Speaking English

Oded: (speaking English and then returning to Hebrew) "The possiblity to speak English as an Englishman and to sound British - It was something that for me was a real tough thing. I had to invest a lot of time to learn the language. I used dictionaries, reading. My friends used to go out to the pubs and I stayed at home reading and using the dictionary". (Erev Tov Show, 2001)

These days he's working with a voice coach to learn different accents in the hopes that he can avoid the typecasting that often straightjackets foreign actors. (Boxoffice Online, 2001)

Shakespeare and Singing

A: I'd love to do Shakespeare on a London stage. When I entered drama school, Shakespeare was like Chinese to me. It took three years to get to a place where I could actually perform in that language. (Movieline, September 2001)

(Auditioning for the Bristol Old Vic)
VG: your audition piece? [grins] Do it for me now?
Oded: No! [laughs embarassed] I did actually, I did... I had to do a classical speech, a modern speech and a song. So I did the modern version of it... we did these sketches in bars. So I did the wolf from modern day "Little Red Riding Hood". Which is very funny... he wants to have sex with her and eat her.
VG: They probably fell for that, did they?
Oded: Yeah! Oh they loved that...
VG: I can't imagine it myself, but anyway...
Oded: I did Cassius from Julius Caesar. And obviously I did it all wrong and how dare I do Shakespear to the English. [big grin] But actually that was fine. They did like that. ; And a song I did ummm... [looks down, then up] I can't sing... I cannot sing.
VG: You did a song called "I cannot sing"?
Oded: No. I did from the show... what was it... the "Rocky Horror Picture Show". That was the only song I knew all the words to...
Oded: Yeah, I know...
VG: Sounds like a bloody nightmare to me! I don't know how you got in there!
VG: You did Shakespear to the English and you sang a bad song.
Oded: I think they felt that they're getting too many good actors and so on...
Oded: and they felt they needed a challenge...
VG: and you were it...
Oded: and they thought, you know, we'll take the worst actor possible and we'll try to work with them.
VG: We'll mold him...
Oded: And by the third year, I have to say, by my third year my singing teacher at drama school said I'm almost bearable.
VG: Really?!? Well that's good. And have you ever had a singing part in a film?
Oded: No... and I really don't think I will ever have a singing part in a film.
VG: Yeah, well you just never know.
Oded: You never know! (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

Christmas

Brad Leggatt: With Oded Fehr here. We have uh Christmas is coming up. You’ve never celebrated Christmas you were born in Tel Aviv.
Oded Fehr: Yeah.
BL: Christmas is kinda new to you, but now you’re like a little kid. It’s all great. It’s all new to you.
OF: Oh yeah I love it. I love it. My wife obviously, she grew up in Los Angeles so they celebrate Christmas, and it’s wonderful I love it. Last year I that was the first Christmas kinda with her family that we did a big thing. They were all buying presents and I was like Mr. Scrooge going , Wait a minute. Wait a minute. That’s too much here. Too much there. But I ended up getting the most out of everybody so [ Host laughs]
BL: Now you like it?
OF: You know now everything’s cool. I like it it’s good yeah!
... Brad Leggatt: "What’s the one thing about Christmas that you love the most?"
Oded Fehr: "Oh. Family. Getting together." (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

Fashion

Q: Since this is our Style issue, what was your most regrettable fashion era?
A: The '80s were just horrible. I don't know how it happened. I wore acid-wash jeans and this Michael Jackson jacket that was absolutely horrific. I never did the glove thing, but close to it.
Q: What kind of clothes do you like to see on a woman?
A: I'm not much for very short, tight things. I usually like more elegant, classy clothes. A turtleneck and skirt are nice. (Movieline, September 2001)

Uncle Ded's ears

Marie: You know what I thought was hysterical, as I was reading on you, you have a thing about your ears.
Oded: Yeah... well, I don't have a thing about my ears, I had a thing about my ears. I'll give you an example what happened was after I did "The Mummy"--there was a trailer out for "The Mummy" and I showed...
Donny: Great film!
Marie: [to audience] Oh, okay. We know you all wrote the emails.
Oded: So there was the trailer out for "The Mummy" and I showed it to my little nephew on the computer. And I said, do you recognize who this is? And he said, "no... no, I don't recognize...." And I said, "Look"--and I stopped it on the picture of me, the character I play Ardeth Bay--and he looks at it and says, "I don't know who that is, but he's got, you know, Uncle Ded's ears."
[laughter]
So, I must....
Marie: I don't think your ears... your ears are fine!
Oded: I know, I know, they're fine! (Donny and Marie, TV, December 1999)

As a child he was teased for his "funny ears. They stuck out a bit," says the actor, who received classical training at England's Old Vic Theatre before moving to Santa Monica last May. Today, though, "there's nothing wrong with him," notes Moyer. (People Magazine, 1999)

Tidbits

Brad Leggatt: "Boxers or Briefs?"
Oded Fehr: "Uhh boxers " (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

BL: "Are you a cat or dog person?"
OF: "Dog." (Canadian MTV, December 2001)

Q: I'll keep this one short... Do you have any pets? (Treyelis)
Oded Fehr: I used to have pets. None right now. Will have some in the future! (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

first thing to do in the a.m.: "Have a couple of quiet minutes when my wife and I can just look at each other. She calls me Dedi. It's sweet, but sometimes people think she's saying daddy. I always like to say, 'Who's your Dedi?'" ; (In Style, May 2001)

Well, both [Ardeth Bay and Oded] have tattoos. Instead of facial hieroglyphics, Fehr has a tiny ghost
on his back. "I wish there was a meaningful reason for it, but it was just something I did when I was 19." Besides, Fehr has his own admirable qualities. (USA Today, May, 2001)

Kelly: So did you lie to them? ; When you were auditioning for the first Mummy and they said, So can you ride a horse? ; and you’re like, Yeah, I can ride a horse. Oded: Yeah, I don’t, I don’t lie. Kelly: You don’t lie?
Oded: No. (Regis & Kelly, May 2001)

Besides, Fehr has his own admirable qualities.
He's honest. "I like to say I'm 6-foot-2, but I'm 6-foot-1." (USA Today, May 2001)

What would you be doing if you weren't doing this?
I love kids, so I think I would be a kindergarten teacher. I actually think some days of chucking it all and opening a preschool. (NYPOST.COM, October 2001)

VG: You mean, they're hand-held cameras?
Oded: Most of the time it's hand-held. Either hand-held or steady cam which is still ... I mean you have to carry it.
VG: And your back must kill you.
Oded: I have always, I've got like, you know, anti-inflammatory creams that I give them VG: You're the doctor ... on the set?
Oded: Yeah, I know how to take care of them. marriage problems, all the rest of it, I do the whole thing. VG: marriage problems, medical problems.
Oded: yeah (Vicki Gabereau, TV, October, 2001)

Have read that you consider yourself "quirky?" How would you define your "quirkiness?" I just happen to think that it is the "quirky" people that are the most interesting...(Gayle)
Oded Fehr: What can I say? I'm a klutz! I have dropped my gun, fell on my ass and flubbed the lines more times than I wish to remember... (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Q: What is your strongest quality and what is your worst ( I personally don't believe you have any) (crazy4u)
Oded Fehr:That is a question you should ask the people around me. I would say my strongest quality is that I try never to hurt any living thing, and my worst is that I try and do everything myself as I don't trust others enough to get it right. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Web sites, clubs and fan fiction

Q: What do you think of all the fan sites that have come up? Have you read any of the fan fiction based on the charcters you have played? And if you have, what do you think of them? (Kim in Chicago)
Oded Fehr:I am very aware of the fact that there are many web sites. I can not explain how wonderful it feels when people really appreciate your work. I thank you all! I have not yet gotten a chance to read any of the fan fiction, as you can imagine I have so much reading to do for work, but I promise to sit down and read some of them in the future. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

Q: Do you ever go "Undercover" into your various clubs on the web or do you just read? (Marianne Stuckey)
Oded Fehr: I only read every once in a while when I get a chance. I think it would be kind of rude of me to do anything else. (Oded answers questions on the Deep Undercover Message Board, January 2002)

What other people say

Rob Schneider: "Women go gaga over him," ; "He's got this Omar Sharif vibe: tall, dark and handsome with a mysterious quality." (People Magazine, November 1999)

Jennifer Moyer, an assistant producer: " Fehr is also "kind, sweet--and punctual. If he says we'll get together at eight, my doorbell rings at eight." (People Magazine, November 1999)
"Originally, the Med-Jai were going to be completely tattooed from head to toe. But then when I cast Oded Fehr ... I just couldn't do that to his face. He looked too good. And, in fact, uh..." (Steven Sommers / The Mummy DVD Commentary)

Stephen Sommers: "Originally, Ardeth Bay died. He died in that earlier scene with the mummies . . . He sacrificed himself for our heroes. He was going to die. But working with him he was such a sweet-heart, such a good actor ... and 'so' good-looking, I just had a feeling he was too heroic to kill off. So we brought him back here at the end. I was always a little nervous about it ... how the audience would accept that. But it went over like gang-busters. And, in fact, he has many teen-age girl fan sites now on the web. So I think it was worth bringing him back." (Steven Sommers / The Mummy DVD Commentary)
"It's really unusual and really lucky to get an actor to jump into a TV series coming off a $200 million movie," said series creator and executive producer Shane Salerno. "I think that there is a fire and a weight and a presence and a soul to this man that has not been fully tapped yet." (The Hollywood Reporter/Variety, May 2001)