Odelya Halevi On What It Was Like Stepping Onto The Black Adam Set With Dwayne Johnson - Exclusive
2022 is turning out to be a good year for Odelya Halevi. In February, she made her debut as Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun on the "Law & Order" revival, and in late October, she'll appear in the DC Comics-based movie "Black Adam," starring Dwayne Johnson.
With "Law & Order," Halevi is one of several new cast members on the long-running series, which went on a 12-year hiatus before returning for its 21st season in early 2022 with original star Sam Waterston. Now in its 22nd season, the police procedural and legal drama airs on Thursday nights on NBC.
Meanwhile, Halevi has a small but significant role in "Black Adam," playing Shiruta, the title character's first wife who died in ancient times. It was a job the Israeli actress accepted without knowing anything about the part. During an exclusive interview with Looper, Halevi explained why she blindly walked into the "Black Adam" role and revealed what it was like meeting Johnson for the first time.
'You don't say no to' working with Dwayne Johnson
Odelya Halevi was quick to point out the significance of working with an A-list star like Dwayne Johnson on a movie like "Black Adam." "I had no idea what I was going to play until I arrived in Atlanta," she said. "That's how hush-hush this was. All I knew was that it was 'Black Adam,' a movie with Dwayne Johnson. You don't say no to that."
As soon as she landed in Atlanta, she found herself in the presence of Johnson, which practically left her speechless at first.
"I flew in, I'm on set and I see Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson," said Halevi. "The director introduced us ... He said, 'I heard you didn't know what you were going to play up until you arrived.' I said, 'Yeah, I had no idea.' He said, 'And you still agreed to take that role?' And I said, 'Do you know who you are?'"
With that, the two quickly hit it off. "He's so grounded and amazing and adorable," Halevi shared. "Even though he knows he's a huge star, he doesn't refer to himself in that way. He was surprised that someone would agree to do a part in his film [without knowing what the part was] ... he was like, 'You didn't have time to prep.'"
She continued, "We talked about how acting is sometimes all about the preparation. When you come to set, you're ready. The prep that you've done has been done a gazillion years before, a gazillion days before. I said, 'Sometimes life and acting is all about, here are the circumstances, go.' He agreed with me, and we really had a nice conversation about that. I'm so grateful and honored, and I feel very lucky to have talked to that person for a little bit."
Halevi can currently be seen on "Law & Order," which airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and streams the next day on Peacock. Meanwhile, "Black Adam" will be released in theaters on October 21.