The Genuinely Interested Podcast Ep 94 - Niv Majar - On The Spectrum
Niv Majar is an actor, director, musician, artist - just a modern-day renaissance man with many creative gifts. Niv is one of the stars of the successful HBO show "On the Spectrum" - a show about 3 people, all on the spectrum, who share an apartment. It's a beautifully made show that depicts these characters in the most authentic way that I've ever seen people on the spectrum portrayed on screen. The show won the 2018 Grand Jury Prize at the French Séries Mania festival, making it the second Israeli series to claim the award. Niv also won for best actor at the Monte Carlo TV festival. The show was inspired by creator Dana Idisis’s brother, who is in fact on the spectrum.
Niv and I discussed:
- How he studied for the role
- How he incorporated facial ticks into the character
- Why it is so liberating having no filter
- Why streaming services have opened the market for International films and shows
- Why Larry David is his "hero"
- Why he felt his character was his alter ego
- His commercial with the "soup nazi"
And much more...
My Take: I love that we can get to see more International movies/shows/documentaries nowadays. It has completely opened up stories and voices we would have never been able to see before. Seeing a show like this where almost all the characters are on the spectrum would not have been possible 5 or 10 years ago. As someone who knows many people on the spectrum and also has a family member on the spectrum, I was happy to see them represented in this honest, funny, and dramatic depiction.