Not so long ago, a dream invitation popped into my inbox: “As you’re going to be in Israel, why don’t you come and spend the day with the Fauda cast in Jaffa?” No need to ask twice.
The husband’s jealousy knew no bounds (he’s a massive Fauda fan) until he was told he could come too.
The event at a restaurant, Nour 28, was the Israeli launch of season four of the internationally acclaimed TV drama, which on 20 January arrives here in the UK on Netflix.
The atmosphere was warm and relaxed with full Israeli hospitality, a table laden with cakes and pastries and a fully stocked bar.
The cast were all laughing and joking with each other, very friendly and open. As I was the only UK journalist there, it’s a big bonus that they all speak good English.
For those of you who have not yet become addicted to Fauda, you have a week of binge-watching ahead of you. The show portrays the conflicts of the Middle East with heart.
Creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, who also plays the lead character Doron Kavillio, give us deftly-crafted fiction, a vivid narrative of murder and revenge, personal betrayals and turbulent love affairs. Fauda means chaos in Arabic and the characters definitely lead chaotic lives.
When Issacharoff and Raz first came up with the notion of a drama showing life and death from both the Israeli and Palestinian point of view, they didn’t think anyone would watch it.
“We started with a dream that you think nobody will follow. We didn’t know that this is going to be such a huge success,” says Raz. “Nobody wanted it, you know? So, we were running from broadcaster to broadcaster just to try and secure a commission. When it was taken up by Yes Studios, we still thought only our parents would watch it.”
Fast forward seven years and the show is one of Netflix’s most watched dramas around the world. Raz has become an international star with Hollywood beckoning. The Fauda format has been sold around the world. The Indian version, Tanaav, set in Kashmir, has just aired. There’s talk of a UK version too.
Season three saw emotional turmoil on both sides and the journey from an innocent to a terrorist. It also bravely killed off one of its main characters, Avichai (Boaz Konforty). Raz says the entire cast were in tears: “When we lost Avichai it was very, very hard for everyone.
Every week when the show airs in Israel, we all go to somebody’s house to watch it together.
So, when that episode came on, we were all crying even though we knew what was going to happen. For us it was like we really had lost someone real.
“It’s not easy when you have become good friends with someone. You don’t want to lose them, it’s very, very hard. We are a team working together in order to find the best story.”
Then he starts laughing and says: “But if they are looking too good on screen then they will die!”
Such is the obvious camaraderie of the cast, they each claim to be the joker on set.
“I am the joker on set, yes, it’s true. I’m a little bit of a clown,” says Doron Ben-David, who plays Steve Pinto. Yaakov Zada-Daniel, who plays Eli, swears it’s him: “There is a huge difference between me and Eli whose character is the ‘calming one’ in Fauda.
"On set, I am responsible for the fun, the craziness. I know Doron told you he is the joker but I am the real one! Don’t ask them, I will tell you what really goes on.”
On a serious note, producer Liat Benasuly promises season four will surpass the previous ones.
“I think it’s the most exciting one. We have Lucy Ayoub, who has joined us as an amazing character. We’re capturing the Israeli identity mix of Palestinian and Arabs and Israeli, which is so interesting. We will have all the action, obviously, and things will happen that people expect with Fauda but this is a very different story.”
Ayoub, whose mother is Jewish and father is a Christian Arab, is well known in Israel as a poet and presenter, hosting the Israeli version of Strictly Come Dancing.
She explains her Fauda role: “Maya’s a daughter of a Palestinian family. Her father helped the Israelis but was exposed and they had to take him from Palestine to Israel. She grew up in Israel, became a mainstream Israeli, married a Jewish guy, lives in a kibbutz, and she’s a police officer. But her brother never saw his future in Israel and couldn’t accept his identity there.
“So at some point he goes to Lebanon, and this is the starting point of season four, he becomes engaged in terrorism.
"She is dragged in to trap him, she must figure out what she has to do. Her intentions are good, she’s a great police officer, she’s only trying to help her brother get out of a bad situation he’s got himself into, but she gets herself into a bad situation.”
For the first time, Fauda has been filmed overseas. The team all headed to Budapest for a few weeks to shoot there. Originally they planned to go Kyiv.
“Kyiv was going to depict Brussels so now it’s Budapest,” says Raz. “It was too expensive to shoot in Belgium. It’s a small problem for us to switch location when you see what’s happening in the news in Ukraine.”
Surely a show as successful as Fauda must now have a huge budget?
Raz laughs. “It’s nothing compared to the US or UK. OK, we have a bit more now but it’s still an Israeli budget.
“So the answer is in the script, we need to invest in characters, we don’t have money for fireworks.
"We invest in relationships and in the story. I think this is what makes it good, actually. Sometimes when you have limitations this is the place to shine and be clever. This is what we do.”
The worldwide success of Fauda means the cast have all found fame outside Israel. Zada-Daniel is enjoying the exposure: “Yes, of course I like it. I think it’s good to be recognised.
“Look, I’ll be honest, they may take me to the front of the line. It opens doors. It’s easier on the borders. I go to the US and they recognise me and I’m straight in.
“I understand people don’t like fame because you want your own privacy but I don’t mind the Fauda audience, because they love us, they are coming from a place of love.”
Every episode in Fauda contains a shooting or an explosion, but safeguarding for cast and crew is paramount, as Liat Benasuly explains: “Nothing has gone wrong.
Asaf Peri as Amos Binyamin
"After what happened in Hollywood [the accidental shooting by Alec Baldwin of film editor Halyna Hutchins on the set of Rust) we know how lucky we are. We use a lot of weapons but have very strict safeguards.
"We regrouped after that event and said, ‘Let’s talk about the rules again.’ We have very stringent rules for guns and explosives.
"We have a weapons expert who is very particular and professional. We know in Israel you have to be careful with guns.”
Most of the cast do their own stunts, especially Raz: “So far, I’ve broken a rib, pulled an ankle, torn a muscle in my leg. You know what, I’m too old for that, really.”
Ben-David is the only one who doesn’t really get involved with stunts. He explains: “Not because I don’t want to but because I don’t need to. Steve’s not all action. He only has small bits of action.”
Obviously, it is not possible for Fauda to be filmed in Gaza, but it’s an obstacle they have overcome, as Benasuly explains: “There are lot of Arab villages in Israel, and we use them, we have very good relationships. They love Fauda and want us to come and film there.”
Much is made of Fauda building bridges between Israelis and Arabs and all the cast agree.
Raz says: “It allows people to see the complexity of the conflict and to understand that everyone has a backstory, on both sides, Israelis and Palestinians.
“I thought art doesn’t change people, I truly believed that nobody would change because of art. But now I can see that Fauda has this power over people.
“Fauda is number one in Lebanon, number two in the UAE. It’s shown all over the Arab world, which is amazing for an Israeli drama. I cannot walk around in the UAE — I am mobbed.”
Raz and Issacharoff based the show on their own experiences in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Raz says: “It’s a show, a drama, at the end of the day, not real life, but we try to bring authenticity to the screen. In everything, in how they pull the gun, how they shoot, how they fight.”
As series four has barely touched our screens, is it too presumptuous to expect a fifth? Raz answers: “For sure there will be season five.”
He adds: “I am very emotional, maybe not as much as Doron. That is what I like about him.
"He is a fighter, he will do anything for his country for his friends, for his people. But he’s all heart. I can’t let him go yet. I love him!”
Millions of Fauda fans will no doubt agree.
Season 4 of Fauda starts on Netflix on 20 January
