Interview: JANE THE VIRGIN's Yael Grobglas Chats Unique Process of Shooting JERUZALEM

When most people think of the nation of Israel, they usually think of one of the most historically important locales on Earth, gorgeous beaches on the Mediterranean, or the fact that it is the home of three of the world's largest religions. However, one thing that most people don't associate with the country is horror movies. However, on Friday, January 22nd, the new Israeli apocalyptic thriller JERUZALEM will be released in select U.S. theaters and On Demand nationwide.

The film gamely blends the trend of wearable technology, à la Google Glass, with the millennia of history found in Israel's capital city. According to the film's star Yael Grobglas, who is most well-known in the States for playing the pseudo-villain Petra Solano on JANE THE VIRGIN, it is this unique combination that makes it a perfect fit for American audiences.

In the film, two young American women, Sarah (Danielle Jadelyn) and her fun-loving best-friend Rachel (Grobglas), decide to vacation in Israel, in part to take Sarah's mind off of the recent passing of brother. Before leaving, Sarah's father gives her a pair of brandless internet-connected glasses as a gift. Despite the gorgeous, historic scenery in and around Jerusalem, the girls, along with a handsome archeologist (Yon Tumarkin) that they met on the plane, begin to realize that there is something unusual going on in the holy city.

Grobglas says that JERUZALEM is one of, if not, the first apocalyptic film shot in Jerusalem. As the events surrounding them become more and more bizarre, winged, demonic zombies start to attack the citizens. The terror forces people to run for the exits of the historic walled city.

Due to having her backpack and normal glasses stolen, Sarah is forced to wear her smart glasses (also prescription) throughout the film, allowing her to access GPS and video to help them escape the creatures.

"It's a very, very unique kind of storytelling, because it's being told through first-person point of view," she explains. "I think the directors had a brilliant idea, it's a whole new way of telling stories, really through somebody's perspective.

"And, as an Israeli, it was fascinating to me to show some beautiful places in Jerusalem, a city with so much history and so much mythology," Grobglas said. "So, I think the combination of the modern technology and the ancient mythology makes it something very, very special."

Grobglas has been working in film and television in her home country for the better part of a decade, but the horror genre is something that is still a rather new phenomenon there, with most Israeli films being serious dramas.

"Israel has a fantastic film industry, and many times we are known for our political films, or films that have to do with the army," she said. "I love the fact that we can show that there are films coming out of Israel that are just for fun."

The use of "found footage" in horror movies isn't new, especially dating back to 1999's THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, but because the video is coming directly from a character's face, JERUZALEM feels more personal than what we are used to seeing in these types of thrillers.

"I think the directors really wanted to build these characters up and make people feel for them," Grobglas said, "so you actually feel something when all the bad stuff starts happening to them."

Grobglas also said that the intimacy caused by seeing the action from a character's perspective made the action more terrifying than it would have been if it were shot in a more traditional way.

"I knew what was going to happen, I was there when we filmed the movie," she said, "(but) when watching it, I still jumped."

Due to the unique way that the directors, brothers Yoav and Doron Paz, shot the film, Grobglas said that they had to use a lot of different techniques to get the right shot around the ancient city. Reports indicate that at times, the Paz Brothers told officials that they were shooting a documentary so that they could film in some restrictive, historic settings.

"We were a very small team. The film, from the start, was this complete adventure," she said. "It was very experimental, the directors wanted to tell this story, and we just kind of went with it. Sometimes it was just the directors, the camera guy, and two actors, and we were just wandering through these places. We were in as much of an adventure as the characters were almost."

However, because of the nature of some of the places in which they shot, Grobglas said that occasionally, the crew had to be even smaller.

"When we were filming at the Wailing Wall, it's separated into a men's section and a women's section," she said. "So, it was just me and the actress playing Sarah. She had a helmet on with a camera stuck on it, so that everyone could see her hands, and you really get that first person point-of-view."

Whether it was on Jadelyn's head or on a cameraman's shoulder, Grobglas admits that looking directly at the camera, which is theoretically the eyes of her best friend, was difficult.

"There were moments where the cameramen would hold the camera and Danielle's head would be right beside it, and we had to remember to look into the camera, as opposed to looking at her," Grobglas explained. "As an actor, the first thing you're taught is 'don't look into the camera, ignore it.' You have to remember that the camera is your best friend, and you have to treat it like it has facial reactions, or you see what it's going through, so that, for me as an actress, was fascinating to do."

While breaking the habit of not looking at the camera was difficult for Grobglas at first, it wasn't the only challenge that she had to overcome in shooting. Even though JERUZALEM is an Israeli film, it is completely in English; and since it was shot in 2013, it pre-dates the actress' first big role in the U.S.

"This movie was filmed right after I got my first American pilot, called THE SELECTION. So that was my first English-speaking role, and this was my second," she said. "Back home, almost everything I did, I did in Hebrew. I went to drama school in Hebrew, my whole career was in Hebrew, and to switch languages was something that was fascinating, and more complicated than I expected it to be, even though I've been speaking English since I could speak."

With an entire feature film in English under her belt, Grobglas' next major role was recurring as Olivia D'Amencourt on the first season of The CW's REIGN, before landing the role of Petra Solano on the breakout hit JANE THE VIRGIN. The CW's comedic telenovela, and it's diverse cast, has won both critical and public acclaim since premiering in the fall of 2014.

(See where JANE THE VIRGIN ranked on my Top 15 Shows of 2015 List.)

As the disgruntled ex-wife of a hotel magnate who becomes the father of a nearly-complete stranger's child after a mix-up at an OBGYN's office, Petra began the series as the show's villain. However, over the first season and a half, she has grown to be a sympathetic character that many fans are now rooting for.

"When I had a conversation with Jennie Snyder Urman (JANE's creator), she told me what she had in store for Petra, and I just thought she sounded like the most fascinating character," Grobglas said. "(We) don't have to choose if she's dramatic or funny, she can be both in five minutes."

Since the JANE cast only gets the next episode's script a few days before each table read, Grobglas feels like she has been going on this progression right alongside Petra. The first half of Season 2 has seen her get pregnant (via a less than traditional method) and finally try to bond with Jane.

"I love (Petra), and I feel like this season you really get to see a lot more of her, and she's becoming more and more interesting," Grobglas said. "When I sat down with Jennie, and she explained how she likes people to love a character one moment and hate her the next, and how everybody's going to be so complex, and nobody's going to be two-dimensional, it was just such a great world to dive into."

You can see Grobglas dive into the world of JANE THE VIRGIN when it returns to The CW on Monday, January 25th, and you can see her in a much different role in select theaters and On Demand in JERUZALEM, beginning on Friday, January 22nd.

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Are you excited to see Petra battle flying demonic creatures? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image: Yael Grobglas. Photo Credit: Epic Productions

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