Eyal Alfandary

Eyal Alfandary is an award-winning actor based in Los Angeles, whose work spans television, feature films, the stage and commercials. An alum of the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Eyal has built a reputation for versatile performances that resonate with audiences. Since relocating to the heart of the industry, he has become a dynamic presence in the LA scene, consistently bringing depth and nuance to every role he inhabits.

The Beginning

What was the specific moment you realized acting was your calling?
I knew that I want to be an actor since a very young age. I always felt the urge to be on stage or to perform in front of the camera. It always felt to me like something bigger than life and like my destiny.

What do you wish you could tell your younger self on your first professional set?
To keep believing in myself and to keep trusting in myself that I know who I am and that I know my worth and that if I’ll keep working hard and see the vision that I have for my life, anything can happen.

The Craft

Which role felt the most foreign to who you actually are?
I got the play a drug addict in the upcoming TV show ‘Men of Business’ that I was a part of. It was so different from me in every way because I’ve never experienced anything like that in my life. But it was really important to me to bring truth and authenticity to the role even though it was so different from me. It was a fascinating experience because I always like to explore different stories and different realities from my own life. I’m always trying to put myself in the character’s shoes, and I’m trying to imagine how I would react in my real life and to bring my own perspective and trying to find the alignment between me and the character that I’m playing.

What does your preparation involve?
I always start with the vision of the role. I like to find specific pictures. Where my character would live. What his apartment would look like. What would inspire him. And I like to create a sort of a collage with pictures and paintings that inspire me and give me more depth to the character. In addition to that, I always like to read the script many times and to go through it again and again and find hints about my character and about his life and to write down anything that I can understand from the script. I like to rehearse multiple times a day and to know it like the back of my hand and to feel so ready that I can wake up in the middle of the night and to know everything about it.

What is the most important part of your process that never makes it onscreen?
The rehearsal process because you want it to look and feel like the scene is happening for the first time and you’ve never thought about it before. I do all the preparation that I can before and make sure that I’m super ready and that I did my research about my character and the story, but when I’m in the scene I want to be as present as possible and to listen to my scene partner and to truly react to what they are saying and not because how I rehearsed, but because at this moment I’m so ready and present that all of my reactions are real.

The Turning Points

How do you handle rejection differently from a few years ago?
At this point it’s really like a job to me. I do the best I can in every audition, but after I finished the audition, I completely move on and I don’t think about the audition anymore. I know that if it was supposed to be mine so it’ll happen, and if it’s not, it was not meant to be and it’s not a problem. I focus on the work and I focus about the next thing. After I’ve done so many auditions, I really don’t take it personally and I’m just doing my best and move on to the next thing without thinking about it.

The Legacy

Which character was the most difficult to "shake off" after the job ended?
I played a role in the film ‘Choked’, where my character was experiencing being bullied and having an intense social anxiety and it was really interesting to play it and to be a part of it. This role was very emotional and demanding and I really dived into it and I wanted to give everything that I have to it, so at the end I felt really exhausted but I always find ways how to get rid of it and come back to myself.

Which awards are your most prized?
I was really happy and grateful that I have received awards for roles that I’ve done and one of them was for the role that I played in the film ‘Press The Trigger’ which is about a character that I played named James, who lost his mother and been struggling with her loss at a very young age. It was an intense role and to get appreciation for this role was very rewarding.

What is the biggest change you’ve seen in the industry since you started?
I love seeing that there are so many opportunities for so many people. Because in the last fast few years so many studios and new companies started new streaming services so there are more and more opportunities for a lot of people.

Is there a specific genre or type of role you feel you still haven't tried?
My biggest dream is to be in a film about the old Hollywood era and to play an actor of that time. I really love to explore history and a different culture. It was always so fascinating to me to think how it was to live back then. I love the films from that time and the fashion and the music so I would love to be a part of a project like that.

IMDB I Resume