'On stage I loved him and we made out, behind the scenes we didn't speak': Limor Goldstein returns to her romance with Alon Aboutboul
After 36 years on stage, and with two plays running in which she stars at Beit Lessin, Limor Goldstein still feels like an actress who just left acting school - but she has a long road behind her: in an interview, she returns to the stormy love story with Alon Aboutboul, the sexual assault she experienced at the beginning of her career, and explains why she decided to stand publicly alongside Yair Golan: "We are at a critical point. The liberal and secular person is in a war for their continued existence."
A few months ago, Limor Goldstein met Yair Golan on the street near her home and approached to greet him and strengthen his hands in his political path. Unlike many artists who are wary of political statements, Goldstein has already hosted several conferences for the Democrats, including the evening of the announcement of the list for the Knesset.
"I do it with love, enthusiasm, and a desire to support and help. I think Yair Golan is a very worthy man and I appreciate him very much."
Many artists are afraid to express themselves politically at this time. "I understand that very much because the reaction to these statements is very violent. We are in such an explosive and violent situation, and the entire discourse is rotten and aggressive. I am not a political animal, but right now we are at such a critical point: the liberal and secular person living here is in a war for their continued existence."
Goldstein admits that she was an active participant in the demonstrations against the judicial reform: "There were years when that was my Saturday night pastime. I would go every Saturday to Kaplan. Today, the liberal person in Israel is afraid of the large stream that wants to turn us into a Halachic state. It is clear that this arrangement, where we support the Haredim and they study Torah and nothing more, will explode. We, the secular liberal public, feel like a persecuted minority and are starting to fight for our existence."
Regarding the fear that Netanyahu might take extreme steps before the elections, she says: "I have a fear that they will try to stir up a war or spoil the elections in some way."
On love, career, and survival
Goldstein, 58, has a career spanning 36 years in theater and cinema. Today she stars in "Enemies, A Love Story" and "Not a Word to Mom" at the Beit Lessin Theater.
Goldstein is married to Ron Avidan, CEO of Destiny Real Estate. Their meeting was a classic blind date that almost ended when Ron introduced himself as a real estate appraiser. "I thought being an appraiser was less sexy than being an insurance agent, but then I discovered he loves culture and theater. We got married when I was 35."
One of the most painful stories in her life was her romance with Alon Aboutboul. "We played a pair of lovers, and it was impossible not to fall in love with Alon. He was at his peak, a devastatingly handsome man. But he broke my heart. We continued to play husband and wife in another play, 'Yair' by Dani Horowitz. On stage I loved him, we made out, and behind the scenes we didn't speak. It was a terribly difficult year."
"Rhinoceros skin"
More than 30 years ago, at the beginning of her career, Goldstein was sexually assaulted by one of the veteran actors. "He continued to harass me all year. It was a nightmare. I complained to the theater management, but people who are considered a 'gold mine' economically are forgiven for many things. I continued to play with him because I thought: if I quit, I am giving up on the dream of being an actress."
"In this profession, you need to develop a rhinoceros skin to survive. If I have been working for 36 years, it means I have a survival ability that is not related to talent. It is the ability to work even in periods when everything is really bad."
When asked if she feels "old" in the profession, she replies: "Sometimes I feel like a child, and sometimes like an old woman. But I have the same hunger and the same passion for acting as I did at the beginning. I can't do without it."
