Yuval HaMevulbal: "At the height of the mess, I imagined they were burying me in the ground"
Children's star Yuval Shem-Tov spoke in an interview about the difficult period in his life when he was convicted of drug possession, about his childhood as an outcast which led him to address the exact same target audience as an adult, and about life with seven children. Regarding the cocaine affair, he said: "I wouldn't do it during performances, I'm not a rock star."
In 2018, it was revealed that children's star Yuval Shem-Tov (54), known as Yuval HaMevulbal, was investigated by the police on suspicion of buying drugs. It was the biggest crisis of his life, which later turned into a conviction for drug possession. Last night, he addressed this difficult period in an interview with Avri and Sharki, and the parallel to the world of children's imagination that helped him cope.
"Children live in a world of imagination, and even when I was at the height of the mess, there was imagination. I imagined that they were burying me in the ground, that I was a seed being buried, and that because of that I would grow beautifully. In everything, I see imagination," he said, and elaborated on the cocaine affair. "I was looking for a cure, but not only that. I entered a whirlwind of work, publicity, and a lot on my head. Big money, groups of people I got mixed up with. I was the outcast child who found himself surrounded by invitations and outings. This thing was incidental, and I got swept up in it."
The full interview with Yuval Shem-Tov on Avri and Sharki Plus One is available on +12.
"How long were you in it? Two years. I wouldn't do it during performances, I'm not a rock star. I would do it on weekends."
Shem-Tov arrived for the interview after performances in Eilat and Ma'alot on the same day, but when asked how he deals with the workload, he replied: "I feel wonderful. In a period of activity, I am happy. My falls were when I was 'over' active. Now I have learned to balance myself in life. When I was a child, I couldn't sit and study, my grades were either very high or very low, depending only on interest. In the work I do, which is also a mission, I have passion and I forget that it is work."
"But you do the same thing several times a day. In any routine, career or relationship, one can find a whole world. I imagine that I am someone or something else. Every time I add and change segments."
"In what way are you really a child? In the way I see the world. This whole world is one big fiction, an imaginary movie where much of the truth is hidden. I am on an adventure to discover the truth behind the lie we live in. I see the good in people."
"You also know the cruelty of children as someone who was an outcast child. Yes, there was violence and boycotts. I was different, laughter came as a way to survive. In the fifth grade, I started dancing and making the class laugh. I am now addressing the ages where I suffered myself."
"And what should be given to children? First of all, to understand that they have a place in the world. Even Yuval HaMevulbal believes in himself, to believe that you are wanted. I felt like an odd bird that people didn't want to be in the company of, but even this odd bird has a role. Thanks to everything I went through, today I address those same children."
Shem-Tov and his wife have seven children, and the star said that the family grew naturally. "My wife and I did not limit ourselves. We let nature take its course. All the children are literally a focus group at home for show materials. With the help of my children, I also keep the eternal child within me," he explained.
"And what will they say if we ask what it's like to be Yuval's child? Depends on the age. When they are small, they admire me, wear the clothes, and want to see me on TV. When they grow up, they feel embarrassed - and when they are adults, they return to admiration and acceptance."
"Do you have sad places today? There are moments when I still feel that I am alone, even though I am surrounded by love and family. I have holes in my life, and no matter how loved, successful, or earning I am, they are still there. I don't look at it today as something negative, it reminds me that thanks to them there is movement in life."
