Tsahi Halevi stars in new spy comedy as his wife addresses rumors

Halevi stars in ‘Mossad’ while his wife Lucy Aharish addresses pregnancy rumors

By HANNAH BROWN
Lucy Aharish and Tzhai Halevy talk interfaith love on CNN. (photo credit: CNN SCREENSHOT)
Lucy Aharish and Tzhai Halevy talk interfaith love on CNN.
(photo credit: CNN SCREENSHOT)
In the opening credits for Alon Gur Arye’s comedy Mossad, as the James Bond theme plays, the movie’s star, Tsahi Halevi – looking every inch the super spy in an elegant suit – suddenly makes the quintessentially Israeli gesture for “Just give me a second.”
The movie, which will open throughout Israel on June 27 – you can’t miss the billboards for it everywhere you turn – features dozens of other gags which juxtapose Israeli informality and shleppiness with the conventions of spy capers.
For Halevi, Mossad is a chance to spoof the parts that have made him famous, notably his breakout role as a Shin Bet agent in the movie Bethlehem and his part as a counter-terrorism operative in the world-famous television series, Fauda.
He told the website Mako that the world of the Mossad is something he knew about from his home – his father was with the Mossad and his family traveled the globe – as well as his service in the IDF in an undercover Special Forces unit. “I parodied it as much as possible,” he said.
Halevi is married to television personality Lucy Aharish, a union that drew criticism when the couple announced it last year because he is Jewish and she is Muslim. Since the announcement, the couple have found that their every action has drawn scrutiny.

When Aharish accompanied Halevi to the red carpet premiere of Mossad earlier this week, she found herself the subject of speculation that she was pregnant, because many felt her stomach looked bloated in photographs of the event. 
Aharish took to Facebook to address the rumors, stating that she is not pregnant. She wrote that she has had two miscarriages in the past year and hopes fervently for a lasting pregnancy.
Although she is slender, she said her stomach is not flat because of an operation she had at 13 to remove an ovary.
She admitted that she does not work out regularly and loves carbohydrates and chocolate – and criticized the media for paying so much attention to perceived notions of a woman’s ideal weight.
She also noted the bizarre fact that while once so many were against their marriage, now everyone seems to want to see her pregnant. “It’s come to a situation where I’ve had to deny again and again that I’m pregnant, which is absurd! Get out of my womb!”
Mossad also features a cast of Israel’s top stars, including Dvir Benedek, Gila Almagor, Ilan Dar, Efrat Dor, Tal Friedman, Tomer Sharon and Shlomi Koriat.