'Lady Bird' Actress Odeya Rush Talks 'Dear Dictator' And Judaism

This Israeli-born actress is making waves in Hollywood. Growing up, Odeya Rush struggled to fit in when she moved to Alabama at age 9, not knowing any English.

She explained, “I wanted to be Stephanie or something more American. I was in Alabama in kind of a conservative town, coming from Israel which is very free-spirited. And I just wanted to fit in and have friends and I wanted to understand what they were saying I wanted to know more about Football or barbeques.”

But she was able to draw on being different for the role of “Tatiana” in “Dear Dictator.” The film is a satirical comedy about a rebellious teen who forms an unlikely friendship with a dictator, played by Michael Caine.

“I think when you are in high school your hormones are everywhere and you fight with your mom a lot and your dad and your brothers and everyone. You think you’re right all the time. I was a balance of a goody two shoes and a rebel. I don’t need to prove I was a rebel and [Tatiana] wants to show everyone as soon as she meets them, ‘I’m hardcore. I don’t care when you think.’”

She also makes sure that the haters never steal her smile and always takes time to laugh.