Yali Topol Margalith
Starring in Sky’s The Tattooist Of Auschwitz and the BBC’s A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder, actress Yali Topol Margalith talks to us about her time training at drama school, taking on a heavy historical role with a personal connection and performing at London’s iconic Donmar Warehouse theatre.
How long have you been acting?
From the moment I was born I started performing to whoever was willing to watch - my parents in the living room, my friends, strangers on the street. I performed in ballet shows from the age of two, and my favourite part was always telling the story. My mum often tells me that I used to sit in front of mirrors in restaurants or shops, at the age of three or four, and laugh hysterically, then turn it into a hysterical cry. Something out of a horror movie! She thought “Damn, she’s an actor”. I went to the Mountview Academy drama school and started working after graduating in 2022.
What was your time at Mountview like?
I loved my time at Mountview. The staff were really kind and encouraging, and it felt like a really safe space to fail. I trained in Musical Theatre, so lots of singing and dancing in addition to acting. Just failing over and over and over again was a gift as an actor. It takes a lot for me to feel embarrassed now - I think my training has made me a confidently impulsive actor. What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? At graduation I won the award of the graduating year for the highest acting marks of 2022 (in other words, the biggest nerd!). I had a wonderful year group full of extremely kind and talented people. I learned so much from them. Some of my best friends I met through my training - I met my partner of 5 years there! The school is very special to me. I also trained during Covid for around a year and a half. It was difficult to find the motivation to do a ballet class at home alone at 9am, but the self-discipline I got from this time is something I'm forever grateful for. I went to every Zoom class, I worked my bottom off. And it all paid off!
Your first role on screen was in Sky's The Tattooist Of Auschwitz earlier this year - how did you land that?
I originally auditioned for Gita for a couple of rounds - I had a lovely Zoom audition with Jonah who plays Lale. I was totally prepared to shave my head for the role. Then when I was asked to audition for Cilka, something felt right. I sent my tapes over and a couple of days later got a call from my parents that my grandfather was really unwell. We dropped everything and flew to my grandparents house. We spent his last couple of days with him, the whole family from all over the world. He passed away on the 8th of March, and on my birthday seven days later I got the call about the job. I always wanted my grandfather to see that I'm an actor just like him. In Fiddler On The Roof, playing Tevye, he would often look up at the sky, to God, when something extraordinary would happen with a cheeky look saying “You did this, didn’t you?”. When I booked this job I looked up to my grandpa and said “You did this, didn’t you?”.
How did you prepare for such a heavy role, rooted in historical fact?
As Lauren (centre) in A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder
My grandmother is a Holocaust survivor. I grew up in an environment where we knew it was important to talk about our history. I learned about it in school - this is something that has been taught to me my whole life. I had a week to prep for the shoot - I read as many books as I could (including The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, of course!), and I read Cilka’s Journey, which is the second book of the series. Playing Cilka was one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs I’ve ever done.
Now you're starring in the BBC's A Good Girl's Guide To Murder - what's it about and who do you play?
It's based on a sensational book by the coolest nerd Holly Jackson. It’s a story about a girl called Pip who decides to dig into an old closed murder case for a school project - this, of course, leads to a lot of drama! I play Lauren Gibson, who’s one of Pip’s best friends. Lauren's going to be extremely cool when she’s in her mid 20s, but right now her priorities are the school’s social hierarchy and boys. She has to make a few mistakes before she can mature into an amazing woman!
Both series are based on novels - were you familiar with either before getting the jobs?
I’d not read either before, but I had heard of both. They were on my reading list - which is only getting longer! Of course now I’m a huge fan.
You've also worked on stage, having performed at the Donmar Warehouse in The Band's Visit. How was that experience?
That was one of the most treasured times of my life. The cast was so diverse, from different places in the world, and we all came together to tell a story about humanity and kindness. Michael Longhurst is a lovely, brilliant man. He’s magic. Along with Anna Cooper and Nigel Lilley, they put together a cast they trusted, and we had so much freedom in the process to play. That was my first job out of drama school, and I believe the confidence I gained during the production helped me deal with the struggles of rejection and self-doubt. I have this base, this grounding that I think was founded during the production at the Donmar, and that's thanks to the cast that will forever stay in my life. Very special.
As a young actor just getting started professionally, do you have any career goals?
So far, it’s hard to say what I want because I’ve not experienced enough! Every job I’ve done has been so different to the ones before. Right now I’m filming House Of David for Amazon Prime, where I play a Princess! I never thought I’d be cast to play a Princess. It’s quite similar to Game Of Thrones - epic and dramatic and big! I know I want to do more theatre again. That’s where my heart is! Sally Bowles in Cabaret was always a role I always wanted to play, and I would love to one day. And Fiddler On The Roof is a musical that’s in my blood and I would love to be in it one day. Maybe as Golde!
Words: Scott Bates
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