Exclusive Interview: Ayelet Zurer Talks About Her Love for Storytelling, Moonhaven, and More

Ayelet Zurer is an award-winning actress who is best known for the dynamic characters she’s brought to life in projects including Munich, Angels & Demons, Man of Steel, Daredevil, and Losing Alice.

This July, she stars in the sci-fi thriller, Moonhaven. Moonhaven centers on Bella Sway (McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler 100 years in the future who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. Ayelet delivers a commanding performance as Maite Voss, the political leader of Moonhaven.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Ayelet about her illustrious career, Moonhaven, and more.

PC: How did you discover your passion for the arts and storytelling?
Ayelet: That’s a good question. My mom used to play records for us. One of them was Peter and the Wolf. I remember that I used to sit down by the record player and listen to the sounds. I was really moved by the different sounds of every animal and the story that was taking place. That was one of my earliest memories. Later on, I started to love movies. I would also listen to skits on the radio between 2:00 and 4:00 when my mom would nap. She’s European and that’s when she would take a nap. I would sit by the radio player listening to skits because they were amazing. I’d hear all these detective stories. I remember listening to Sherlock Holmes and all these amazing artists. It put me in a space where I could really appreciate storytelling.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Ayelet: Everything has been a huge influence. My role in Munich really opened the door and changed my life. That was a big one. I’ll always be grateful to Steven Spielberg for that. Then Angels & Demons and getting to meet and work alongside Tom Hanks. Seeing how he works and what he does had a big impact. I really appreciated working on Losing Alice. I loved working with director Sigal Avin, whom I love and adore. She’s very, very talented. There have been so many moments in my career that jump out. I loved working with Vince D’Onofrio on Daredevil and that storyline. Also, Man of Steel for the grandness of the sets and the experience with Zack [Snyder] who is so cool. I have so much to be thankful for.

PC: Tell us about your character in Moonhaven.
Ayelet: Moonhaven is one of the most beloved projects that I’ve ever worked on. I play Maite. She is an empath, teacher, art collector, historian, council chair, and holder of one of the keys to IO, which is what makes Moonhaven what it is. She is a very unique character.

PC: You’ve done it all throughout your career. What was it about this particular character and script that stood out to you?
Ayelet: It’s science fiction with humor, which is unique. There’s a detective story and really intriguing relationships that slowly unfold between all the characters. There’s a completely new culture that is described which includes language, movement, and dance. Moonhaven is a people. It’s not a place. It’s what you do with all the artificial intelligence that supports that. It’s really a culture. I loved this new way of looking at things. It’s so optimistic, which is really unique now in this world and in particular in the world of sci-fi.

The humor is great. The language is unique and poetic. They never say things like, “I’m sad.” They have a word for it. If someone is excited or stressed out or emotionally recharged, they will say, “I have the craze.” If someone feels something for someone else, they call it the sizzle. These things are so funny, but also fun to act. It’s a visceral language. That’s unique, especially for Maite. Maite speaks in those languages. I like to describe her as a mix of Oprah and Yoda. There is no judgment on Moonhaven.

PC: Your character is described as somebody with a troubled past. What is your character development process like when you’re working on a new project?
Ayelet: With Maite, it was about approaching the language first, so I can say what she is thinking with clarity, even if the language is a bit hard to understand. Sometimes I would have to read something three or four times to understand what Peter Ocko wanted me to say. Everything has more than one meaning in this universe. On top of that, there was movement in her voice. Maite is so unique. She’s wise and learned but inexperienced and naive at the same time. There were so many interesting aspects of her that I wanted to come through in her voice and movement as well.

I remember walking around Dublin when we were isolating. I was by myself a lot of that time. I saw this single swan in a pool. He was living there. Every time that I came to visit, he would come all the way from the other side of the lake because I had food. The beautiful thing about it is that when swans move across the water they leave no mark. I looked at him and I was like, “Maite is like that. She’s a joker and a clown but wise at the same time.” She knows a little more than other people. She sees things a little bit beyond. I used that quality for her.

PC: Is there a scene that you’re really excited for audiences to see when this series comes out?
Ayelet: There are so many amazing scenes that I love. I always tear up watching the first scene in the pilot where we’re on the spaceship and we enter into Moonhaven through the clouds. You see the gray landscape of the moon and you come into this heaven. I love the humor. I love the characters played by Dom [Monaghan] and Kadeem [Hardison]. The police officers are really funny because they’re really not policing. They’re helping people go through trauma. They’re police officers with a shrink’s job, offering people medication to heal. I love the nature shots and the design of the show. It’s remarkable. It looks like a million dollars.

PC: The show tackles a lot of timely and relevant themes. Was there one in particular that hit home for you?
Ayelet: Approaching things with no judgment. I feel like with social media, everyone is judging and complaining about each other. The beautiful thing about Moonhaven is that they really go through life with no judgment. They go through events, but they’re not judging the events. They’re not judging each other. They are accepting of everyone. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s timely. I feel like we’re becoming more and more obsessed with certain words that describe what is right and what is wrong. The Moon language is so abstract, poetic, and visceral. It leaves us a little more space to feel what we’re saying rather than being in a box.

PC: You’ve done so much in your career. What’s left on your bucket list?
Ayelet: I can’t tell you because I’m writing my own project and I don’t want anyone to steal my ideas. [laughs] It’s been a slow climb on a mountain like Everest, but I love writing. I love writing for others actually and not specifically for myself. If I’m lucky, maybe in the next year or two, one of these projects will come out. Storytelling is such an important part of my life. I love it. I think it really represents who we are and what we are about. It’s a mirror. So I am eternally curious about it in any shape or form—through writing, through pictures, through editing. I love all of it.

To keep up with Ayelet, follow her on Instagram. Watch Moonhaven on AMC today.