Meet Adam Sandler's Curvy Sidekick

by Justin Cohen - Wednesday 20th August 2008


Adam Sandler may be the most famous Jewish star of newly-released film You Don't Mess with The Zohan, but he certainly isn't the only one.

Meet California-based Donna Feldman, who has now added an appearance in the comedy movie to her credits which already include stints as a spokesmodel on the US version of Deal or No Deal, playing a temptress on a television drama aired in 50 countries and modelling roles for some of the fashion industry's top names.

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In the new film, which went on general release last week in the UK, she appears in two scenes supposedly set in Tel Aviv - but actually filmed in Mexico - as Michal, a friend of Zohan - an Israeli commando who fakes his own death in order to become a hair stylist.

"The first time I met Adam he showed me a magazine spread that he saw me in and noticed my obviously Jewish last name," she told TJ this week. "He told me that besides thinking to himself 'This is the hottest Jewish girl ever' he thought to himself.. 'I wonder if this girl can pull off playing an Israeli girl in my movie.' I told him Hebrew was my first language and my parents were both born in Israel. We laughed and spoke about our Jewish families and he told me he would love for me to be involved in his movie. It was a great meeting and I'm sure my Judaism played a large role in getting cast in the film."

Saying that it was a "great feeling" to be playing a Jewish character on the silver screen, she said: "Most people do not know where I'm from with my exotic features so I get cast as different ethnicities but never as an Israeli.. let alone Jewish!"

And even though the 26-year-old describes the picture as a "silly comedy", she suggested that it could play a role in opening "up some people's eyes on what's going on in the world. The movie certainly does a good job at showing how unnecessary some of the hatred could be."

Promising that some great future projects are "in the works", she revealed that she would one day like to play a Bong girl and to be considered the "next Catherine Zeta Jones or the next Cindy Crawford in the modelling world". But the ultimate ambition of the business management and fashion graduate is to create a brand which helps to launch a fashion or cosmetics line. "I love making people feel better about themselves so if I can help in any way it will be a wonderful feeling," said Feldman, who was named last year among the world's sexiest women by FHM magazine in South Africa.

All this, and she told TJ that she spends most of her Friday nights with family and loves the "positive energy, great people, great food" in Israel. She also wants to marry into the faith but in a blow to all her male admirers on this side of the pond, she revealed she's currently dating.

That though doesn't prevent her from admiring her co-star in the film which could prove to be her next big break. "Adam and his entire crew are the most non Hollywood type people in the business I've ever worked with. He is a family man who is not only talented and funny, but a genuine loyal person."

She added: "I think it's important that Adam Sandler made a film like this and is representing himself as a strong Jewish character on the big screen."

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