18 Things to Know About Odeya Rush

Odeya Rush is the 21-year-old Israeli actress poised to take Hollywood by storm. She’s already been in crucial supporting roles in critical darlings Lady Bird and Dumplin’, and starred in the blockbuster film Goosebumps. More importantly, her Instagram bio says “Ma nishma?” which is Hebrew for “what’s up?”

What’s up, Odeya? Let’s learn 18 things (what else!?) about Odeya Rush:

1. Odeya was born in Haifa, Israel in May 1997.

2. She has six brothers! Her four younger brothers are two sets of twins, and she has two older brothers.

3. She moved to Alabama when she was 9 years old, and she didn’t speak any English (only Hebrew!). In 2013, her family moved to Los Angeles.

4. Her first acting role was none other than Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2010 — and a year later she appeared on the very Jewy TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm.

5. Odeya said that when her family moved to the U.S., she told her dad she was going to go back to Israel at age 18 for her military service, but then her acting career took off, so she didn’t.

6. When Odeya started acting, her dad (Shlomo) would come with her to sets and be involved in everything, but since she’s moved out, he gives her space. Her grandma keeps telling her that acting is not a career and that she needs to get a degree in something (classic Jewish grandma).

7. She starred with Meryl freakin’ Streep in The Giver when she was just 17. (Taylor Swift was also in the movie, so she momentarily became part of Taylor’s girl squad.)

8. But her breakout role was in 2017’s Lady Bird, where Odeya plays Jenna, the cool girl that Lady Bird falls in with.

Odeya Rush

9. Odeya didn’t really identify with her Lady Bird character — she said she identifies more with Lady Bird; in high school, her schoolmates were very unimpressed with her acting career.

10. She met her boyfriend, Ryan Lee, on the set of Goosebumps. (Which she also starred in!)

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWGRP4slFeY/

11. Her favorite holiday is Purim. Good choice, Odeya.

12. In Dumplin’, she plays Ellen Dryver, the BFF to the main character. She wears a hamsa necklace in a lot of her scenes.

Odeya Rush

And the movie — starring Jennifer Anniston and Danielle MacDonald featuring a soundtrack by Dolly Parton — got rave reviews. “For all its sweet familiarity and simplicity, [Dumplin‘ feels] like a breath of fresh air,” one critic wrote. “This world feels so lived-in, and its characters so engaging, that you often find yourself wondering what they’ll do once the cameras stop rolling.”

13. Odeya is a proud Israeli; she wants to show the world how beautiful Israel is, and thinks people don’t know enough about it.

14. A lot of people think she looks like Mila Kunis. We kinda see it!

15. She is pals with Beanie Feldstein, her Lady Bird co-star. (Love you, Beanie!!!)

16. She directed a music video for her friend Harry Nathan, for his song “Rooftops”:

(She’s also in the video, with her boyfriend Ryan. We stan a multi-talented star!)

17. Zero Motivation, an Israeli film, is one of her favorite movies. It’s about female Israeli soldiers posted to a remote desert base.

18. Odeya really wants to meet fellow Israeli actress Gal Gadot.  Same, Odeya, same.

Header Image via Odeya Rush on Instagram.

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