House of David tells the story of the ascent of the biblical figure, David, who eventually becomes the most renowned and celebrated king of Israel. The series follows the once-mighty King Saul as he falls victim to his pride when, at the direction of God, the prophet Samuel anoints an unlikely, outcast teenager as the new king.
As Saul loses his power over his kingdom, David finds himself on a journey to discover and fulfil his destiny, navigating love, loss, and violence in the court of the very man he’s destined to replace. As one leader falls, another must rise.
Ali Suliman (Arthur the King) plays King Saul, with Ayelet Zurer (Daredevil: Born Again) taking on the role of his loyal wife, Queen Ahinoam.
We spoke to both actors recently and started by asking Ayelet how the Queen compares to her iconic Marvel role as Vanessa Fisk. Ali, meanwhile, talks about playing a King who is losing his power - and sanity - before they both address how they explored the unique dynamic between their characters.
You can watch the full interview with Ayelet and Ali in the player below.
Ayelet, one of my favourite roles of yours is Vanessa Fisk; what draws you to roles like that and Queen Ahinoam in the sense of it being a powerful woman arguably even smarter than the powerful men she stands alongside?
Ayelet: Don’t say that out loud! [Laughs] Actually, it’s very interesting because I was thinking about that and what way they’re similar and what way they’re not similar. I think the similarity comes from the intensity and passion they have for their man. And how loyal they are. They’re both very, very loyal women to a fault. Vanessa, on the one hand, is way more intrigued by power and brutality. While Queen Ahinoam is not interested in brutality at all but she kinda has to go there in order to protect her family, the kingdom, the throne, and her husband.
And Ali, as both his power and sanity start slipping away, what did you find most interesting about exploring King Saul’s desperation and what you could say is a descent into villainy?
Ali: The whole journey actually I found really interesting. The whole arc starting from nothing, being something, being everything, and then at a certain point, you lose everything. What remains? I have to fight for what I have achieved as the first King for his people. He has achieved a lot for them and all of a sudden because of his disobeying of the seer, he will lose everything that he built himself. The whole journey and the twist for the character with the way it builds, I find it really fascinating to play and the journey is very interesting. I see it as a gift for any actor to bring that…it’s not every day you can find this complex character with the way it’s written and developed.
There’s a deep love between the King and Queen; what about that relationship and dynamic were you both most excited to collaborate on and figure out during the journey we see them go on here?
Ali: We were fighting all the time! [Laughs]
Ayelet: [Laughs] We loved working together. We had such a good time. I really appreciated Ali an what he brought in and the intensity and emotions. The space he gives, I felt very safe with him. I hope we get to do it again.
Ali: Yeah, the same here actually. I was really blessed to have Ayelet as a partner. She’s really amazing. I think we have really good chemistry together and were really open-minded, especially as partners we helped each other and listened to each other a lot. The directors were also there for us and gave us a free hand to bring up any ideas both of us had. This was the best environment to create and to bring a good job and good choices. It brought very good vibes into the show.
Ayelet: It was a really powerful collaboration in this production. At times, we’d go back and forth on lines and changes in scripts. We’d have ideas to flip things around and it’s really lovely to have the space to do that and to explore. It’s something new and we’re trying to create something to exists but yet doesn’t really exist. There’s a lot of interesting dynamics in creating it.
House of David will be available on Prime Video on February 27.