Once that entered the piece, it ceased to be just a biographical look at a great world leader, and it became a thriller, ... It explores so many human questions about violence or peace, and what (New Yorker writer) Seymour Hersh calls `the Samson option,` because when Samson brought down the temple on the Philistines, he brought it down on himself -- it`s Israel`s feeling that if it goes down, it will not go down alone.

She saw `Golda` and said, `You think the Middle East has problems? You should see this play!` ... So I hope we`re a vast improvement on that.

She was a feminist without knowing anything about the women`s movement, ... I love that she refused to flaunt her position. She flew coach and washed out her own underwear. Even though I may wash out my own underwear, I`m still in a suite of rooms, and I don`t fly coach. I understand her. And what`s great about it is, I get to play her. I don`t have to live her life.

Noam`s no fool. He is wonderfully creative and entrepreneurial for his theater... He has that wonderfully typical Israeli nature that anything is possible it just takes diligence and fortitude and brains and he`s got it all.

What am I doing in your play? Mr. Gibson, we`re about to go to war in Iraq; there`s so much controversy about it. Contextualize the play through the war, not her life, and we`ve got a hit.` And it was all there. Gibson wrote everything. We just put some of his elements up front.

Noam was in the US back in the 80s as part of the Israeli consular delegation and he was a big mover and shaker.

I am doing these things, looking for this material, because they work for me as an actor. Through authenticity you get authority. This deepens the experience of the part.

It`s the greatest role of my career,

Not wearing Golda shoes while playing her would be like playing Abraham Lincoln in a bowler hat,

I did it as a favor to the nation,