Actress Swell Ariel Or takes advocacy for Israeli women further in new film ‘Tankistas’

Israeli actress Swell Ariel Or has long cared about championing Israeli women and Jews, but her new role playing an Israel Defense Forces unit captain during the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attacks has her taking her advocacy to the next level.

Since the Tel Aviv-born star of Netflix’s Israeli television series "The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem" hit Hollywood’s radar in 2021, she’s been on a mission — and it doesn’t involve chasing award nominations or lucrative brand endorsements like many rising young actresses in Tinseltown.

Instead, Or told Fox News Digital, her mission focuses on authentic storytelling and meaningful narratives that accurately represent her people.

"I think that, of course, the Oscars matter and Hollywood, I mean, like, it's like the Olympics for films and TV, right? But I've seen what it does to the industry to be driven by getting an award or getting accepted to an elite circle of intellectuals and art people," she said. "I just feel as a storyteller that it hurts — that's not what we’re telling stories for."

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The 27-year-old actress recently went viral for echoing that sentiment on Instagram for ARISE for Israel, an alliance whose mission is to "reinforce Israel’s security and economy," while promoting her new film, "Tankistas." The plural form of "tankista," the title means "tank crew members" or "tankers" in several languages.

"I don’t care about the Oscars. I don’t care about Hollywood. I don’t care about doing the biggest, greatest career… I care about honest representation of who we are," Or said about her upcoming film, which wrapped production earlier this year and is being edited in both English and Hebrew versions and is set for release next year.

The war drama, directed by Ayelet Menahemi ("Seven Blessings") and inspired by true events, follows the IDF’s first all-female tank unit and its 17-hour defense during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. As the unit’s captain, Or’s character leads three armored vehicles and engages Hamas militants in battle.

Or served in the IDF in real life before moving to Hollywood to pursue an acting and modeling career. She, along with fellow cast members, spent a good deal of time with the real-life women of the combat unit on which the film is based.

She also spoke about why the movie stands out among other combat films and female-focused superhero movies.

"The world is obsessed right now with female heroes, but so often, I feel like it's from the wrong reasons, because it sells or whatever," she said. "This film is very unique because if it was an American film about an all-female team company in World War II or whatever, it checks all the boxes of everything the world wants to see. But this is a feminist film written by women, based on a true story that actually happened, but it's Israeli."

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"It's not a typical war film, thank God, because unlike so many films that try to bring a female hero to the front, the characters here are based on real women," she continued. "They are diverse and human and complex, and it captures what the world so often fails to understand about Israeli women, especially about Israeli women in combat."

Or has made a habit of sharing her convictions while appearing prominently on podcasts and in viral clips of media commentary, where she’s addressed antisemitism and the importance of authentic representation for Jewish and Israeli women in entertainment.

She’s appeared on the "Stars of David with Elon Gold" podcast and "Reel Talk," and joined Tablet Magazine’s "Unorthodox Podcast" to discuss relocating to the U.S. shortly before Oct. 7 and what it’s like to be an Israeli artist abroad.

ARISE for Israel called her "one of the most powerful voices for Israelis and Jews in Hollywood."

Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of the international, nonpartisan Israel education organization StandWithUs, called her an "important voice for a new generation at a time when too many Jews feel pressure to hide their identity, soften their connection to Israel, or remain silent in the face of antisemitism."

"Swell is standing tall and using her platform to tell the diverse stories of the Jewish people while encouraging others to do so," she added.

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"I feel like this community — it's so misunderstood," Or told Fox Digital about portraying Israeli women in a combat role. "You don't have a lot of stories who portray so many layers at the same time of a woman who's a commander in combat — the values, who they are, their humanity, the profound gap between how the world sees them and what their motives are and what they carry with them."

Besides "Tankistas," the actress can be seen in a new season of her Netflix show, which she said focuses heavily on the year 1948 and the Israeli War of Independence.

"This is a year that is very much relevant for people to learn more about," Or said.

She also recently finished shooting her first short film, "The Divide," which she said is being developed into a feature.

Despite her representation of her homeland, Or said she’s no stranger to facing backlash or listening to those who raise concerns about the tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"Last week, I walked in LA and a person approached me, and she's like, ‘I watched ‘Beauty Queen.’ I have to tell you, I define myself as Palestinian, but I watched the whole thing because I wanted to see Jerusalem of that day because my family came from there too’," Or recalled.

Regarding Oct. 7, Or said she knew six people who were murdered at the Nova music festival that day.

"You can have debates from here ‘til Russia and back about what happened on October 7. But the festival, it's like something that you can't debate about," she said.

"Growing up in Israel, you are born at a crossroads of so many identities and histories of your own people, so you got to love storytelling because your family's going to tell you all of them, and for me, it's my passion, and it's like my purpose in life," Or continued.

"It's been my goal even before October 7, but especially after, when I saw that it’s not just a passion of mine, but a necessity," she added. "That's the difference. Now it's a necessity."