Last October, shortly after the outbreak of war, Australian actor Nathaniel Buzolic ("The Vampire Diaries") arrived in Israel to aid in Israel's advocacy efforts and bring global awareness to the atrocities committed by Hamas. Not long after, Buzolic, 41, found an additional reason to stay: Israeli model Liya Noga, 22, whom he met during his visit and who quickly became his partner.
Since then, the two have nurtured their relationship, with Noga even traveling to Australia with him. Now, they split their time between Tel Aviv and Los Angeles, where Buzolic resides.
While most of us struggle with finding the perfect gift for our significant others, Buzolic has it a bit easier. As a Hollywood insider, he arranged a special surprise for Noga, a massive "Friends" fan: dinner with David Schwimmer, the iconic Ross Geller, who is also known for his Jewish heritage and support for Israel.
Noga, naturally, shared a picture of herself with Schwimmer and spoke about the experience: “My boyfriend reached out to him to surprise me. I’m a huge ‘Friends’ fan, and I love David.”
How do they know each other?
“David follows Nathaniel from his private account, and noticed the advocacy work he was doing during the war. David immediately said he’d love to meet, gave us a date he was available, and even booked a restaurant for us. We went to New York to meet him for dinner.”
How was the meeting?
“The dynamic was really friendly. He was genuinely charming and down-to-earth. We talked a lot about Israel and about October 7. He mentioned he’s received serious threats to his life and his children’s lives because of his support for Israel, and he’s even had to hire security. It’s heartbreaking that this is the reality. We also talked about a lot of things he’s doing for Israel behind the scenes. I told him, as an Israeli, I don’t take it for granted, and we truly appreciate it. It’s amazing. We know the sacrifices he’s making.”
Did you talk about personal things too?
“He was very curious about us, asked how we met, and inquired about my acting career in Israel, asking about roles I’ve done. He even said he’d like to introduce me to a director. He was incredibly friendly and kind and even mentioned he’d love to visit Israel again."
"He asked us to reach out if we’re ever back so he could see all the cool places here. Honestly, he’s such a wonderful person. At the end of dinner, he even paid the bill behind our backs. We went to ask for the check, and the waitress told us he had already taken care of it, even though we’d invited him! What a true gentleman. I really hope we can bring him to Israel one day.”
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