Noa Cohen
Noa Cohen is an Israeli actress and model who is known for her portrayal of the Mary, [mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary] in the 2024 film Mary.
Early and personal life
was raised in a Jewish-Israeli family.She partnered with Starting Over Sanctuary, an Israeli non-profit-organization focused on pets and animal safety.
Career
Cohen modeled for various fashion and cosmetic brands, such as Veet, Jennyunique, Bar Refaeli's hoodies brand, The [Estée Lauder Companies|Smashbox Cosmetics (by Estée Lauder)], Essence Cosmetics and BananHot.She began her media career working for Channel Reshet 13. She began acting professionally in 2018, landing her first television role in the sitcom My Sister Skipped A Grade. She went on to appear in various Israeli television shows including My Nephew From Hell, Infinity and 8200. In 2022, she made her film debut in the spy thriller Silent Game.
In 2024, Cohen was cast as the Mary, [mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary] in D. J. Caruso's epic Christian biblical film Mary, starring alongside Ido Tako and Sir Anthony Hopkins. In what was described by some as an example of antisemitism, there was a flurry of criticism on social media for the casting of a Jewish-Israeli woman, some arguing that, despite Mary being Jewish, the role should have been given to a Palestinian actress. Caruso stated, "It was important to us that Mary, along with most of our primary cast, be selected from Israel to ensure authenticity."