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1 of 4 | Anna Próchniak and Jonah Hauer-King prima successful nan arena series, "The Tattooist of Auschwitz." Photo courtesy of Peacock
NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) -- Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak opportunity they felt a tremendous work to grant nan bonzer lives and emotion of real-life joined Holocaust survivors Lali and Gita Sokolov, nan characters they play successful nan arena series, The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
"We wanted truthful overmuch to show this communicative respectfully, not to dilute it successful immoderate way, to make judge that nan scary of what took spot really comes across," Hauer-King told UPI successful a caller Zoom interview.
"But, astatine nan aforesaid time, what makes this communicative truthful unsocial is their love, and that is thing I deliberation readers connected pinch successful nan book. So, we wanted to ... grant it and benignant of observe a prime of emotion and humanity complete thing else."
Próchniak added, "It was astir uncovering immoderate ray successful nan darkness."
The six-episode adjustment of Heather Morris' best-selling book premieres Thursday connected Peacock.
It follows Lali aft he was captured by nan Nazis during World War II and fixed nan loathsome task of tattooing recognition numbers connected his chap Jews astatine nan Auschwitz-Birkenau attraction campy successful 1942.
This is wherever he meets Gita, and it is emotion astatine first show for some of them. Throughout nan series, they are seen many times risking their lives to protect each other.
Jonas Nay plays Nazi SS serviceman Baretzki, while Harvey Keitel plays an older type of Lali, who narrates his communicative to writer Morris (Melanie Lynskey).
"We some publication nan book and we emotion nan story. What I emotion astir Gita is really multi-dimensional she is and really analyzable she is," Próchniak said.
"I deliberation that her fragility is profoundly moving and her spot is conscionable astonishing and she's vulnerable, but resilient, astatine nan aforesaid time, She's a existent inspiration and she's conscionable great," she said.
The Little Mermaid and World On Fire alum Hauer-King remembered emotion profoundly moved erstwhile he publication The Tattooist of Auschwitz soon aft it was published successful 2018.
"I was truthful struck by their communicative and was truthful invested successful them and their love," Hauer-King said.
"I saw truthful overmuch warmth and humanity successful Lali, and recovered it truthful bonzer that he was capable to clasp onto that successful this clip and was capable to clasp immoderate mini spot successful his bosom to person Gita's emotion and to beryllium capable to springiness it back," he said.
Hauer-King this was much than acting occupation for him.
"You consciousness for illustration you're making thing that has existent meaning and has relevance," he added. "It was an unthinkable opportunity."
To hole for her role, Próchniak watched nan heart-wrenching, post-war tribunal testimonials of Gita and different survivors.
"We besides worked intimately pinch humanities and taste consultants and we talked to Heather Morris astir her acquisition telling Lali's communicative firsthand, which was very helpful. She was like, nan closest relationship to them for us," said Próchniak, who is known for her roles successful Baptiste and The Innocents.
Hauer-King agreed.
"It was astonishing speaking to her. We really sewage truthful overmuch of a consciousness of Lali and of nan man himself and everything that he told her astir Gita, arsenic well, things that aren't moreover included successful nan book," he said.
"We publication truthful galore survivors' accounts and we some had visited Auschwitz," nan character added. "It was astir zeroing successful connected this communicative specifically and trying to get to cognize Lali and Gita themselves."
Despite nan acheronian and disturbing quality of nan communicative they were telling, Próchniak said she and Hauer-King ever felt supported by nan remainder of nan formed and filmmakers.
"It was specified a corporate work," she said. "We were capable to create this safe situation connected nan set."
"Everyone was alert that it was going to beryllium really challenging and that going to that workplace each time was rather surreal and was going to person an effect connected us," Hauer-King said.
"But we besides were very mindful that we didn't want to make it astir us. We had a occupation to do to show this story, truthful I deliberation nan vibe inevitably was different than a normal group and nan ambiance did consciousness different, but astatine nan aforesaid time, we knew what we were location to do. I deliberation we were each committed to that."
Letting these characters and communicative spell was difficult for nan actors.
Próchniak described nan occupation arsenic "very impactful."
"It's specified a formative experience," Hauer-King said. "I deliberation it was dissimilar thing either of america had ever done before, truthful it's decidedly staying pinch us."
