‘We wanted to be respectful and authentic’
◆ Jonah Hauer-king and Anna Prochniak, who portray Lali and Gita Sokolov in The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, talk to Abi Jackson about the Holocaust drama
The horrors of Auschwitz might seem like an unlikely backdrop for a love story. But for Lali and Gita Sokolov, amid the unspeakable suffering of the biggest Nazi concentration camp in the early 1940s, love did bloom.
The pair first laid eyes on one another when Lali, charged with the task of tattooing prisoners’ numbers onto their arms, inked Gita’s arm.
They both survived the camp, where more than a million people were murdered, initially not knowing what had happened to the other – until they managed to reunite and eventually start a new life in Melbourne, Australia.
Gita died in 2003 at 78, while Lali lived to the age of 90 before his death in 2006.
Their extraordinary story remained private until 2018 with the publication of Heather Morris’s novel, The Tattooist Of Auschwitz. To protect his loved ones, Lali had waited until his wife died before finally opening up about what they had experienced (he and Morris talked multiple times a week for three years).
Now, it has been turned into a TV series.
“I think it was one of the greatest challenges of the piece, wanting to make sure we were telling a story that felt respectful and authentic and honoured the lives that were lost, but also try to find these glimmers of hope,” says London-born Jonah Hauerking, 28, who plays the young Lali.
The actor – best known for playing Eric in 2023’s The Little Mermaid film, while previous TV credits include World On Fire and The Flatshare – adds: “Lali and Gita had this extraordinary connection, and this extraordinary love is what makes this story so unique – so we didn’t want to shy away from that either, we wanted to celebrate it.
“But it is treading that line between making sure you’re telling a story that felt real and not diluted in any way, whilst also allowing that love story to breathe.”
Israel-born director and co-executive producer Tali Shalom-ezer, 45, says she felt an “immediate, strong connection to the story”, and like many involved in the production, has “family and friends with direct experience of the Holocaust”.
She and executive producer Claire Mundell were certain from very early on in the project about casting Hauer-king as young Lali. Hollywood star Harvey Keitel, 84, known for Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs and The Piano, plays the older Lali, during his time sharing his story with Morris.
However, Polish-born actress Anna Prochniak, 35, originally auditioned for a number of smaller parts before eventually being cast as Gita.
“She stood out,” says Mundell. “She has an intensity, strength and resilience to her, as well as this inner light.”
Like Hauer-king, Prochniak was also struck by the story’s extraordinary balance of darkness and light.
“It’s just such a powerful story. I remember when I first read (the book) five or six years ago and I loved it, it’s such an extraordinary story. Watching Lali and Gita find love and hope in a world filled with hatred and horror, is just amazing.
“And they are so brave,” Prochniak adds. “The decision to give love and receive love under such circumstances, it’s their decision to remain human. And it’s an act of defiance, it’s something that sustains them.”
Bringing the story to screen
was a challenging process on all levels, requiring an immense amount of sensitivity, research and consultation.
Morris, 70, was also closely involved, helping the series’ creators and cast members get to know Lali and the story as he told it.
The author, of course, also features as a character in the series, played by New Zealand-born actress Melanie Lynskey, 46, known for Yellowjackets, Candy and Mrs America.
How did Prochniak and Hauer-king prepare for their roles?
“I watched Gita’s testimony, and those of many other (Holocaust) survivors,” says Prochniak.
“We worked closely with a historical and cultural consultant, and we talked to Heather Morris about her experience telling Lali’s story firsthand. She was like our connection to it, our close connection to them. That was very helpful.”
Hauer-king adds of their preparation work: “We tried to split it into two parts. As Anna says, there was the historical research and the context, which involved looking at this incredible resource that (historical and cultural consultant) Naomi Gryn had given us, which included survivors’ accounts and documentaries.
“And then it started becoming more specific to this project and this story, and the testimonies in particular from Lali and Gita were so illuminating.
“It was very moving to watch these people come to life on screen, (especially as) you feel like you’ve got to know them through the book.”
Both actors had previously visited the real Auschwitz too, recalling the “profound” impact of confronting those horrors in person.
Prochniak says: “The project wanted so much to be so well-researched, and to feel like it was looking after the story and the history. “The fact we had to go back every day into these camps, into the mindset, it was very challenging and draining.”