It seems as though nearly every streaming service is trying its hand at adapting novels based on the horrors of the Holocaust, including Peacock which is set to premiere The Tattooist of Auschwitz on May 2. The series stars Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak as lovers who meet amid the soul-crushing terror and uncertainty of Auschwitz, and Jonas Nay as one of the cruel Nazis at the concentration camp. Ahead of the premiere, I had the opportunity to speak with series director Tali Shalom-Ezer and Claire Mundell, who secured the rights for the book back in 2018, before going on to executive produce the series.

Based on Heather Morris' critically acclaimed novel by the same name, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on true events relayed to Morris by the late Lale Sokolov (played by Harvey Keitel and Jonah Hauer-King), who survived Auschwitz alongside a fellow prisoner who would eventually become his wife. In addition to the budding romance between Lale and Gita (Próchniak), the Peacock series also showcases the deeply uncomfortable "friendship" Lale formed with a volatile Nazi officer by the name of Stefan Baretzki (Nay) whose cat-and-mouse torment is his only gateway to spending time with Gita.

Tali Shalom-Ezer and Claire Mundell spoke about the importance of mental health on set—especially with a series like The Tattooist of Auschwitz—and why they provided it to the cast during and after filming, Mundell shed some light on why Hollywood is telling so many stories set during the Holocaust right now, while Shalom-Ezer discussed which scenes were the most difficult for her to film.

#TheTattooistofAuschwitz #TaliShalomEzer #ClaireMundel

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