The Big Picture

The Tattooist of Auschwitz
on Peacock tells the true story of Lale Sokolov and his harrowing experience at Auschwitz.
Melanie Lynskey discusses her role as Heather Morris, the author of the novel the series was based on.
Lynskey also teases what’s ahead in
Yellowjackets
Season 3.

Peacock’s adaptation of The Tattooist of Auschwitz is the latest in a long line of streaming series to delve into the horrors of the Holocaust this year. The series stars Jonah Hauer-King and Anna Próchniak as lovers who meet amid the soul-crushing turmoil and terror of Auschwitz, and Jonas Nay as one of the cruel Nazis at the concentration camp. Ahead of the May 2 premiere, I had the opportunity to discuss the series with one of its other stars, Melanie Lynskey, who plays Heather Morris, the author of the critically acclaimed novel that the series is based on.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on true events relayed to Morris by the late Lale Sokolov (played by 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.

During our conversation, Lynskey and I discussed how the series blends the past with the “present” as Lale recounts his time in Auschwitz to Heather, how the series made her reflect on her own family history that she wished she preserved as an oral history, and we discussed what fans of Yellowjackets can expect from the Seasom 3. You can watch the full interview in the player below or scroll on to read the full transcript of our conversation.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz Based on the eponymously titled novel, this is the powerful real-life story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish prisoner who was tasked with tattooing ID numbers on prisoners’ arms in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War Two.Release Date May 2, 2024 Main Genre Drama Seasons 1

Why Did Melanie Lynskey Sign On to ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’?

COLLIDER: I really like the way that this series stays true to the novel’s inception as an oral history, and it creates such an interesting narrative between the past and the present. I was curious for you, what drew you to this project?

MELANIE LYNSKEY: That was definitely one of the things that drew me to it. I thought that the way that they told the story was really, really interesting with not just the framing device of the author interviewing him, but the way it kind of plays with memory and how we present our stories to somebody. As the story goes on, he becomes more and more open to telling the actual dark, terrible truths of what happened, and I just thought that was very, very interesting. I hadn’t really seen anything like that before.

I’ve only seen the first two episodes so this might change as the series continues to progress, but the scenes with Heather and Lale, they’re very much like exposition. They’re bookends to what’s happening in the past. I was curious for you as an actor, is there any difference in the way that you play a role like that, that maybe is a little bit more expository, versus something that has more of a beginning, middle and end? Of course, maybe there is more of that as the series progresses, but I was curious as an actor how that is.

LYNSKEY: For me, there was an idea I had always in the back of my mind that I was kind of an audience surrogate, as well. So, you’re feeling things and you’re doing things, but there’s also a moment of release for the audience to process the terrible thing that’s just happened, and there was a part of my mind that had some awareness of that. So, I think it’s just more not trying to fill up all the space, just being cautious. Tali, also, was very good at just keeping things very even, keeping things very grounded.

How ‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’ Made Melanie Lynskey Reflect on Her Own History

I really like the way that Heather has this very unconventional method for oral history. She’s not sitting there recording or taking lots of notes, she’s just listening to the story. I’ve done oral histories in my previous career, and I was curious for you, did you ever get to do any oral history projects at all? In high school, sometimes you’ll talk to relatives or interview somebody in your community. If not, has this made you interested in that at all?

LYNSKEY: I remember I did one where I talked to an elderly woman who lived down the street, and it was so interesting. There was a period of time before my Nana passed away where she started to want to tell me everything, and at a certain point she started to lose her memory, so I guess this was like the early days of her understanding that she was beginning to lose her memory. I wish that I had recorded. At the time, first of all, we didn’t have phones, so it was different, but I wish I had thought to just sit down with her and record that because I’ve forgotten some things and there are things that I wish I knew. She’s somebody I just loved with all my heart.

I definitely feel that. I have those same regrets of my own. Did you get to talk with Heather at all in coming up with how to embody her character?

LYNSKEY: Yeah, I did. She was around a lot, which was wonderful. She came to Slovakia from Australia, which is a huge trip. She came a few times, and she was very generous with her time. She was really present and willing to answer any questions that I had.

As we wrap up, I feel like I have to ask a question about Yellowjackets. Everybody back at Collider is a big fan of that. Is there anything that you can tease for what’s to come?

LYNSKEY: Gosh, I don’t think so. [Laughs] I just had a conversation with them, like, a week ago with our writers about the course of the season. I do know one of them said, “Things are going to get very dark for Shauna.” And I was like, “Get?”

It’s already been dark.

LYNSKEY: It’s been pretty dark the last two seasons.

Are you gearing up to film? After the strike I completely lost track of where everybody’s filming schedules were and everything.

LYNSKEY: I know. Yeah, we stop filming in mid-May.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is set to premiere on Peacock on May 2, 2024.

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