Based on Georgia Hunter’s incredible novel of the same name, WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES tells the true story of her family members’ fight to survive the perils of World War II and The Holocaust, their journey to reunite with one another, and their resilience in the face of evil. Set in Poland, the eight episode Hulu/Disney+ series chronicles the inhumanity faced by Jewish citizens in Nazi-occupied areas of Europe, focusing on the different experiences of each member of the Kurc family across almost a decade.
Creator Erica Lipez does an amazing job showcasing the scope and terror of the war through the eyes of each character. In the ultra brave Helena (Joey King), you see what it was like trying to conceal the Jewish identity in an attempt to live without scrutiny. In the resilient Mila (Hadas Yaron) you see the horrors of what it was to raise a child in this environment, particularly with the looming threat of mass killings. In Sol (Lior Ashkenazi) and Nechuma (Robin Weigert), you see what it was like living in a ghetto. And the dreamer Addy (Logan Lerman) may have been able to escape Europe, but his heart and mind remained with his family back in Poland.
With the rise in antisemitism, WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES is more important now than ever, and I love that the main takeaway from the Kurc family’s harrowing experience is hope. It’s hard to believe this unbelievable story is actually true, and I dare you to not burst into a puddle of tears at the end when you get to see the real people behind the story.
I had the amazing opportunity to interview Joey King, Erica Lipez, and Georgia Hunter for the series. We talked about how this story made its way to the big screen, the difficulty in fitting so much story into eight episodes, and Georgia’s family being in DC to premiere the series at The Holocaust Museum and donate some family artifacts to the museum!
WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES was incredible. It was so emotional. I thought you guys did such a great job of building that relationship with the characters. So then at the end, when you got to see the real pictures of your family members, it was so special. Can you kind of talk to me about that research process and how you found out about your family’s stories?
Georgia Hunter: My family is all here in DC, and I’m so excited for them to watch the show and I’m really excited for them to see the postscript. I think it just brings it all home, and especially for people who don’t know the family. It makes it so all that more real. So my piece of the story dates back to when I was 15 and I discovered this part of my grandfather’s history. I had no idea when I was growing up that I came from a family of Holocaust survivors. It just wasn’t a part of our dialogue. I don’t think it was a deep dark secret. I just think it was something we never… he was very forward thinking, very charismatic, very positive, family oriented.
He married my grandmother who was American, Presbyterian, and from the South. So it came as quite a shock to discover that part of my history at 15, a year after he had died. And then at a family reunion, I started hearing stories about the other siblings, Helena hiking over the Alps, a cousin born in the Siberian gulag, weddings in blacked out homes, disguised circumcisions, false IDs… I was sitting there, mind blown, wondering how have I not heard any of this before?
I didn’t know I would be the person to write them all down at that moment, but that’s when it was seeded. And in 2008, I set off with my little voice recorder and my notebook to interview as many relatives as I could all over the world. It was about 9 years from start to finish before the story was recorded on paper.
And how was it bringing such a personal story to the screen?
Hunter: It is also kind of a very personal story. My dear friend, Tommy Kail, who’s a director and one of the producers approached me and said, “How would you like to partner to bring this to the screen?” Obviously, I love the idea of it having this second life, but it falling into the wrong hands would be horrifying. So when Tommy approached me, it was a dream come true. I met Erica, our team of writers, this cast, the crew, every single person involved has really embraced this story, taken it into their hearts in a way that is just breathtaking to me.
It’s hard to put into words how it’s felt to see so many people… for something that was so personal and something I only ever could imagine, and then for it to come to life through the hearts of these incredible humans involved in this project.
And did you always know there would be a postscript?
Erica Lipez: I think it seemed it felt essential to have that kind of postscript for the series. I think we get to fall in love with the family through the incredible cast who’s brought them to life. But I think to get to the end and show everyone both what happened to the characters they’ve fallen in love with, but also I think what the show is saying, is… when a family like this survives, this is what can come from it, which is generations and generations of wonderful people who brought so much to the world, including Georgia, who wrote this amazing book.
Absolutely. And so for you, Joey, I imagine you shot out of linear order. With such an emotional subject matter, so many characters, and so many moving parts, was it difficult to keep track of what was going on with your character?
Joey King: It wasn’t too difficult for me shooting out of order because the scripts and the book were just such a wonderful guiding light. I was always able to really lock in to where my character was supposed to be emotionally and where she was supposed to be physically. We shot episode by episode, and, yes, we shot the episodes out of order, but we didn’t shoot in this crazy… shooting episode 7 while we’re also shooting episode 2 for my character. Some of us had to go off and do our other things, but it wasn’t too difficult to keep track, thank goodness. And I just enjoyed being on set every day so much, it didn’t matter what we were shooting even if it was really, really tough subject matter.
Lipez: I’ll just say, Joey is extraordinary. Her ability to throw herself into this material… it was a masterclass to watch every day.
King: Thank you, that’s very kind.
Lipez: We were on set when she said, “This is my 20 year anniversary in the industry.” And it shows. She’s incredible.
King: I’ve been acting since I was four. And it sounds like what? It’s insane.
Wow! Well again, I really found the series so powerful. It moved me so much. It was great to meet you all.
