Emmy-nominated actress Joey King joins The Hollywood Reporter's Tyler Coates for a conversation about her lead role in Hulu's limited series 'We Were the Lucky Ones,' about family members who are separated during the Holocaust, while at a live event hosted by the San Vicente Bungalows in Los Angeles.
Category
✨
PeopleTranscript
00:00I've never experienced anything like it.
00:01I've played so many interesting people and I'm just so grateful for all the things I've
00:05ever done.
00:06But there is something so specifically emotional and just deep-rooted tied to this project
00:13for me.
00:14Thank you for joining me.
00:22So the first question I want to ask you, how did this project come your way and what was
00:28your first reaction to the material when you read it?
00:31So Tommy Kail kind of approached me.
00:33We were supposed to work together on a little rendition of Fiddler on the Roof and it didn't
00:41happen because the studio was like, oh, no one wants to see a musical about Jews, I guess,
00:50probably.
00:51So then that didn't happen.
00:54And then Tommy was like, but I have another project I'd love to talk to you about.
00:57I'd never seen the material yet when he kind of approached me about this, just based on
01:00his description, said yes before I'd even seen anything.
01:05And he was like, well, hang on, let me get you some material when it's finally ready
01:09and let's see if you're still interested.
01:11And I was like, I know I'm going to be interested, but I can't wait.
01:14So I read the book in that time and then I read the script and it was just like, it was
01:17one of the easiest guesses.
01:19Like I said, I said it before I even saw the material.
01:21So it was just everything was so easy about saying yes to this project.
01:25I'm just so darn glad I did because it was it was amazing to work on and I'm just so
01:30proud of what what happened and the final result.
01:33Absolutely.
01:34Well, congratulations on this show.
01:36You know, I've I've read you kind of called the novel by Georgia Hunter, who is her family,
01:41that this story is based upon.
01:44You kind of called it like kind of the Bible for you and your fellow actors.
01:47And so we'd love to hear about kind of reading that book, but also any of the other research
01:51that kind of went into this as you're preparing for the role.
01:54Yeah.
01:55Georgia's book was really this guiding light for all of us.
01:58You know, it was such an amazing piece of material to be able to pull from because everything
02:03that we really needed to know about our characters was absolutely in there.
02:06The writing in the book and the adaptation, the script was just so great.
02:11So I'm just so thankful that that was the material we had and that we also had access
02:14to Georgia, whose family this is based on.
02:17It was so nice to just be able to talk to her and ask her questions.
02:21And we were lucky enough to each have time with Georgia to be able to hold more additional
02:28information about the people we were playing from her.
02:31And so I asked Georgia, I was like, do you have any additional information from the family
02:37about Helena and what she was like, you know, outside of the war?
02:41Because I wanted to get to know who Helena was outside of this terrible event, you know,
02:45because she was a woman who had spunk and humor and so much vibrancy outside of the war.
02:52And so I got some really wonderful tidbits from Helena's grandchildren.
02:56And it was just it was all kind of surreal to be able to have access like that to the family.
03:01Yeah. I mean, when you're playing a character like that, does this automatically heighten
03:05the stakes of your performance to know that this is a real person and she has living ancestors
03:10who may remember her?
03:11So what is it like to kind of carry that on your shoulders?
03:16It was a lot of exciting pressure, I guess.
03:21Like there is a there is a responsibility there, like it's something that you feel the
03:26weight of. You want to be so respectful to the people that you're playing and you want
03:31to get to know them so well and you want to do right by them, you know, because Helena
03:36is not here to see this show, of course, but I got to spend time with her children.
03:39I got to spend time with Anna and Ricardo and be, you know, amazed by them and have
03:46them share stories about their mother with me and then their grandchildren and their
03:50children. Like it's just so important because, you know, the point of this show is that,
03:56of course, they were the lucky ones because during this time, the goal was to wipe every
04:01Jewish bloodline off the map.
04:03And so it just is so touching and amazing to be able to play this character, this person
04:08and meet the family to see how unsuccessful that goal of wiping off bloodlines.
04:13Yes. I mean, the title itself, you know, I was talking with one of my colleagues earlier
04:18tonight, you know, for a Holocaust drama, you're going and you know it's going to be a
04:23tough, heavy experience as a viewer and I imagine as a performer as well.
04:28But the title itself indicates there's a lot of hope to this story.
04:32Was that something that was kind of at the forefront of your mind from the beginning,
04:36that this is a hopeful story told amid just a horrifying event?
04:42There was always that guiding light, kind of like what we said with George's book.
04:46Of course, we know we're telling a story where the people were playing.
04:51They survive. And that's so wonderful.
04:53But there's also something like really interesting about knowing that, but playing
04:59people who have no idea what's going to happen to them.
05:02So, you know, I know that they all survive in the end, but there's so many scenes that
05:06are just so rough and so heavy and sad and just terrible things are happening.
05:12But and the people that were playing, they don't know that they're going to make it out
05:17of the situation. And so making sure to, like, implement that, not foreshadow, even
05:21though, of course, the audience already knows, too, that they do survive.
05:26That was really an interesting thing to play with.
05:28Of course, most most shoots, every single project shoots out of order.
05:32So that was always something to keep in mind as well with like where we were shooting,
05:36where we were in the story.
05:38Well, you know, I'm kind of curious about that because, you know, I think this first
05:42episode is really interesting because you get to see the family dynamic.
05:46You get to see the individual interactions that all the characters have with one
05:50another and the different relationships they have.
05:53Every every family member has a different relationship with everyone in their unit.
05:57So what was it like to to kind of build that family kind of behind the scenes while
06:05also knowing you'd be separated for a lot of the show?
06:08You're kind of in and out of order.
06:10What was that like working with your fellow ensemble members?
06:14It was so fun.
06:15I mean, it was just so nice because this is a real testament to Tommy and Erica, our
06:21showrunner and everybody who had a hand in casting.
06:24And Fiona, our lovely casting director, because they just like picked the most talented
06:29people in the world and also the kindest people in the world.
06:32So we had about two weeks before we shot to kind of rehearse together and get to know
06:36each other.
06:36And it became really fast, like family.
06:39And, you know, there's a lot of us who get separated.
06:42We don't get to shoot very much together.
06:44For example, you know, Henry Lloyd Hughes, who plays Ginnick and his wife in the show
06:50Moran Rosenblatt.
06:52I didn't really see them like on set ever, but I was hanging out with them all the time
06:57offset.
06:57So we really kept tight and kept up hanging out all the time, which was amazing.
07:03But one of the other elements to that, which was I got to experience like their performances
07:08for the first time as a viewer because I wasn't there to see any of it.
07:12And it was just so moving and shocking.
07:14And everyone in the show is so beyond talented and nice.
07:19And it's just you don't really get that combination very often.
07:22We were really blessed to have this.
07:26I don't know.
07:26It was just it was perfect, really.
07:28Yeah.
07:28It sounds like you're making family like behind the scenes.
07:30It's pretty incredible.
07:32And because of that, there's this element of when there's scenes where we're talking
07:37about missing each other, there's like a real like, you know, you pull from your real life,
07:42of course, and what you can relate to the character.
07:44But also we became so close, like you pull from missing that actual person that you've
07:50developed a lovely relationship with and it becomes real.
07:53And and that was really special.
07:56Yeah.
07:56You know, I always like to ask this question, any actor, you know, kind of how they I mean,
08:01every actor's process is very different and kind of sacred in a way.
08:06But, you know, when an actor goes into a role like this, their work, the day job is very
08:12intense.
08:13The material you're working with, how do you kind of leave or do you leave work at work
08:18and kind of like decompress at the end of the day, especially with something like this,
08:22which such it's, you know, very harrowing.
08:25Yeah.
08:26You know, sometimes like I'm definitely not I'm not a method actor and I am I'd applaud
08:32anyone who is because that is I am able to go home and and like reset for the most part.
08:40But there were days, you know, I would it was a really, really tough days.
08:43Like I would call my husband on FaceTime and I'd be like, this is what happened today.
08:47And I would kind of tell him about the scenes.
08:48And I would kind of I would surprise myself because I would start crying when I was on
08:52the phone with him about how emotional I got during, you know, this scene or even more
08:58so what happened to me would be I would get really emotional in between takes and in between
09:03setups because I would think about like how horrible the situation was of this scene that
09:08I was filming.
09:08And it would really, really affect me.
09:10And so this show in particular surprised me with moments that I wasn't able to totally
09:16shed the skin when I got home, because normally I'm just like immediately able to kind of
09:21like shed the day.
09:23I don't like think too much about a take I didn't like, you know, I'm really I'm good
09:27about just being like, OK, what's done is done.
09:29But the show show got me a lot of times and surprised me.
09:32Yeah.
09:32Was that something bonding with your co-stars over?
09:36I mean, I mean, I imagine everyone kind of had that experience that they had to kind
09:40of shake off, too.
09:41Absolutely.
09:42Again, like that was a huge part of the reason we became so close.
09:46Another thing, too, is like I don't know about anyone else, but like when I feel emotional
09:52or I cry or something, there's like in front of people, there's like a sense of shame that
09:56comes with that.
09:57Of course, like in a scene, like, no, it's my job.
09:59I'm I'm really in the moment.
10:00That's wonderful.
10:01But like outside of the scene or in between a take, if I like stay emotional or I am emotional,
10:06I feel this sense of like, oh, this is so shameful.
10:09Like this is so embarrassing.
10:10Why am I so emotional?
10:12But not with this show, because I think that we just were this like great support system
10:17for each other.
10:18Every single person had at least one moment or more where we got emotional at different
10:23times and it surprised us all.
10:25And we were there for each other.
10:26We'd hold each other, not just the cast, but the crew, too.
10:29We would really lift each other up and there was no shame.
10:32And that was a really freeing feeling to be like, I'm really emotional, but like I don't
10:37feel bad about it because I'm around people who, like, get it.
10:41Absolutely.
10:42You know, the Helena, her character is so alive, for lack of a better word, just like
10:50a big personality, very spunky.
10:53It brings a really incredible levity to this very heavy show.
11:00So I'm curious, you know, what were the conversations like with the directors and showrunner
11:05about how to kind of modulate how much of like a lighthearted mood to have in a certain
11:12scene to kind of counterbalance this very kind of heavy material?
11:18Helena was always kind of the spunkier one in the family by nature in real life.
11:24And so a lot of the scenes that have levity to them are things that really happened.
11:29You know, this is like me telling Mila, you know, no Jewish eyes.
11:33Like, it's funny, but it's also horrible.
11:36But like, that's actually like something that really happened in real life.
11:39And they took that and implemented it in the story.
11:41But everything I learned about Helena's personality, one of the tidbits that like, I was like,
11:46I'm not going to share this, but you guys are fun, I'll share.
11:49Her grandkids were like, I was like, tell me something about your grandmother.
11:53And they were like, she never wore a bra.
11:55And I was like, I was like, okay, like, that's an interesting fact.
12:01I love it.
12:01But like, they were kind of just telling me all these fun facts about her, about like
12:05her sense of humor and what a free wild spirit she was.
12:08And as much as it's funny, and it's like really cute, it also gave me a really good
12:12idea of like, this person who actually has so much like love of life and freeness to
12:17her, like, what would she be like during this heroine time?
12:21And like, how would her personality adapt and change?
12:25And so, you know, Helena was really just like this light of a person.
12:31And so we see throughout the whole series, her light really dim, and it breaks our hearts.
12:35And then we see her get it back.
12:37And I really love playing with that side of her, because that's, you know, I want to
12:41honor who she really was, and she had a lot of light.
12:43Yeah, it's just a full persona, I suppose.
12:48Yeah, kind of tagging onto that, like, when you're playing a real person, I know I've
12:52asked you this question already, like the kind of responsibility you have.
12:55But when you're kind of creating a character as an actor, and you have, you know, what
13:00you read on the page and what your kind of your perspective of this person is, versus
13:04the people that you're talking to really do her, how do you kind of meld those things
13:08together, yourself and bring in what you wanted to bring in as an actor, while also
13:14keeping those kind of realistic elements in the back of your mind?
13:19That's a really good question that I wish I had like some like amazing, eloquent answer
13:23for.
13:24But like, the truth is that the writing was so great.
13:27It was all so there.
13:29And my job was like made so much easier because of that.
13:33And I also do truly feel that like 90% of acting is reacting to the situation that you're
13:38put in.
13:39And the actors that we were blessed to be with were so amazing.
13:44And so, of course, I did my prep.
13:47Of course, I did my notes.
13:49Of course, I did my research.
13:50But of course, I left room for spontaneity, you know, like, I knew who Lena was, I had
13:56researched and studied her and really, you know, gone deep and not just Helena and the
14:00family, but this period of time, of course, and I felt really confident in my knowledge
14:06enough to like, let myself have these moments where I wasn't overthinking exactly how I
14:12wanted to say these things or what exactly the inflection I wanted to bring to bring
14:16light to this like, I really wanted to just be there in the present.
14:20And I do think that, you know, the research that I did prior allowed me to have that
14:26spontaneity.
14:27Yeah.
14:27You know, and again, like with a period piece, I imagine all the crafts that are around you
14:31kind of puts you in that place.
14:34I mean, from the costume design to the production design and the hair and makeup, like how much
14:39of that is a part of your process in finding a person?
14:43It's really big.
14:43I have to like with a period piece specifically, like there it's such a specific look.
14:49And when you put that on and when you have the hair and not just the hairstyle, but also
14:53Halina past is Aryan.
14:55And so they decided to lighten my hair to make me look more Aryan.
15:00And so like when you have that and you have the hairstyle and you've got the red lip and
15:03you've got this beautiful 1940s dress and we're wearing real undergarments from the
15:0840s, like it all helps so much.
15:11There's no piece of this that I could have done alone.
15:14And every piece was so essential to building Halina.
15:18Yeah, you talked about, you sort of talked about when you were talking with Tommy Kail
15:24about doing Fiddler, which I still am a big fan.
15:30That's what I was going to play.
15:35But you know, you're Jewish.
15:38A lot of the, most of the cast members in the show are Jewish.
15:40And I'm curious, like what about that element was so important for you and how much of your
15:46own, you know, kind of family background did you bring into the show?
15:50You know, I think that one of the best parts about being an actor is that we play people
15:56that maybe sometimes we have nothing in common with.
15:58And so I do think that when actors who aren't Jewish play Jewish people, that's wonderful.
16:02I think it's, I think it's great.
16:04I love it.
16:05But to have an all Jewish cast was like, there's really something so special about it.
16:10I've never experienced that before.
16:12And it brought a different feel.
16:15You know, everyone had such a personal, like ferocious tie to this and this feeling.
16:20And that was so special.
16:23And, you know, I've said this before, but it's true.
16:26It's like, when you do, when you are Jewish, the thing that you bring to this from your
16:31own family, from my case anyway, is like, I've never like, I don't remember the moment
16:36I learned about Polygost.
16:37You know, like I didn't like go to school one day and come back and be like, oh my God,
16:40this horrible thing I just learned today.
16:42When you grow up Jewish, you just know about it.
16:45And so there's something like, that's like deep in there in you, that you're just so
16:53connected to that you've always known and you always feel and the heaviness of it and
16:57the weight of it.
16:58And just bringing that into this show, like, I've never experienced anything like it.
17:03I've played so many interesting people.
17:05I'm just so grateful for all the things I've ever done.
17:07But there is something so specifically emotional and like, just deep rooted, tied to this
17:15project for me that it's hard to explain other than like, it's just in my roots.
17:19Yeah.
17:20Did you ever expect to do something about this subject matter?
17:24Or was that ever anything, you know, kind of on your radar or something to achieve as
17:28an actor?
17:29Absolutely.
17:30It's something that I've always wanted to find the right thing that feels right.
17:40You know, I mean, I think that there's a lot of wonderful projects out there about World
17:44War II, and there's a lot of amazing tellings from different perspectives that are real
17:51stories and some that are fictionalized.
17:54But I couldn't be prouder that this is the one that I got to be part of.
17:57Yeah.
17:58Kind of last question for you.
18:00Thank God, I can't breathe.
18:01I feel like I'm like...
18:05I saw you get laced up by the stage.
18:08I was like, we got to get this movie.
18:09Every question I answer, I'm like, does it seem like I'm taking shallow breaths?
18:12Because I'm not.
18:16Well, we'll lay you out soon.
18:19If you can think of like one thing, one message, one, you know, kind of guiding light from
18:25this show that you hope an audience member takes from it.
18:28I mean, there's so many things that could come to mind, but I think the biggest thing
18:34that I hope people feel is a general sense of heightened compassion that they can bring
18:41with them for other aspects of life.
18:45I just hope that this show has that lasting effect more than anything else.
18:49I think it does.
18:50Thank you again for joining us.
18:52Congratulations.