Thomas Kail, Erica Lipez, and Georgia Hunter Talk Bringing We Were the Lucky Ones To The Screen
In We Were the Lucky Ones, we explore the Kurc family who are separated at the start of World War II. Through everything they are determined to reunite and survive as they face the Holocaust. Pop Culture Planet’s Kristen Maldonado spoke with author Georgia Hunter, director Thomas Kail, and showrunner Erica Lipez about bringing this true story to life.
Adapted from Georgia Hunter’s bestselling book, it explores her real life family origins. “It's based entirely on my true family story. The book We Were The Lucky Ones traces my grandfather and his siblings and the paths that they take to survive across continents during the Holocaust and the second World War. How they got from A to B to C and how they survived is entirely based on my research and based on truth,” Hunter told me. “I interviewed second generation cousins and had some Shoah interviews through Spielberg’s Shoah Foundation and lots of records that I was able to to unearth.” She specifically called the book historical fiction though because she “didn't feel comfortable putting words in their mouths and thoughts in their minds when [she] wasn't able to interview” some of her specific ancestors.
She continued: “With the series we really tried to honor the story. We barely veered from it unless we had a timeline issue where we just didn't have the time to tell the story in its entirety. We might combine a couple scenes but it is very much based and rooted in truth.”
Hunter is still pinching herself over how lucky she has been to be able to work with her dear friend Tommy Kail on bringing the story to life, calling it “a dream come true.” “From pitch to the writer's room, I got to be involved there every day in the writer's room and helping to break episodes and answer questions and provide source materials. I was on set as much as I possibly could and then post-production. I've been involved in the editing process as well,” she shared. “I'm very aware that this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing happening for me right now. In terms of the content, it's so incredibly personal. It's been my passion project for 16 years of my life now. To be able to do this and be a part of it, I feel very, very grateful.”
Erica Lipez called Hunter’s book “one of the most incredible compelling stories [she] had ever read.” “It was the most incredible guide for making the series and I think the real gift of adapting it was bringing Georgia along with us. She was with us every step of the way,” Lipez said. “I think she both helped us when we felt lost and also gave us permission to take these characters from the page and to explore those relationships to explore those sibling dynamics, to explore the romances we might have. Amp the romances a little bit. It's television you have to have some romance, but she was always there to make sure we were telling her family story authentically, which was everything for bringing this story to life.”
Hunter was particularly emotional over seeing a song her grandfather wrote make it into the series. “My grandfather Addy, who Logan Lerman plays so beautifully in this show, he was a composer in real life. I'll never forget the first day on set where it's the first family Passover and, you see this in episode one, he sits down at the piano to play a piece of music that he wrote in real life,” she revealed. “Hearing the sound of that piece called “List,” which means letter in Polish, and listening from behind the wall to the rapport of this family sitting around the room listening to this music, I was just… water works.”
Meanwhile Thomas Kail shares what made adapting We Were the Lucky Ones and the live-action Moana film he’s directing similar. “What they have in common, and same thing when I had a chance to do Sweeney Todd, there was a revival opportunity there to take something that has existed in these various forms. What I'm trying to do whenever I make anything is say this is why I love it. Sometimes if you're working on something new, there's no context for that, but when you're working on something like this where the book exists, what we're also saying is we love the book,” he shared with me. “I'm going to give every effort I have in making Moana because I love that animated film, just as much as the world does. I also want to try to find a way to make something that can live alongside of the animated film and have the quality and the integrity that it did. That's certainly the aim for sure.”
With the current events in the world, We Were the Lucky Ones feels even more relevant than ever. “It does feel scarily relevant at the moment, but at its core this is a story of courage and perseverance and love. For me, it brought a sense of humanity and a sense of hope. I hope audiences take a little bit of that away too,” shared Hunter.
Lipez added: “What drew me to the project was the family at the center of it. The Kurcs family. I was so moved by the story. [It], of course. tells their survival stories throughout these nine years, but I think it's so much about the moments in between. The moments of humanity and compassion. The moments of love and laughter and making music. Just getting to live alongside them has really fundamentally changed me as a person. I think it's reminded me how much we have to lead with compassion and always remember our humanity. I hope that they fall in love with that family in the same way.”
The We Were the Lucky Ones mini series is streaming on Hulu.
