As soon as a book becomes a bestseller, you can bet Hollywood comes knocking – and that’s exactly what happened with Te Awamutu-born author Heather Morris’ 2018 debut novel, The Tattooist Of Auschwitz.
“Within six months, there were lots of conversations with studios going on,” smiles Heather, 71. Now, six years on, after selling more than 12 million copies, the book is finally coming to our screens in the form of a six-part series.
Is The Tattooist Of Auschwitz a true story?
Yes, it is. The Tattooist recounts the true story of Lale Sokolov, a Jewish Slovakian assigned to tattoo fellow prisoners at Auschwitz, where he met his wife, Gita Furman.
While they were both living in Melbourne, Lale shared his incredible survival story with Heather before his death, at age 90, in 2006. She originally wrote it as a screenplay, not a novel, so she’s stoked it’s been turned into a series.
“For me, it always should have been on the screen,” Heather says. “That’s how I wrote it and how Lale wanted it, so that was the dream.”
While the series is faithful to the book, a major change is that Heather herself features as a character. Scenes from the war are intercut with modern-day moments where viewers see the older Lale, played by Harvey Keitel, telling his story to social worker-turned-writer Heather, played by Kiwi star Melanie Lynskey.
“That was never meant to be,” Heather laughs. “I said no at first!” But she came around to the idea when Melanie was cast. “We immediately shared the Kiwi sense of humour because where we came from wasn’t that far apart – New Zealand isn’t that big. And I’d seen Two And A Half Men and Yellowjackets. I knew what a class act she was.”
Here, Heather opens up about how her dream series came to life…
Q&A with Heather Morris
How do you think Lale would feel about The Tattooist Of Auschwitz being on TV?
I think he’d go, “Nailed it!” He would have just loved it. Both Lale and I dreamed of his story being played out on the screen. We talked about a feature film and he dragged me along to many new-release movies to find the perfect person to play him. When we had the choice of a two-hour feature film versus a six-hour miniseries, well, there was no contest.
Do you think the series captures the book well?
Very. It goes one step further in including Lale as an older man reflecting on and remembering his past experiences. It captures the fallibility of memory – how we can remember traumatic events the way we wish they were and how they really were. It’s something every one of us does.
You worked as story consultant on this series. What did that entail?
Initially, spending time with Jacquelin Perske, the screenwriter, to share the details of my time with Lale. Then as episodes were written, they were sent to me for comment and together we talked through some elements that had been altered – or details that had been left out that I thought were important. We always arrived at a solution that satisfied both of us and the producer.
Did you have much to do with the cast?
I met Jonah Hauer-King, who plays young Lale, several times before filming, and also Melanie and Harvey. I was so honoured to have one-on-one time with each of them to talk about Lale and Gita, giving insights into aspects of their personalities that were not written in the original novel.
It gave me the opportunity to describe to Harvey how Lale sat, walked, laughed… It was a thrill to then see him replicate these mannerisms. He wanted to portray Lale as accurately as he could and we had a lot of fun with me trying to mimic Lale’s accent, although he could do it much more easily than me!
Was it strange to see Melanie playing you?
Very. Viewers must remember my three years with Lale were 20 years ago. I was younger, thinner and blonder. It’ll be even stranger for my children to watch. Melanie had never played the part of a living person and was a little anxious.
What’s your next book about?
I have three separate projects at various stages of research. I haven’t decided yet on the order I will write them. But at the moment, I’m jetting off to the UK and New York for screenings of The Tattooist Of Auschwitz. My grandchildren call me “travel grandma” to distinguish me from their other grandmother and because that’s what they think my job is – travelling! I love it. For me, it’s the reward for sitting at home writing for so long.
Heather has just finished Sisters Of The Rising Sun, a story of the resilience and survival of Australian nurse throughout World War II.
Where can I watch The Tattooist Of Auschwitz in New Zealand?
The Tattooist Of Auschwitz is streaming on Neon from Monday and screens 9.30pm Wednesdays on SoHo.
