The power of LOVE

JONAH HAUER-KING and ANNA PRÓCHNIAK on a drama inspired by a real-life romance that defied all odds

- CAREN CLARK

THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ 

NEW THURSDAY, 9PM, SKY ATLANTIC & SKY SHOWCASE DRAMA (BOX SET, SKY BOX SETS & NOW)

Heather Morris' bestselling 2018 book The Tattooist of Auschwitz captivated readers across the globe by recounting the poignant true story of how a young couple fell in love amid the horrors of life in the Nazi concentration camp.

Sky Atlantic's six-part drama brings the epic romance to life as widowed Jewish octogenarian Lali Sokolov (Hollywood star Harvey Keitel), who was born in what is now Krompachy, Slovakia, tells budding author Heather (Yellowjackets' Melanie Lynskey) about his emotional meeting with his late wife Gita some 60 years before.

Flashbacks then follow the young Lali (World on Fire's Jonah Hauer-King) when he is sent to Auschwitz in 1942 and reluctantly becomes a camp tattooist, marking identification numbers on his fellow prisoners, including spirited Gita (Baptiste's Anna Próchniak), with whom he forges an immediate connection.

But their secret romance is being observed by sadistic SS guard Stefan Baretzki (Deutschland 86's Jonas Nay), who holds their lives in his hands as they fight for their survival.

TV Times joined Jonah, 28, and Anna, 35, for a video chat to learn more about the moving story...

What drew you both to this drama series?

ANNA I’d read the book, and I understand the phenomenon of it because the story is powerful and extraordinary. Gita and Lali find love and hope in a world filled with hatred and horror and in the most inhumane of places. It’s beautiful.