Page 14 - aruba-today-20220428

A14 PEOPLE & ARTS
Thursday 28 april 2022
Boxer's Holocaust ordeal, aftermath told in 'The Survivor'

By LYNN ELBER California's Shoah Founda-
AP Television Writer tion was a historical consul-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In "The tant on the production and
Survivor," filmmaker Barry provided a videotaped
Levinson reaches back 80 interview with Haft, pre-
years to tell the grueling served in the foundation's
story of a boxer who put archives. He died in 2007,
the lives of fellow concen- at age 82.
tration camp prisoners at Vicky Krieps, Peter Sars-
risk to save his own. gaard, Danny DeVito and
The moral and psychologi- John Leguizamo co-star
cal repercussions for Harry in "The Survivor," which re-
Haft are why Levinson, the unites Levinson and Foster,
Oscar-winning director of whose first film role was
"Rain Man," was drawn to in the director's "Liberty
the project based on a Heights."
book about Haft's Holo- The actor, whose other films
caust ordeal written by his include "Hell or High Water"
son, Alan Scott Haft. to "X-Men: The Last Stand,"
"This is not about the life met the demands of play-
of somebody in a camp. ing Haft from the skin in.
It's the fragments of what He's unrecognizable in the
happened in the camp, This image released by HBO shows Ben Foster as concentration camp prisoner Harry Haft in a part.
and what happened there scene from "The Survivor," premiering Wednesday, April 27. "I just don't think I could live
to survive," Levinson said. Associated Press with myself if I had shown up
"Now he's trying to get on and lost 15 pounds, when
with life and struggling with Juel Gillmer ("The 100"), dra- ing the disposal of bodies. she will somehow survive you scratch the surface of
it." matizes Haft's experience in Always ready with his fists, imprisonment and the war, any kind of research on this
Haft must face the ques- Auschwitz, a central part of Haft is given the chance to he let's nothing stand in his (the Holocaust) and look at
tions of "how do you have the Nazi death camp sys- take part in boxing match- way to do the same. these human beings who
a life, how do you have a tem. An estimated 1.3 mil- es, becoming an amuse- While Haft's Holocaust ex- are reduced to bone," he
full life?" he said. lion people were deported ment and source of betting perience is a brief part of said. As he was learning to
HBO's "The Survivor," starring to Auschwitz in German- income for German offi- "The Survivor," Levinson box, the actor said, he also
Ben Foster, debuts 8 p.m. occupied Poland and at cers. said, it permeates it "be- wanted to discover how
EDT Wednesday to mark least 1.1 million died, ac- As depicted in the film, the cause in his head he can't thin he could get and still
Yom Hashoah, or Holo- cording to its museum and champion goes on to fight let it go." The story follows fight.
caust Remembrance Day. memorial website. again; the loser's fate is Haft as he begins life anew "It was a strange, obsessive
It honors the 6 million Jews A teenager when arrested, likely death. Haft is driven in America, pursues a box- need to know my own lim-
who died as part of Nazi Haft is among those kept to prevail in the ring by love ing career and starts a fam- its, rather than check....a
Germany's mass murder of alive as slave labor, held — he longs to be reunited ily, even as he continues to box of, 'Actor lost weight,
European Jews. under horrific conditions with Leah, his childhood search for his lost love. good,' or 'Actor gained
The film, written by Justine and given tasks, includ- sweetheart. Convinced The University of Southern weight, good,'" he said.q

Helen Mirren graces cover of People's 'Beautiful Issue'

beauty and how the Oscar Queen." The actor, who remember my lines or not. I
winner still gets nervous be- has been a L'Oreal Paris just get very frightened until
fore filming a role. spokesperson since 2014, I get into the swing of things
The magazine on Wednes- has built an impressive act- and then I kind of relax."
day revealed the cover of ing career with more than After a film wraps, Mirren
the annual issue, which hits 140 credits in 55 years. said her nerves are calmed
newsstands Friday. "I think what is called the and she doesn't read any
The 76-year-old Mirren said beauty industry should be reviews — good or bad.
she was "gobstruck" after called the swagger indus- While Mirren is hesitant to
learning about her honor try," she continued. "We're call herself beautiful, Vin
and never considered her- giving people swagger." Diesel believes the word
self beautiful – especially Despite her revered career, perfectly suits her.
at her age. From her per- she still finds herself nervous "She has a charisma that is
spective, the word beauty before starting a new proj- timeless. She has looks to
should be dubbed another ect. kill and always has. She has
word: swagger. "I get very nervous about a jovial spirit," said Diesel,
"I love the word swagger the day-to-day process," who starred in the 2021 film
because I think swagger said Mirren, who starred in "F9" with Mirren. "But I think
Helen Mirren arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Feb. 24,
2019. Mirren will grace the cover of People magazine’s “The means I'm confident in my- films including "The Long the thing that is most at-
Beautiful Issue." self, I'm presenting myself to Good Friday," "Elizabeth I" tractive about Dame Helen
Associated Press the world, I'm enjoying the and "The Cook, the Thief, Mirren is the way she makes
world around me," said Mir- His Wife, & Her Lover." "And you feel. She always makes
By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr. magazine's "The Beautiful ren, who won an Academy meeting and dealing with you feel appreciated and
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hel- Issue" in a cover story that Award for best actress for new people. And not know- loved. And for that, I Iove
en Mirren graces People touches on her thoughts of her role in the 2006 film "The ing whether I am going to her forever."q