Jesse Eisenberg

These are hallowed grounds and, you know, they get asked every day to be turned into... You know, essentially, you know, war sets, you know, that they take place in 1942 and have extras running around in Nazi uniforms. And, like, they just don't – of course, they're not going to allow that at this kind of site, which is a cemetery, which is a site of, you know, mass horror. And so –

Over the course of like the next eight months before we made the movie, I just tried to reach out in any way possible to this concentration camp, Majdanek, to explain what I wanted to do, which is I wanted to film a scene of a modern tour group going through this place, you know, in an attempt to have it be part of the movie, but also to show audiences what this place is.

Over the course of like the next eight months before we made the movie, I just tried to reach out in any way possible to this concentration camp, Majdanek, to explain what I wanted to do, which is I wanted to film a scene of a modern tour group going through this place, you know, in an attempt to have it be part of the movie, but also to show audiences what this place is.

Over the course of like the next eight months before we made the movie, I just tried to reach out in any way possible to this concentration camp, Majdanek, to explain what I wanted to do, which is I wanted to film a scene of a modern tour group going through this place, you know, in an attempt to have it be part of the movie, but also to show audiences what this place is.

And my kind of plea to them was that I want to do the same thing you're doing. You exist as a museum to show people today what happened on this site. And I'm trying to do the same thing through my movie. And so once we kind of were able to, you know, speak to the people who work there, who are these unbelievably beautiful, brilliant young academics.

And my kind of plea to them was that I want to do the same thing you're doing. You exist as a museum to show people today what happened on this site. And I'm trying to do the same thing through my movie. And so once we kind of were able to, you know, speak to the people who work there, who are these unbelievably beautiful, brilliant young academics.

And my kind of plea to them was that I want to do the same thing you're doing. You exist as a museum to show people today what happened on this site. And I'm trying to do the same thing through my movie. And so once we kind of were able to, you know, speak to the people who work there, who are these unbelievably beautiful, brilliant young academics.

These are not like state apparatchiks who are running this place. These are like young academics who could be doing anything with their lives and are spending it every day at a concentration camp to preserve the memory of Jewish history. And so once we were able to be in touch with them, they understood what my motivation was and how respectful we were going to be, how the scenes would be shot.

These are not like state apparatchiks who are running this place. These are like young academics who could be doing anything with their lives and are spending it every day at a concentration camp to preserve the memory of Jewish history. And so once we were able to be in touch with them, they understood what my motivation was and how respectful we were going to be, how the scenes would be shot.

These are not like state apparatchiks who are running this place. These are like young academics who could be doing anything with their lives and are spending it every day at a concentration camp to preserve the memory of Jewish history. And so once we were able to be in touch with them, they understood what my motivation was and how respectful we were going to be, how the scenes would be shot.

We went over every word in the script. We went over every angle that we wanted to film. And it took a long time, but they agreed to it. And we had two cameras, and we basically set up the shots in the most, like, you know, un-kind of fettered way. We would, you know, it was written in the script, even, that these scenes will be shot very simply. There will be no music.

We went over every word in the script. We went over every angle that we wanted to film. And it took a long time, but they agreed to it. And we had two cameras, and we basically set up the shots in the most, like, you know, un-kind of fettered way. We would, you know, it was written in the script, even, that these scenes will be shot very simply. There will be no music.

We went over every word in the script. We went over every angle that we wanted to film. And it took a long time, but they agreed to it. And we had two cameras, and we basically set up the shots in the most, like, you know, un-kind of fettered way. We would, you know, it was written in the script, even, that these scenes will be shot very simply. There will be no music.

The actors will walk in and out of the rooms. That's how I wrote it in the script, and that's what we filmed. We set up the shot. The actors walked in. I asked them to not block each other so we could see everybody's face or whatever. And they experienced what they experienced, looking at the shoes or looking at a gas chamber, et cetera, these places of horror. And then they exited the room.

The actors will walk in and out of the rooms. That's how I wrote it in the script, and that's what we filmed. We set up the shot. The actors walked in. I asked them to not block each other so we could see everybody's face or whatever. And they experienced what they experienced, looking at the shoes or looking at a gas chamber, et cetera, these places of horror. And then they exited the room.

The actors will walk in and out of the rooms. That's how I wrote it in the script, and that's what we filmed. We set up the shot. The actors walked in. I asked them to not block each other so we could see everybody's face or whatever. And they experienced what they experienced, looking at the shoes or looking at a gas chamber, et cetera, these places of horror. And then they exited the room.

And so it was done with like the absolute utmost simplicity and care and reverence.

And so it was done with like the absolute utmost simplicity and care and reverence.

And so it was done with like the absolute utmost simplicity and care and reverence.

That's exactly it. So, you know, this place, Majdanek, is in Lublin. So it's in the southeast of the country. Lublin is this really bustling, gorgeous, vibrant college town. And five minutes away from this, again, gorgeous, bustling, you know, cosmopolitan college town is this death camp. And when I say five minutes, that's not hyperbole.