‘The Tattooist of Auschwitz’: Jonah Hauer-King Breaks Down Lali & Baretzki’s ‘Complex & Toxic’ Relationship
Lali Sokolov (Jonah Hauer-King) fights to stay alive every moment he’s imprisoned at Auschwitz. Over the course of his time at the concentration camp, chronicled in Peacock‘s limited series The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Lali is under the supervision of Stefan Baretzki (Jonas Nay), a cruel Nazi guard at Auschwitz.
Baretzki is brutally violent towards the prisoners (and kills many), but he also forms a strange, one-sided friendship with Lali. Stefan opens up to Lali about his personal life and doesn’t expose Lali and Gita’s (Anna Próchniak) relationship. Lali is constantly on edge with Baretzki, unsure if the officer will just decide to have him killed in the spur of the moment.
In Episode 5 of the show, based on Heather Morris’ novel, Lali is stunned when Baretzki tells him, “You were like a brother to me.” For Hauer-King, the dynamic between Stefan and Lali is “maybe the most interesting” of the entire series.
“It’s so complex and toxic,” Hauer-King tells TV Insider. “I think it makes you realize that when you have something so awful happening, it can create nuance and can create some gray area. Lali, I think, is struggling this whole time with his relationship to Baretzki because he’s so aware of how evil he can be and his monstrosity. He’s a murderer, after all, and yet, he’s probably alive because of him.”
He continues, “A big part of the show is how he’s trying to come to terms with that, and the strange dynamic that they have where Baretzki is almost jealous of him. He [Baretzki] kind of admires him [Lali]. It’s so strange given the situation they’re in, and Lali is so afraid of him, but he’s also very indebted to him and that is an awful thing to try and work out.”
Years after the war, when Lali and Gita move to Australia, Lali receives a letter from German lawyers asking him for a statement of support for Baretzki. The ex-SS officer is on trial for war crimes.
Gita is furious that Lali even considers writing a statement. Lali wrestles with the emotional turmoil he feels about Baretzki. In the end, Lali tells the truth about Baretzki’s horrific crimes. Baretzki later dies by suicide after receiving a life sentence. Lali remains haunted by the fact that he wouldn’t likely be alive were it not for Baretzki.
“I think Lali really spends the rest of his life trying to make sense of that relationship,” the actor acknowledges. “It’s a very complicated dynamic.”
The Tattooist of Auschwitz, All Episodes Streaming, Peacock
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services