We Were The Lucky Ones: Michael Aloni Interview
By Sioph LealBased on Georgia Hunter's critically acclaimed novel of the same name, We Were The Lucky Ones tells a suspenseful and poignant story of the Kurc family's struggle to survive and come together in the midst of the Holocaust's horrors. Through its captivating storyline and deep character growth, the series explores themes of love, resiliency, and the eternal strength of familial ties. Visitors are taken on an emotional historical journey where they see the triumph of the human spirit over unfathomable adversity.
Sioph Media spoke to Michael Aloni who plays Selim to discuss We Were the Lucky Ones and the impact it will have on its audiences.
Sioph Media: One of the biggest moments in this series is when Selim is reunited with Genec and then later on the rest of the rest of his family, both very different tones with Genec obviously very happy. For the rest of his family, it's quite subtle, quite reserved, and that spoke a lot about his character. What did that mean to you as an actor? And going into that?
MICHAEL ALONI: Well, first of all, I can't talk too much about this scene, but Henry was naked, and as an actor walking into that scene, it was very intimate, but putting the joke aside, [I mean,] it was such an emotional moment for the reunion of this whole family. You know the premise of the series: when you hear we were the lucky ones, you know that they will be lucky. To see how they survived, you're waiting for this one moment, and that will come after you see them in the first episode. Such a Big Happy family, and you just love them and the connections that they’re creating, and this thing that you can very much see yourself in with your own family. Then having this horrible thing happen to them, you're just waiting for that special moment for the reunion, for this family to be reunited after everything they've been through, and so, these are the scenes where we would like to film, and you were filled with joy. You're, like, almost the tears are breaking into your eyes, and you're about to burst out crying, and you're just holding yourself back and everyone on the monitors while watching those scenes. We're just at the same position as you are, coming closer and closer to the screens. I can't believe that, and I think this is what we all felt when we were acting it, when we were doing it on set, and hopefully when everyone will watch it.
Sioph Media: Definitely and you really do feel their connection. Apart from your own which character, Selim, do you resonate most with?
MICHAEL ALONI: Selim, I think Selim is a great character [and] is the best character of this whole series. I don't know if to choose one character over or next to, like, who would you resonate more with. I think it's just I feel very lucky myself to be part of this great, talented international cast, and we had actors, you know, from Finland, England, Poland, the United States, of course. We're all put together in this big pot of mixture of talent and it was just fun to share ideas, scenes, and moments with so many great actors from all over the world.
Sioph Media: And you can really see that it all shines through. One thing with Selim I noticed is his presence throughout the series and everything that every character does, he's kind of always at the back of everyone's mind, I suppose, for you, that must have been great.
MICHAEL ALONI: Yeah, I mean you, you go through this; the show and you have a newborn baby in your hand, and you're putting it to bed just before you leave the war, and you don't know what's gonna happen to you. You don't know what, how you will survive, [if] you will ever see your wife and daughter again, and it's such a harsh moment, and you carry that in mind, and then you lose contact with Selim, and you know the journey that each and every character is going through, and to have this thing in mind, will I ever see this other person again? Will I have the chance to hug my daughter, sing for her again, to kiss my wife? You just began your life and then made it is about to end. It's such a terrible moment and to not break down and not lose hope. You have to hold on to love and for the possibility that you will, again, have your life back.
We Were The Lucky Ones releases on Hulu, March 28th 2024.