Liev Schreiber discusses his Otto Frank impersonation in A Small Light 2023
Tomorrow’s (May 2) premiere of A Small Light on Disney+ follows Miep Gies, who concealed Anne Frank and her family from the Nazis during World War II.
Liev Schreiber, known for his roles in Ray Donovan and The French Dispatch, portrays Anne’s father Otto Frank, although he is difficult to recognize due to prosthetics and body language.
Schreiber told Digital Spy in an exclusive interview about how his body changed after three hours in the makeup chair: “Having all that latex applied to your cranium will change you in many ways – visually, emotionally, and spiritually. However, I had a wonderful scene companion in Bel [Powley, who portrays Miep]. Occasionally, acting is similar to tennis, and she strikes the ball exceptionally well.
Harrowing World War 2 drama drops this week.
“There was an early passage about Otto’s German heritage that moved me; he was proud to be German, and that was his identity. And he is compelled to be Jewish because he is Jewish. To be forced to be something that you do not identify with is a terrible occurrence. He was not an especially religious individual. He was extremely pleased to be German. He enjoyed the clothing, the cuisine, and life itself.
“However, he lost it because someone said, ‘No, you’re a Jew. You will always be a Jew,’ And I found this work to be powerful. When my mother told me about the Holocaust when I was a child, I remember thinking, “Why couldn’t I just say I’m not Jewish?”
He continued, ‘It was such a harmless comment, yet so beneficial.’But why am I required to be this? Couldn’t I be something else?’ No, you must be this.
“That sort of completes the circle, and you say, ‘I want to be that and…'” I wish to be proud of being that, but I also wish to be that. I am, in fact, a baseball player, a chef, or a gifted musician.”
