Remember This is an incredible film, unlike anything you’ve seen before and is based on the true story of Jan Karski: World War II hero, resistance fighter and holocaust witness. A unique twist of Remember This? There is only one (albeit powerful) actor in this movie: Academy Award Nominee, David Strathairn (Nomadland). Based on the one man play by Clark Young and Derek Goldman, who actually derived most of it from Karski’s own words; the play first premiered in Brooklyn New York (starring Strathairn) before Goldman and director Jeff Hutchens adapted into a movie.
A bit more about the film & Karski, per the Remember This production statement: “In a virtuoso solo performance, Academy Award-nominee David Strathairn (Nomadland, Good Night, and Good Luck, Lincoln) portrays Jan Karski in this genre-defying true story of a reluctant World War II hero and Holocaust witness. After surviving the devastation of the Blitzkrieg, Karski swears allegiance to the Polish Underground and risks his life to carry the first eyewitness reports of war-torn Poland to the Western world, and ultimately, the Oval Office. Escaping a Gestapo prison, bearing witness to the despair of the Warsaw ghetto and confronted by the inhumanity of a death camp, Karski endures unspeakable mental anguish and physical torture to stand tall in the halls of power and speak the truth. Strathairn captures the complexity and legacy of this self-described “insignificant, little man” whose timely story of moral courage and individual responsibility can still shake the conscience of the world. “
One of the most interesting things about Karski and the Remember This hero that he is , virtually no one knows about him or what he did during the Holocaust to save many, many lives. There is even a statue in Manhattan as a tribute to him on 37th and Madison Ave; people simply walk by and have no idea. Before the private screening in New York City, we had a chance to chat with Stathairn, who is incredibly gracious, kind and poised, about the film. It was very moving to be at the Museum of Jewish Heritage while experiencing the movie- Strathairn even spoke to many of the movie goers before, almost as though everyone was friends. A class act.
Per the New York Times review of the play, they state the following, “Whatever its form, ‘Remember This,’ serves as a remarkable showcase for Strathairn, who moves fluidly among characters and time periods. He leaps onto a table at one point and off at others. Throughout, he manages to communicate both Karski’s extraordinary moral strength and his passionate reactions to what he sees. Because Karski has feelings. He is, as Strathairn depicts him, much more than a camera or a stylus — he is a man profoundly changed by what he witnesses.”
Take a peek at our interview with David Stathairn.
Lauren Conlin:
All right, David, congratulations for this movie. Incredibly powerful. I’m a little embarrassed because I did not know much about Jan, so I can only imagine the research you had to put into this role. And I just want to know, how did you get in and especially out of character at the end of the day?
David Strathairn:
Well, first off, you’re not alone in not knowing about him. Although there are thousands who do, we found that by doing this story, we are introducing him to the world in many ways. Of course, the Polish community knows him and reveres him and his Georgetown community where he taught for, well, an eye on 40 years, they know him. But as the film has made its way around and the play itself, we are introducing him to a lot of people. So don’t feel that you are alone in that.
Lauren Conlin:
Well, thank you. Thank you for saying that. Because I was reading about him, obviously I had to look him up immediately, and I’m reading about him to my husband and my husband’s like, “Who was this guy?” And then, I don’t know if you saw, but on 37th and Madison, they have a street named after him.
David Strathairn:
Yeah. And there are several statues of him sitting on his bench around the world.
Lauren Conlin:
Oh my gosh. Yeah, no, that’s incredible. Did you feel immense pressure doing this movie just because you’re the only live actor in it?
David Strathairn:
The pressure comes from honoring him in the most respectful way possible, especially for those who knew him as a friend, as a teacher, as a colleague, to represent him in a way that did him service, did his legacy. And getting into was, yes, there was a lot of research necessary. Fortunately, there’s a lot out there of him personally, a lot of videos of him, a lot of his writings, and there was his speeches, and the people who knew him gave me a lot of insight.
Lauren Conlin:
Right. Well, something I want to commend you for during this movie is the fact that even though there was only one person, and I really did feel like I was getting all the action, so I really do commend you. I commend the director because that is not easy.
David Strathairn:
There are a lot of people in the story. As he tells his story, he sort of becomes each person in each episode. But he was a very performative teacher. And that’s one thing that sort of led us to make it into a one-person performance because it was almost as if we hope that the audience is in the classroom with him. And yeah, there are a lot of people up there, a lot of different personalities.
Lauren Conlin:
And just tying things together, I live in Manhattan and it’s not just Manhattan- the outer boroughs have been just ravaged with anti-Semitic comments, just hate crimes. It’s horrible. And I’m sitting here thinking, “We are in 2023 right now. How is this still happening?” It’s insane.
David Strathairn:
It is. It’s very unsettling. Well, I think it’s very important to tell stories like this, because we have to remember. It was only what, 60, 70, 80 years ago. It’s just a generation and people are forgetting.
Lauren Conlin:
Exactly.
David Strathairn:
And it’s really critical that we do remember our past, especially moments like this, where things went so wrong. They could have been prevented. And here we are at a time where there’s a rise of nationalism and anti-Semitism is on the rise again. So it’s critical. It’s really essential that we are aware of that and try to do something about it. And we hope that this play will inspire people to do something.
Lauren Conlin:
Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking when I watch it. I was like, a lot of people need to sit down, watch this, and just get educated. Just completely get educated. And the city, I hope it turns around. I hope the world turns around. But thank you so much for all the work that you do, and yeah, it’s not easy. I don’t know how you do it, so congratulations.
David Strathairn:
Well, it’s not easy, but it’s worth doing it because of the message we want to get out there. And the response we’re getting from people are, they’re very thankful in telling this story.
Lauren Conlin:
Yes. Yeah, I was crying. I had all the feels and I think I put myself in the position of actors sometimes. I don’t know why, but I just do. And I’m like, he must be like, oh my gosh, the prep for this is like, I think I’d rather have someone tell me I have to gain or lose 80 pounds. I don’t know. But yeah.
David Strathairn:
Well, thanks a lot.
Lauren Conlin:
Yeah, of course. Of course.
David Strathairn:
Appreciate it.
Lauren Conlin:
Have a great premiere. It was nice talking to you.
