Jessica Chastain leads The Zookeeper’s Wife, based on the true story of Antonina Zabinski who, along with her husband, saved hundreds of Jews from the Nazis during World War II.
While it’s a historical drama set in 1939 Poland, Chastain says it raises important questions now.
“We all ask ourselves the question, ‘What would I have done back then? What would I have done back in World War II? Would I have helped others? Would I have opened my door to protect strangers?’ And what you’re doing today is what you would have done back then. So, I think we need to look at how we’re living our lives. And are we doing enough to help others fleeing violence, trying to find a safe haven, a sanctuary? Are we providing that? Or are we leading our lives with fear?”
Chastain and director Niki Caro shared the research they did in preparing to tell a story like this.
“I started by reading the novel and going through it with a fine-tooth comb. It’s based on Antonina’s journals, so I have a great insight into the character from the novel…then I went to the Warsaw Zoo and met with Teresa, Antonina’s daughter, and she was so generous with her time and all her insights to her mother that weren’t in the novel that I could really kind-of develop the ‘softness’ of the character,” Chastain said.
“I think that the ting to recognize is the responsibility of telling that story…And I wanted to honor the millions that died, by celebrating the hundreds that survived thanks to the Zabinskis. I wanted to make a new kind of Holocaust movie, and one ultimately about healing and about hope,” Caro said. “I was able to do so with this material in a way that was really feminine and emotional and delicate and strong.”
The Zookeeper’s Wife is in theaters starting on March 31.