Movies - TV
Preparing For Schindler’s List Took A Lasting Toll On Ralph Fiennes
By TRAVIS YATES
"Schindler's List" is the true story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a businessman and member of the Nazi party who saved over 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them.
Steven Spielberg's film won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Ralph Fiennes was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Nazi leader Amon Göth.
Per the New York Times, Fiennes had to immerse himself in Nazi material to get a sense of the Amon Göth character including watching Nazi propaganda films and recruitment movies.
Seeing the sense of "power, the order and hierarchy, and the patriotism" the propaganda evoked, Fiennes understood the psychology of Amon Göth’s nastiness.
"If you are playing a role, you are immersing yourself in thinking about that character, how he moves, how he thinks," Fiennes said, adding it causes lingering effects.
"In the end, he becomes an extension of your own self. You like him," Fiennes said. A heavy price to pay for an important role in such a poignant movie.