Emily Watson & Ben Schnetzer Video On ‘The Book Thief,’ Hitting Geoffrey Rush

Emily Watson and Ben Schnetzer star in The Book Thief, a new film based on the bestselling novel. The movie tells the story of a German couple, played by Oscar darlings Watson and Geoffrey Rush, and the courageous young girl they adopt. Set during World War II, Schnetzer plays Max, a Jewish refugee who the family hides in their basement.

The power of imagination becomes a happy distraction for Max and the child. “The weight and the power that words have is such an important message in the film at a time when propaganda and rhetoric were so abused,” Schnetzer told uInterview in an exclusive joint interview with Watson. “It was very interesting trying to get as much of an insight into that as possible.”

The film raised troubling questions for Watson. “I think probably every German family faced some kind of decision like that,” said Watson. “Do you betray your neighbor? Do you keep your mouth shut? I thought that was very interesting, for me, playing somebody who, on the outside seems like a very selfish, self-centered character, but when push comes to shove, she’s revealed by the circumstances to be of good heart.”

Interview by Erik Meers