Of humans and hair
For the actors of God on Trial, getting into character meant shaving their heads. The actors and producer discuss the dehumanizing transformation.

Transcript

Rupert Graves (Mordechai)
One of the extraordinary things I think about the Holocaust was the determination by the Nazis to dehumanize the people. They did that by making them wear these terrible, scanty uniforms (scanty I mean because it was thin and it was freezing, I mean minus 30 at times, it was freezing). And the head shaved so it robbed you of your personality and your identity and your individuality. As soon as I had my head shaved, I felt immediately depressed and you understand how the psychology of this dehumanization works.

Jemma Rodgers (Producer)
They were all extremely good about having their hair cut, some more than others. But I think most people once they read the script and accepted the role, everybody wanted to do justice to the real people that were there.

Stellan Skarsgård (Baumgarten)
When I had my head shaved I felt, I was kind of relieved. It felt very comfortable and I didn't have to use shampoo or anything. I just extended my face wash up a little higher. Maybe my vanity took a little blow.

Dominic Cooper (Moche)
I think I was the most pathetic actor there because I desperately in hair and makeup tried to demand that I could keep a side part and a long, wavy fringe. Even very early on in rehearsals some people were getting their head shaved and I think that brought it home a little bit. And the guys who actually got their hair shaved on camera, you realized kind of the brutality with which it would have been done, and the effect it does actually have, the dehumanization. It is yet another thing to make these people feel like nothing. And it is funny how attached we get to our hair.

Andy de Emmony (Director)
They all took the challenge really well. There were a couple of people that had other projects coming up, you know, and contractually it needed to be a bit longer. And come the day, they all said "Chop it off," so never mind the job that is coming. As an ensemble cast, it pulled everybody together really well, having their hair cut for makeup. And it was something — there was no ego to that. It was a very non-glamorous part.

Antony Sher (Akiba)
And because my own hair and beard were long when I arrived to start filming, we did it for real. We actually cut it off in the sequence. I was quite relieved to discover that the man who was playing the barber was a barber rather than just a supporting artist, because it was a huge pair of scissors and it had to be very rough. Andy, the director, and I had discussed that it needed to be a kind of assault on the character because in fact because he sort of changes after this. And we could only film it once obviously, but through the three cameras. And in the rehearsals, which we couldn't actually do, both Andy and myself were saying to the man playing the barber, "Please be as rough as possible." Obviously his instincts were not to be. When we finally went with it, he was very rough and I did find it shocking. I mean it really is an assault to be handled that roughly and to have a huge scissor flashing around your face. When it was finished, we had to go back and join the others, and Jack Shepherd said to me, "You look totally stunned in a way that you couldn't act." And that is exactly what I felt. I just felt totally stunned by it.