Nat Geo’s A SMALL LIGHT w/ Liev Schreiber, Bel Powley, Joe Cole: Overview, Cast, Episodes & More
Maj Canton - May 1, 2023
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Don't Miss…on Monday, May 1, 2023 at 9-11:30pm ET/PT, the National Geographic Channel premieres the outstanding and riveting eight-part limited series, A SMALL LIGHT, which focuses on the inspiring, real-life story of Miep Gies, who played a critical role in hiding Anne Frank and her family during the Nazi occupation in Amsterdam. Told with a modern sensibility, the series tells the story of secretary Miep Gies (Bel Powley), who was a young, carefree and opinionated woman — at a time when opinions got you killed — when her Jewish boss, Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber), asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII. Without hesitation, Miep agreed. For the next two years, she and her daring and devoted husband Jan (Joe Cole), with several other everyday heroes, watched over the Frank, van Pels and Pfeffer families hiding in the secret annex. A life once filled with parties and pints, the series details how Miep’s life changed the moment she said “yes.” From daily food runs to scrounging for ration coupons to selling beloved heirlooms, it took countless selfless sacrifices. In the end, it was Miep who found Anne Frank’s diary and preserved it so that she and Otto could later share it with the world to ensure it served as a testament for generations to come. You may think you know the story of Anne Frank and her family, but what happened outside the annex walls was just as powerful. When Miep Gies spoke to audiences about her experience in the war she always ended with… "No one should ever think they have to be special to help others. Anyone, even an ordinary secretary, housewife, or teenager, can turn on a small light in a dark room."
“I have personal connections to this part of history,” said Bell Powery, and I'm a very strong believer that we need to keep retelling these stories as there are less and less living Holocaust survivors with us. But I also think that in the retelling of those stories, especially on screen, it's very important to make it fresh and accessible. When I read the pilot episode I was blown away by how modern and, current and relatable the story felt. And I think that that's incredibly important in the current political climate, with anti‑Semitism is on the rise.”
On playing Otto Frank, Live Scheieber said “This not the Anne Frank story you were taught in elementary school. What was so powerful to me about Otto as a character is that he felt shackled by the term "Jew," that that was his experience, that he wanted to be a German, and he couldn't because he was forced ‑‑ he could only be, in this administration's eyes, a Jew, which is a broader perspective on the Jewish conversation at large. This is a story of commitment friendship, loyalty, kindness and compassion.
Also starring: Billie Boullet as Anne Frank, Amira Casar as Edith Frank Ashley Brooke as Margot Frank, Eleanor Tomlinson as Tess,Andy Nyman as Hermann van Pels, Caroline Cats as Auguste van Pels, Noah Taylor as Dr Fritz Pfeffer; Sally Messham as Bep Voskuijl; Ian McElhinney as Johannes Kleiman, Nicholas Burns as Victor Kugler, Liza Sadovy as Mrs Stoppelman, Laurie Kynaston as Casmir, Sebastian Armesto as Max Stoppelman, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels, and Daniel Donkey as Karl Josef Silberbauer.
EPISODE GUIDE
"Pilot" (Monday, May 1, 2023 at 9pm): Miep, who believes she's just a secretary, is asked to hide the Franks and must rise to the occasion. No longer ordinary, her first task is to get a nervous Margot into the secret hiding place in plain view of the Nazis. After giving Margot the strength Miep didn't even know she had, the Franks are safe and sound behind the walls of the annex. Now she and Jan realize this was the easy part. |
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SERIES
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PHOTOS OF THE REAL MIEP AND JAN
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