“She had a problem being around me”: Ralph Fiennes’ Nefarious ‘Schindler’s List’ Character Left His 1 Co-Star Deeply Uncomfortable

Directed and produced by Steven Spielberg, 1993’s epic historical drama film Schindler’s List is regarded as one of the greatest American films. Based on the novel Schindler’s Ark by Thomas Keneally, the movie has been deemed as culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant. It stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Embeth Davidtz, and more.

The story follows a German industrialist who saves more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II. Steven Spielberg had approached the movie as a documentary, which is why it was shot in black and white. Actor Ralph Fiennes recalls his character Amon Göth.

Ralph Fiennes’ Amon Göth in Schindler’s List remains one of the greatest war movie villains

Actor Ralph Fiennes portrayed the character of high-profile SS officer Amon Göth, who was tasked to oversee the Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp in 1993’s Schindler’s List. To date, his character is regarded as one of the greatest war movie villains with a chilling authenticity. The actor had been praised for his bone-chilling and haunting performance in Schindler’s List.

During an interview at the time, the actor was asked how his co-stars and crew reacted to his performance. He shared that the Israeli actors who were playing prisoners in the movie would joke about him, like what a bastard he was, but he added that he thinks they knew that he wasn’t much of it. He added,

Embeth Davidtz, who played Helen Hirsch, tells me she had a problem being around me, but I can understand because I have a couple of scenes I had to be in, but it wasn’t really taken to heart.

He explained that with guys like Amon Göth, people do build up because it’s not for real; it is pretending. Fiennes added that when the cut happens, it stops, but people kind of build up a weird affection for the nasty guy because people have a fascination with evil.

Davidtz’s Helen Hirsch was a Jewish maid of the Amon Göth and he abused her. She was visibly thin and would sport visible bruises. Collider explains that Göth’s s**ual evil is obvious; he’s attracted to Hirsch but cannot reconcile the attraction with the toxic belief that she is inferior to him. He has been showcased as beating his maid.

The publication mentioned a scene where the beating of Helen Hirsch is showcased parallel with back-and-forth cut scenes of a joyous celebration of a Jewish wedding. The actor not only portrayed the chilling villain on-screen but also later shared that he started to understand the psychology behind Amon Göth, and post-movie, he could feel the lingering effects of it.

Ralph Fiennes’ Oscar loss for Amon Göth feels like an injustice to the actor’s work

Portraying a villain is tough, but portraying an officer tasked to oversee concentration camps is simply chilling, Ralph Fiennes did it flawlessly. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg shared how he decided to finalize Finness as his villain. He said, (via Collider)

Ralph did three takes. I still, to this day, haven’t seen take two or three. He was brilliant. After seeing take one, I knew he was Amon. I saw s*xual evil. It is all about subtlety. There were moments of kindness that would move across his eyes and then instantly run cold.

The filmmaker explained that this shift in his expression from kindness to being cold suited the character and became a trademark of Fiennes’ performance. The actor added that saying yes to Amon Göth was a no-brainer for him (via Yahoo). He added that there are some moments in life when one feels lucky as an actor, especially when they are asked to be a part of projects that are going to feel momentous.

The actor noted he did not even have to say yes—it was given. For his extraordinary work in the movie, Ralph Fiennes was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 1994 Academy Award, which he unfortunately lost. Fans to date believe that he was one deserving of the award and he should have won. Tommy Lee Jones won the award for his performance in The Fugitive.

Schindler’s List remains one of the greatest movies ever made, and Steven Spielberg also calls the movie one of his proudest projects.

Schindler’s List is available to watch on Prime Video.