How Al Pacino Wound Up Leading the Very Jewish ‘Hunters’ on Amazon

When you strip down the Tarantino-esque violence and fourth-wall-breaking interludes, Amazon’s Hunters is a meditation on how the Jewish people have carried the trauma of the Holocaust. The sorrow of that event fuels the rage that inspires the titular “Hunters” to doggedly track and sadistically murder ex-Nazis; but there are also quieter moments — like an Episode 5 scene where Saul Rubinek’s Murray has to deal with a jolly American rabbi’s dimwitted attempt to bring him back to services — that highlight the spiritual scarring still far from being healed.

Ironically, though, the man anchoring this very Jewish story is none other than Italian icon Al Pacino. The actor plays Holocaust survivor and Jewish leader Meyer Offerman. Though he adopts a Yiddish accent and wears a yarmulke, you can’t overlook the fact that he’s Al Pacino.

Decider asked the two people behind Hunters — executive producer Nikki Toscano and creator and executive producer David Weil — how exactly Pacino landed the role of Meyer Offerman in an interview during Winter TCA.

“I mean there were a number of people that we talked about for the role and with that character, casting a Jewish actor would have been great,” Toscano said. “But I think that when there was real interest from somebody of Pacino’s caliber, us understanding that he clearly could portray a Jewish man…I think that all of the doubts and dubiousness about whether the character was Jewish melted away.”

Weil said, “Yeah, I think he grew up in New York and he has a Jewish feel to him. He does. But when we realized that was even a possibility [to get Pacino]…”

“Yeah, it was mind-blowing [to get him],” Toscano said.

So it came down to the belief that an actor of Pacino’s pedigree and a star at his level, well, could pull off a Jewish role. Pacino, of course, isn’t just known for Italian-centric roles like The Godfather Trilogy, but for playing one of the most definitive Shylocks in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice. 

However, Weil and Toscano were cognizant of the fact that hiring Jewish actors was important for Hunters. Specifically, that was one reason they were “adamant” about landing Jewish-American actor Logan Lerman for the role of Jonah Heidelbaum.

“It was such a coup for us that Logan is in fact Jewish and could empathize with the character of Jonah Heidelbaum,” Toscano said. “I think that it was one of the most important things to us in terms of casting this role and casting a Jewish young man to fill those shoes.”

Weil said, “And we have a great slew of Jewish actors playing Jewish characters. Carol Kane plays Mindy, Saul Rubinek plays Murray, Josh Radnor plays Lonnie Flash. Even down to Jeannie Berlin as Ruth.”

Ironically, when Decider sat down with Lerman and asked him his thoughts as a Jewish actor on whether or not Jewish characters should be played by Jewish actors, he answered, “No.”

“I think right now people want to see that kind of representation and so it’s not for me to decide,” Lerman said. “But I personally don’t care if I see someone who isn’t Jewish playing a Jewish character on screen, personally.”

When asked about Pacino’s involvement in the project, Lerman said, “No, no he isn’t [Jewish] and he’s perfect and he’s great. He’s brilliant.”

“It depends on the role — it depends on what you’re doing — but to be Jewish onscreen, I think that you know there’s certain things that would be distracting to watch as an audience member physically. Maybe if you’re playing a Jewish person or of [some] specific descent,” Lerman said. “I don’t think that it matters if they’re Jewish or not.”

Season 1 of Hunters is now streaming on Amazon. 

Where to stream Hunters