‘Hunters’ Star Carol Kane on Playing a Badass Nazi Hunter

Set in the late 1970s, the Amazon Prime Video original series Hunters tells the tale of a group of Nazi hunters led by Al Pacino. (If the combination of Nazi hunters and Al Pacino isn’t enough to get you to watch, we don’t know what will!)

A pleasant surprise is that the fabulous Carol Kane plays Midge Markowitz. She’s intelligent, tough, and not a woman you want to cross. (If you haven’t watched the first few episodes, be aware that there are some spoilers ahead.)

Kane spoke with Decider about why this show is important and why she wanted the role so much that she even broke her vow never to audition for a part again. 

DECIDER: You’ve played a lot of strong women in your career, but you’ve never before played a Nazi hunter. How did the role of Mindy come about for you?

CAROL KANE: I was just sent it to read. I was sent a few scenes only, with Jonah [Heidelbaum, played by Logan Lerman], and I actually had to audition for it. But I was so knocked out by the beauty and the uniqueness of the writing, I just was so much wanting to be part of it. And, as luck would have it, it worked out.

That’s great. When I interviewed you a couple of years ago, you said that you wouldn’t audition anymore. So, this was important enough for you to do that.

You have such a good memory. I had made a firm decision about five or six years ago, that that part of my life was over–the auditioning–because I felt like it was getting harder and harder for me if I didn’t get a part. It knocked me down too far.

Right.

Ever since I made that decision, I was just so lucky, because then Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt came along, and I didn’t audition for that. After we wrapped, a little time went by, and I got the call about this. I was so upset that I–not that I felt I was too good to audition–but so upset because I don’t feel that’s my strong suit. And I wanted so badly to play this part, because as I say, the writing was exquisite.

And it happened to work out.

I think one of the things that makes this show so different is it’s reminding viewers constantly about what happened in the past to lead to the present. It’s kind of going back and forth. So, you see the present, and you see what’s going on with the hunters. But then you’re always being reminded of the stories of the Jews who were killed. Why do you think this is so important?

I just think it’s critical for people not to forget, and I think that there are a lot of young people who are not taught about it in schools and really don’t know about it. I just saw a poll where 71 percent of people under 25 really didn’t know what the Holocaust was.

Oh my gosh.

It’s so frightening, in my view. What’s happening now in our country is getting more and more frightening, because I believe that there’s someone running the country who feels that he can do anything he wants and get away with it. That’s what happened with Hitler. And people thought that could never happen.

I think it’s critical that that reality be brought in front of people’s faces and hearts right now and always.

You’ve played eclectic roles over the years on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Princess Bride, Taxi, and Gotham. Are there any other roles that you wish people would recognize you for?

Well, there are several things I’ve been in that I wish had gotten more attention. I did a movie with Gene Wilder called The World’s Greatest Lover, and it really came out at an awkward time–at the same time as a Mel Brooks movie–and it didn’t get much press. It got great reviews, but nobody saw it. So, things like that. You get frustrated, because you know that it’s a good piece of work, but it’s just not out there.

What did you enjoy most in this role, playing Mindy? I mean, she’s a smart lady, and she doesn’t take any crap.

I guess that was really a challenge for me, different for me, and it’s been a while, actually, since I’ve gotten to play a dramatic role. So, I guess I enjoyed that the most, you know? And I really enjoyed working with this group of actors, all of them. It was very nice for me to get to work with Al [Pacino] again. When we were young, we used to do theater together. We did Dog Day Afternoon together, and then 30 years later, we’re doing this together.

That’s great, yeah, I was going to ask you about that. But you answered it first. You’re starting to have premonitions…

I’m reading your mind. 

Ha! You’ve played women who are funny, you’ve played women who are vulnerable, now you’ve played a Nazi-hunter who’s known for her intelligence and her ingenuity. Is there a type of role that you haven’t played that you’d like to?

There are some classic things that, like some of the Tennessee Williams women, that I’d love to play. There’s still time, you know, if I don’t age myself out completely. That’s something I’d really like to do.

What do you think have been some of the most important things you’ve learned from playing this role?

I think that there’s a big, fundamental question involved about forgiveness and about retribution in recreating some of the torture and horror that the families went through. Now, we’re putting these other people through that, and so, there’s a big ethical question. I think each of us has to wrestle with that throughout the events of the show. Retribution, it’s a fierce thing, you know?

And forgiveness is a very powerful thing. So, there’s always that edge to walk, I think.

Michele “Wojo” Wojciechowski is a writer and author of the national award-winning humor book Next Time I Move, They’ll Carry Me Out in a Box. Like Mrs. Maisel, she writes and performs stand-up comedy. Unlike her, she’s never wanted to be a road comic. For more Wojo, check her out at www.wojosworld.com and on Twitter: @TheMicheleWojo.

Stream Hunters on Amazon Prime Video