Frances Forte as "Naomi" in Terezin
Frances Forte is an actress of tremendous bravery and fearless desire who has created an unforgettable performance in Terezin. I have worked with her on various film projects for two years and I have never seen such a fearless actress. In approaching the role of Holocaust victim Naomi in "Terezin" - Frances and I worked on the role for an entire year to discover the character through method acting. Finding the character was difficult for both of us as we were forced to consider the daily struggles and terrors of a woman suffering in the Holocaust. Frances is a true feminist and brings a great justice to the role. I firmly believe that every actor should create a character that is separate to themselves and Frances created one of the most interesting, deep and moving performances I have ever seen. Uncovering the painful and raw emotions of a victim is one of the most difficult challenges about making a movie about the Holocaust as the character must appear true to their circumstances and honor the memory of the six million lost. I am a firm believer in trying to face up to the grim realities of history and never forget. Frances' performance is truly extraordinary; she plays such a difficult role with a constant emotional intensity and terror that could only be found through continuously intensive rehearsals and a full year of working to find the emotional heart of her character. Frances stayed in character on set and the emotional toll of the performance must've been completely overwhelming but Frances never flinched in discovering the deepest layers of Naomi. Actors that push themselves to their limits are the great artists of their generation, they are able to uncover levels of continuous emotion that most of us only feel once or twice in a lifetime. Frances, being a true artist played these emotions throughout the performance to create what I believe is a character that is both iconic and extraordinary. Performances like this one come along only rarely and this one cannot be missed.
-Nicholas Tolkien (Director of Terezin)
