Actor's games help Nazi film child stars

An actor who plays a Nazi lieutenant in a Holocaust film has revealed how he tried to do fun things with the child stars to make sure they were not scared of him. Rupert Friend, who is dating actress Keira Knightley, said he took the youngsters to the zoo and explained his character was a completely different person during the filming of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. Speaking at the world premiere of the film in London, Friend said that off-camera the children would become upset because he played such a nasty character so he took steps to build up a rapport with them. Friend said: "We have this game that the character was someone else. If he came out then we knew he was going to go away." Friend said it was hard to forget that the Holocaust had been one of the biggest tragedies in history. He added: "I am very, very proud of the film. I think everyone involved just did a great job. I know it's an important story." Adapted from John Boyne's best-selling novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is directed by Mark Herman and set in a Nazi concentration camp. It follows an unlikely friendship that forms between Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp. The film was shot on location in Hungary over nine weeks in the summer of 2007 and also stars Vera Farmiga and child actor Asa Butterfield.

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ITN | September 12, 2008

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