The Extraordinary Journey: Unveiling The Full Cast Of 'We Were The Lucky Ones' And Their Real-Life Connections
The Hulu miniseries, We Were the Lucky Ones, stands as one of the most powerful historical dramas of 2024, captivating audiences with its true-life tale of the Kurc family's survival during World War II. As of December 2025, the series continues to draw strong viewership, prompting deep dives into the talented ensemble cast who brought this harrowing yet hopeful story to life. This article provides a definitive guide to the main actors, their roles, and the compelling real-world connections that make this adaptation of Georgia Hunter’s novel so deeply resonant.
The eight-episode miniseries, which premiered on March 28, 2024, is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, chronicling the incredible 10,000-mile journey of a single Jewish family separated by the Holocaust. The casting, featuring a mix of established Hollywood names and acclaimed Israeli actors, was crucial in lending authenticity and emotional weight to the narrative, ensuring the Kurc family’s story—from their home in Radom, Poland, to their eventual reunion—was told with profound respect and detail.
The Kurc Family: Full Cast and Star-Studded Biographies
The series centers on the five Kurc siblings and their parents, each facing an unimaginable struggle for survival across continents. The cast is anchored by two major American stars, supported by an internationally recognized ensemble.
Joey King as Halina Kurc
- Role: Halina Kurc, the youngest sibling, who begins the war as a bright, carefree 20-year-old and becomes the family's resourceful, courageous anchor in Poland.
- Biography: Born on July 30, 1999, Joey King is an American actress who began her career as a child star. She gained widespread recognition for her leading role as Elle Evans in Netflix's romantic comedy film series, The Kissing Booth. Her dramatic prowess was cemented by her Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated performance in the true-crime series, The Act. Recently, she starred in the action-thriller Bullet Train (2022) and the fantasy film The Uglies (2024).
Logan Lerman as Addy Kurc
- Role: Addy Kurc, the musically gifted middle son who is a successful engineer living in Paris when the war breaks out. His journey sees him traveling through North Africa and South America.
- Biography: Born on January 19, 1992, Logan Lerman is an American actor known for his title role in the Percy Jackson film series (2010–2013). He earned critical acclaim for his performance in the coming-of-age drama The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). His recent television work includes the Amazon Prime series Hunters (2020–2023), where he played a young Jewish man hunting Nazis, which prepared him thematically for the role of Addy.
Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Genek Kurc
- Role: Genek Kurc, the eldest Kurc sibling and an intellectual lawyer, whose stubborn determination and protective nature lead him and his wife, Herta, on a brutal path through the Soviet gulags.
- Biography: Born in 1985, Henry Lloyd-Hughes is an English actor. He is recognizable to many for his role as Mark Donovan in the popular British sitcom The Inbetweeners and as Aaron Peel in the spy thriller Killing Eve. His recent work includes the BBC drama Marriage (2022) and the detective series Ragdoll (2021).
Hadas Yaron as Mila Kurc
- Role: Mila Kurc, the eldest sister, who is married with a young daughter, Felicia. Her character embodies the quiet strength of motherhood in the face of terror.
- Biography: Born on April 12, 1990, Hadas Yaron is an acclaimed Israeli actress. She is renowned for her nuanced portrayals of Jewish women, including her role in the Israeli series Shtisel (2013–2021). She won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival for her performance in the film Fill the Void (2012), making her the first Israeli actress to win the award.
Amit Rahav as Jakob Kurc
- Role: Jakob Kurc, the thoughtful, studious middle son who must rely on his wits and the help of a kind stranger to survive.
- Biography: Born on March 9, 1995, Amit Rahav is an Israeli actor who gained international recognition for his breakout role as Yanky Shapiro in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox (2020). He also appeared in the Netflix historical drama Transatlantic (2023). His casting, along with Yaron's, adds a layer of cultural authenticity to the series.
The Kurc parents, Sol and Nechuma, are played by Lior Ashkenazi and Robin Weigert, respectively, providing the emotional foundation for the family’s epic separation and eventual reunion.
The Topical Authority: True Story, Locations, and Thematic Entities
To truly understand the depth of the miniseries, it is essential to recognize the real-life entities and locations that form the backdrop of the Kurc family’s saga. The series is a fictionalized account of a genuine story, which adds significant topical authority to the narrative.
The Real-Life Kurc Family and Georgia Hunter
The entire miniseries is based on the novel of the same name by Georgia Hunter, who is the great-granddaughter of the real Halina Kurc. Hunter spent years researching her family's history, using her great-aunt's memoirs and historical archives to reconstruct their journey. This dedication to factual detail is a core strength of the show. Erica Lipez developed the series, ensuring the adaptation maintained the novel's emotional integrity. A unique and touching detail is that the author, Georgia Hunter, along with her two sons, made brief cameos in the finale, appearing in the final reunion scene, a subtle nod to the enduring legacy of the Kurc family.
The Emotional Weight of Character Connections
The emotional investment of the cast was palpable, particularly for Joey King. During the production, King had an emotional meeting with the real-life daughter of Halina Kurc, the character she was portraying. This connection provided a profound sense of responsibility for the actress to honor the true story of survival and loss. The series is not just a historical drama; it is a meticulous recreation of a family’s desperate fight to remain connected during the Holocaust, a defining tragedy of World War II.
Key Geographical Entities and Their Significance
The plot is a global trek, moving far beyond the initial setting of Radom, Poland. The various locations serve as crucial entities in the family’s survival narrative:
- Radom, Poland: The Kurc family's hometown, where their comfortable, pre-war life is shattered by the Nazi invasion.
- Soviet Union/Siberia: The harsh environment where Genek and his wife Herta are exiled, facing starvation and brutal labor.
- Lviv, Ukraine: A temporary haven and subsequent danger zone for some siblings as the Soviet and German lines shift.
- Marseille, France: Where Addy first attempts to secure passage out of Europe, highlighting the bureaucratic nightmare of emigration.
- Casablanca, Morocco: A critical stop on Addy's journey, illustrating the global reach of the refugee crisis.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: The final, hopeful destination for some family members, representing the promise of a new life and the eventual reunion.
The Enduring Legacy of the Miniseries
The miniseries, which concluded its run on Hulu in May 2024, has cemented its place as a significant piece of television reflecting on one of history's darkest periods. The use of a multilingual script—featuring English, Polish, German, and Yiddish—further enhances the authenticity of the storytelling, a detail often overlooked in similar productions.
The powerful performances by the international cast, including supporting actors like Sam Woolf (as Adam Eichenwald), Eva Feiler (as Bella Tatar), and Michael Aloni (as Selim), ensured that every character's struggle, no matter how brief, contributed to the overarching theme of hope. The story of the Kurc family—a story of five siblings and their parents who, against all odds, managed to survive and reunite—serves as a poignant reminder of the strength found in family bonds and the sheer luck required to be one of the "lucky ones" during a time of mass atrocity.
For those looking for a deeply moving, historically grounded, and beautifully acted series, We Were the Lucky Ones is an essential watch. Its success is a tribute not only to the actors but to the real Kurc family whose story continues to inspire a new generation.
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