World on Fire Actress Zofia Wich?acz Breaks Down Kasia's Heartbreaking Decision
World on Fire is undeniably a World War II story, but it's unlike most of its genre. Yes, there are explosions and battle scenes, and several of the main characters go off to fight, but more than anything it's a series about the home front, and the decisions regular people—waitresses, factory workers, doctors, reporters, bus drivers, and yes, soldiers—make when confronted with dire circumstances. Saving Private Ryan and The Great Escape, this is not.
Instead, Masterpiece PBS's latest offering follows five individuals—from England, France, Germany, Poland, and America—as Europe hurtles toward the start of war.
And in its premiere, no character exemplifies the story this show is trying to tell more Kasia, played by Polish actress Zofia Wich?acz. At the top of the episode, she's working in a restaurant, and falling in love with Harry (Jonah Hauer-King), an interpreter at the British embassy in Warsaw.
As the Nazis advance, targeting her city, Kasia's life is thrown into chaos. But Harry, with some urging from American journalist Nancy Campbell (Helen Hunt), offers her a way out of the line of fire by way of a wedding.
"She's very hesitant about getting married because she's only known Harry for a couple of months. Of course she's in love with him, but it's just all so crazy and so impulsive. It's not a thoughtful decision," Wich?acz says of her character's choice to say 'I do.'
"It's normal that she's hesitant, but of course she's also very happy because one part of her wants to be happy and just stay with this man who she loves. And even though it's war outside, people still wanted to live as they lived."
But in the end, Kasia doesn't take the ticket out. Instead, she gives it to her younger brother Jan (Eryk Biedunkiewicz), thrusting him onto the train with Harry just before it pulls away from the station. It was an "emotional" scene to film, Wichlacz remembers, and one that was only made more difficult because they were racing the sun to get the shot.
"We had a whole day at that train station, a beautiful old train station in Prague, in the Czech Republic. There were hundreds of extra, and I remember, the director, Adam Smith, even wanted to do more, but we just didn't have the daylight," she says. "The day was a challenge, but everyone felt that we did our best, 100%."
She also says that in that moment, Kasia isn't sure if she'll ever see Harry again, but is willing to make this choice regardless.
"She thought this through, and she decided to sacrifice her own happiness. As simple as it is, this decision says so much about the character. I think what defines the character is how they act and what they do," she tells me over the phone.
"We know already that she's a person who would sacrifice a lot, who would give up her own comfort, her own happiness, her own joyful life to protect her family and the people who are close to her."
World on Fire airs Sunday nights on Masterpiece PBS.
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