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Exclusive: Actress and director Gillian Jacobs has signed with WME for representation in all areas.

Jacobs most recently starred as Mary Jayne Gold in Netflix original series Transatlantic, a WWII drama that follows the story of American allies forming a rescue operation in Marseilles to help refugees fleeing Europe.

She also recently portrayed Tiffany Jerimovich in the second season of FX’s hit series The Bear. She can be seen in the second season of Minx on Starz, Netflix’s Love, produced by Judd Apatow, and she co-starred in the fourth season of HBO’s Girls as Mimi Rose Howard.

Jacobs voices the character Samantha Eve Wilkins in Amazon’s Invincible alongside Steven Yeun and voices Dakota in Max’s Ten Year Old Tom.

Jacobs starred as Britta in Community and is reprising the role in Community: The Movie alongside co-stars Joel McHale, Alison Brie and Danny Pudi.

As a director,...

The Patient (FX) The Patient

Most episodes of FX’s The Patient stick with the perspective of Steve Carell’s Alan Strauss, a therapist held captive by a serial killer portrayed by Domhnall Gleeson. But in the seventh episode, “Kaddish,” the camera zooms out. As Alan says the Jewish prayer of mourning for both his dead wife and himself, director Gwyneth Horder-Payton photographs Carell through a rain-stained window in the basement room where he’s imprisoned.

“It just felt like the time to pull back the cameras and observe this human being in his own misery,” says executive producer Chris Long.

Backlit by light pouring in through glass bricks, Carell stands solemnly holding a piece of paper his captor printed out for him with the words of the kaddish. It’s an emotionally fraught moment, but Long and creators Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields thought it best to leave the character in his loneliness.

“It provided this window into the inner life of the characters,” shares “Transatlantic” co-creator, writer, and executive producer Anna Winger on what appealed to her about Julie Orringer’s novel “The Flight Portfolio,” which served as the basis for her Netflix limited series. She is a novelist herself, so she appreciated how the book “really got into the minds of the characters” to tell the “crazy story that brings together Americans with Germans and French” in the “melting pot of Marseille.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

“Transatlantic” is set in 1940 Marseille, France, and follows the efforts of real life figures including Varian Fry and Mary Jayne Gold and the Emergency Rescue Committee as they attempt to evacuate a list of individuals from Europe as the Nazis begin to seize control. Since many of the events depicted in the series took place, Winger wanted most of all to accurately capture...

Warning! Spoilers about Transatlantic season 1 ahead.

Netflix’s Transatlantic is based on the true story of the Emergency Rescue Committee in 1941’s Marseille, but some central elements in the historical drama highly differ from what really happened in history. Set in Vichy France, during the critical months between 1940 and 1941 when the French government began cracking down on Jewish refugees and others persecuted by Nazis fleeing from all over Europe, Transatlantic follows a group of American and local humanitarians trying to secure passage out of France for intellectuals and artists. Transatlantic especially focuses on journalist Varian Fry, heiress Mary Jayne Gold, and refugee Albert Hirschman’s efforts to bring as many to safety.

While at heart Transatlantic aptly retells the true story of how founding members of the Erc led 2000 victims of the Nazi regime to safety, away from Marseille and Vichy France between 1940 and 1941, the historical drama presents various changes from the real story.

“Transatlantic” focuses on a rescue mission orchestrated by the Emergency Rescue Committee in France and depicts one of the most significant events in World War II history. Under Varian Fry’s direction, a rescue operation was launched with the goal of helping a large number of refugees reach the United States. But, because the French government refused to provide them with exit permits, the plan encountered several obstacles. “Transatlantic” portrays certain fictional accounts of real-life characters while also depicting some fictional characters in order to add a bit more drama to this historical story of resistance. While real-life figures like Lisa Fittko, Hans Fittko, and Albert Hirschman have been shown serving for the Emergency Rescue Committee, the series fabricated a character named Paul Kandjo, who opposed Nazi oppression on behalf of all black immigrants. However, owing to the brilliance of the narrative, Paul Kandjo fit in with the other characters...

Adapted from Julie Orringer’s novel, “The Flight Portfolio,” the Netflix drama miniseries, “Transatlantic” revisits the incidents of 1940 when the world witnessed its second most tragic war, the World War II. The series centers on the Emergency Rescue Committee, which was founded by an American intellectual, Varian Fry, with the primary purpose of assisting Jewish refugees and artists in fleeing Nazi-controlled French territory to the United States. Together with Fry, an American heiress named Mary Jayne Gold continued to provide assistance to the refugees in whatever way she could. Despite hailing from an affluent family, Mary Jayne had a kind heart. Both Varian Fry and Mary Jayne played a significant role in the mission, which they accomplished, but they both had the misfortune of not being able to end up with the people they loved. Let’s learn more about these real-life personalities who were represented in the show from a fictitious point of view.

In the first half hour of Netflix series Transatlantic, we get a sense of the range of Lucas Englander.

When we meet the Austrian actor, who plays Albert Hirschman in Netflix’s new international series, he’s a bedraggled refugee, stumbling down the hill toward the beach at Marseilles, the “last free port” in Nazi-occupied France, circa 1940. Spotting the waters of the Mediterranean, he stops. Then breaks into a run. Hitting the beach, he strips off his grimy clothes and plunges into the water, letting out a whoop of pure joy, like a child on the first day of summer. A few scenes later, Englander plays Hirschman as the suave lothario. In a bluff to get past a checkpoint, he pretends to be the lover of American heiress Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs), whom he met moments earlier, wrapping his arm around her and giving her a brazen smooch. Later,...

TV shows and movies inspired by real-life events tend to overstate the truth for dramatic effect. Netflix’s Transatlantic is a rare case of underplaying history — in this case, the work of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold, and the rest of the European Rescue Committee, who worked to get Jewish refugees safely out of Europe in the early days of World War II.

In reality, Fry, a journalist, and Gold, an heiress, helped the Erc smuggle more than 2,000 refugees — many of them great artists and intellectuals like Marc Chagall and Hannah Arendt — out of France.

Transatlantic is a series created by Anna Winger starring Gillian Jacobs, Cory Michael Smith and Yoli Fuller. It is based on the novel by Julie Orringer.

Without dramatisms, with a wide range of complex secondary plots, aesthetically cared for, with meticulous production and, yes, a light comedy tone from the 30’s that might put some viewers off.

That hasn’t been the case with us, because we find it to be a delightful series.

About the Series

It is easy to watch and to savor in every shot. A series that aesthetically looks like a movie, that shows the loving care put into the production and, finally, the desire to make “a great series”. Of course, this “great series” does not receive this treatment with respect to the script and does not want to become the neo-noir epic that some will surely ask for. It has a touch more Wes Anderson...

This article contains spoilers for Transatlantic.

Netflix’s new period drama Transatlantic tells the story of Journalist Varian Fry (Cory Michael Smith), and American expatriate and heiress Mary Jayne Gold (Gillian Jacobs) who founded the Emergency Rescue Committee (Erc) that helped over 2,000 people flee the Nazis during World War II, without government support.

The series, created by Anna Winger and Daniel Hendler, is a fictional representation of true events in which people did whatever was necessary to save those in danger. So how much of Transatlantic is the real story and what did the creators leave out?

The Inspiration Behind Netflix’s Transatlantic

In both the series and real life, Gold and Fry helped prominent European figures such as political philosopher Hannah Arendt, painter Max Ernst and German novelist Heinrich Mann escape to the United States, away from the Nazis persecuting Jews across Europe.

While the real story inspired Transatlantic,...

Netflix’s new limited series Transatlantic is the inversion of the streamer’s recent Elvis-as-animated-spy comedy Agent Elvis.

With Agent Elvis, it was: Come for the silly premise, genre hijinks and a lovable (thoroughly historically accurate) masturbating chimpanzee, stay for the surprisingly well-researched exploration of 1960s and ’70s esoterica.

With Transatlantic, I came for what is a spectacular, perhaps under-known corner of history, with tendrils into 1930s and ’40s European cultural esoterica, and I was left with genre hijinks, surrealist wackiness and a lovable (thoroughly historically accurate) dog.

Take that as you will.

If Transatlantic arrived on Netflix with a guarantee that every viewer who tuned in would promptly go and learn more about the story of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold and the Villa Air-Bel, I would give it a strong recommendation.

The series, which hails from Unorthodox co-creator Anna Winger and Daniel Handler, is a frothy adventure yarn...

Anna Winger, an American writer, producer and showrunner who has spent more than 20 years, and her entire TV career, in Berlin, specializes in stories that combine a very specific European, usually German, history filtered through very American sensibilities.

Deutschland ’83, and its sequels Deutschland ’86 and Deutschland ’89, which aired on Amazon Prime stateside, told the story of the decline of East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall from the perspective of an East German spy, but told in the style of a slick Hollywood thriller.

Similarly, her Emmy-winning Netflix limited series Unorthodox, the story of a woman who flees her life in an ultra-Orthodox community in Brooklyn to find liberation in modern-day Berlin — based on Deborah Feldman’s best-selling memoir — borrows heavily from genre conventions to package a spiritual character study in the guise of more mainstream entertainment.

That combination of European history and U.S. entertainment is also part of Transatlantic,...

Netflix has unveiled the trailer for its upcoming period miniseries, Transatlantic, inspired by the two unsung American heroes who built an underground rescue operation to help refugees escape Europe during World War II. Joining the streaming platform's slew of period dramas, Transatlantic explores the true story of journalist Varian Fry and American heiress Mary Jayne Gold, who both played a crucial part in helping artists and writers flee France by building an Emergency Rescue Committee.

Exclusive: Anna Winger drew inspiration from comedy and entertainment in Casablanca when penning upcoming Netflix war drama Transatlantic.

The show, which is the first to emerge from the Deutschland 83 creator’s Netflix deal, tells the story of the Emergency Rescue Committee, an organization that helped thousands of refugees escape Nazi-occupied Marseille during World War Two.

Speaking exclusively to Deadline just before its Series Mania premiere, Winger said she wanted to set Transatlantic apart from previous similar offerings such as Schindler’s List through its humor and creativity, and that she sought inspiration from 1942 hit Casablanca.

“I’ve been approached with lots of World War Two material during my career and have avoided it because I felt like it had been done, but what I loved about this story is the positivity,” she added.

“We leaned into the style of the movies made at the time [of Casablanca], which were being made...

First Looks

Netflix has released first look images for at its upcoming limited series “Transatlantic,” the latest series from “Unorthodox” creator, Anna Winger. The seven-part series is set to premiere on April 7.

“Transatlantic” follows an international group as they risk their lives to help refugees escape occupied France, including many on the Nazis’ most-wanted list. As the group continues to risk their lives, the “threat of mortal danger gives way to unexpected collaborations and intense love affairs,” according to the series’ logline.

Inspired by both the true story of Varian Fry and Julie Orringer’s novel about the Emergency Rescue Committee, “The Flight Portfolio,” the new series stars Cory Michael Smith, Gillian Jacobs, Lucas Englander, Corey Stoll, Gregory Montel, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko, Amit Rahav, Moritz Bleibtreu, Alexander Fehling, Jonas Nay, Lolita Chammah, Luke Thompson, Jodhi May, Rafaela Nicolay and Henriette Confurius.

The series was directed by Stéphanie Chuat, Véronique Reymond and Mia Meyer,...

“Community’s” Gillian Jacobs and “Call My Agent” star Gregory Montel are set to appear in a new Netflix series from “Unorthodox” creator Anna Winger.

Joining them are Lucas Englander (“The Witcher”), Cory Michael Smith (“Gotham”), Ralph Amoussou (“Marianne”), Deleila Piasko (“Boys Are Us”), Amit Rahav (“Unorthodox”) and Corey Stoll (“Billions”).

The series, titled “Transatlantic,” tells the true story of the Emergency Rescue Committee during the Second World War, which helped thousands of refugees escape Nazi-occupied France. Among them were dozens of well known artists and creatives.

Varian Fry and Mary Jayne Gold, who led the rescue, soon find themselves hiding out in a French villa with their fellow committee members and celebrity evacuees, where artistic – and passionate – partnerships soon take center stage.

Production has started in Marseilles with the series set to be shot in English, German, and French.

The series, which is set to be released in 2023, was...

“Translatlantic,” the first project from “Deutschland 83” and “Unorthodox” creator Anna Winger and Airlift Productions’ creative partnership with Netflix, is underway in Marseille, with casting details announced Monday.

“Billions” star Corey Stoll, “Community” alum Gillian Jacobs and “Gotham’s” Cory Michael Smith are among the just-announced cast. The series also stars Lucas Englander, Gregory Montel, Ralph Amoussou, Deleila Piasko and Amit Rahav.

“Transatlantic” is inspired by the true story of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold and the Emergency Rescue Committee, and based on Julie Orringer’s novel, “The Flight Portfolio.”

“Risking their lives to help more than 2000 refugees escape occupied France, including many artists on the Nazis’ most-wanted list, an international gang of young superheroes and their famous charges occupy a villa at the edge of the city, where the threat of mortal danger gives way to unexpected collaborations and intense love affairs,” reads a logline from Netflix.

Winger and...

Gotham alum Cory Michael Smith, Gillian Jacobs (Community) and Corey Stoll (Billions) are set as the leads of Netflix’s Transatlantic, a limited series set during the 1940 refugee crisis in Marseille, France. Call My Agent star Grégory Montel, Lucas Englander (Bridge of Spies), Ralph Amoussou (Missions) Deleila Piasko (Boys Are Us) and Amit Rahhav (Unorthodox) round out the international cast of the series, from Unorthodox creator Anna Winger and her Airlift Productions.

This marks the first project under Winger’s multi-year deal with Netflix announced last year, under which Winger and Airlift develop and produce international drama series for the streamer. Production on Transatlantic, which will be shot in English, German and French, is underway in Marseille, for release in 2023.

Created by Winger and Daniel Hendler, Transatlantic, set in 1940-1941 Marseille, is inspired by the true story of Varian Fry, Mary Jayne Gold and the Emergency Rescue Committee, and Julie Orringer’s 2019 novel,...