Al Pacino defended his casting as Jewish Holocaust survivor Meyer Offerman in Amazon Prime’s 2020 series *Hunters*, despite criticism that a non-Jewish actor should not have played the role. The debate matters because it reflects wider arguments over authenticity, representation and who should portray characters connected to minority communities and traumatic historical events.

*Hunters* follows a group pursuing a secret Nazi network in 1970s America that aims to establish a Fourth Reich. Pacino told *The Times* that he had “no problem” with the casting, comparing acting to playing music in an orchestra; co-star Logan Lerman, who is Jewish, also supported him, while the article notes that this did not settle broader objections. Similar controversies have involved Helen Mirren playing Golda Meir and Bradley Cooper’s portrayal of Leonard Bernstein.