One compelling factor that drew both viewers and creators alike into “The Man in the High Castle” was the meticulous care taken in constructing every facet of the production. From the attire worn to the books lining shelves, breakfast cereals on tables, each detail was carefully chosen to depict a 1960s alternate reality where the Axis powers had triumphed in World War II.
Occasionally, it leaves me feeling uneasy, and at other moments, unsettling because of how familiar it feels. As the character playing American Nazi official John Smith in the series, Rufus Sewell shared with SYFY WIRE that “there’s a peculiarity, bordering on unhealthy, about how quickly you grow accustomed to this becoming your everyday environment.
In the course of making this series, we grew accustomed to seeing swastikas as part of the set design, props, and costumes. This notorious symbol of the Nazi era is so contentious that it’s prohibited in Germany, yet during filming, their prevalence became so routine that “we stopped noticing them. We didn’t even realize our floor was a swastika for an entire season.
Chelah Horsdal, who played Smith’s conflicted wife Helen, says that the symbol “lost its power.”
For Sewell, the Nazi costume merely becomes clothes that one wears. However, he points out, “This serves as a cautionary tale about human nature, demonstrating how we can become accustomed to situations. If you were to suddenly immerse yourself in such circumstances, they might initially appear monstrous. But over time, we tend to grow accustomed to things.
Despite being off-stage, the actors found themselves being reminded that those scenes carried a deeply disturbing impact. This wasn’t only limited to the presence of swastikas, as Joel de la Fuente, portraying Kempeitai Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido, noted.
On a particular day, filming took place outside at the University of British Columbia, and looking back, “there were swastikas and Imperial flags displayed everywhere. It’s intriguing because I’m accustomed to seeing swastikas, but an older Asian-Canadian individual passed by, noticing the hanging Imperial flag. The expression on their face, the intense emotional response they exhibited, is something I believe I’ll always remember.
New rules for location shoots, he says, were implemented that day.
During the third season of filming the show, Horsdal encountered an unusual incident: The intricate costumes designed by Catherine Adair were so detailed that she had labels like “made by Aryan hands” discreetly sewn into them, where they wouldn’t be visible on camera. One day, while shooting scenes in a downtown Vancouver hotel, Horsdal found herself wearing a brooch with a swastika, which was fitting for her character, a prominent figure from the American Nazi regime.
Typically, all our divisions were extra cautious when it came to hiding any symbolism in their work and ensuring that no one from the real world would come across these depictions, she explains, transitioning into a challenging account of an incident during lunch break. “However, I had neglected the presence of a swastika on my attire, and as I was strolling through the lobby, I warmly greeted a couple of people sitting there with my usual exuberance, Chelah-style. The man noticed me, then my swastika, and then me again. His reaction was one of surprise.
At the time, Horsdal quickly apologized, admitting they were filming a television series. “I’d grown so accustomed to wandering within its confines, I forgot that I was unaware of this man’s past,” she reflects. “I had no idea what this scene might represent for him. Thinking about it now gives me chills.
Executive producer Isa Dick Hackett informed SYFY WIRE that, following a 12-year effort to adapt The Man in the High Castle, she fully understands the difficulties involved in crafting the show’s demanding iconography. “Luckily,” she says, “our worldbuilding team is exceptional, and they were exceptionally careful and considerate when integrating it into the series.” Everyone approached this task with gravity and importance.
Indeed, props containing swastikas, like the American/Nazi flag with a swastika instead of white stars, were kept in a secure cabinet within the prop department according to Hackett. From the start of filming, this cabinet was always locked up tight.
Now that the performance has concluded, please do not expect to find any of the stage props turning up at charity auctions or other places. As per Hackett’s statement, each and every prop was deliberately destroyed after the show.
She notes that even in the Smith apartment, adorned with items bearing swastikas, everything was demolished if they couldn’t be dismantled or chiseled off. This was done for the purpose of the production, not for collectors.
The lasting impact of the show could provide numerous significant thoughts for audiences. However, among all, perhaps the most crucial is this: The destructive ideologies and associated emblems of fascism must be dismantled.
The Man in the High Castle is streaming now on Amazon Prime.
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2025-06-03 16:47