never mind, I can see now why Hoffman wouldn't have done this

In some other thread I stated that Al Pacino is okay playing an old Jewish man, but that I didn't understand why they didn't just get Dustin Hoffman instead. Now that I've finished the series, I can see that Hoffman would most likely not have agreed to do it if he read the script.

Or any other famous older Jewish actor, I should add.

Although (and something that was never addressed in the series), why exactly would Ruth and Meyer have been so old 30 years after the war, anyway? They would only have been in their 50s, not their 70s. Jason Isaacs would have been great for this, IMO - he even kinda looks like the guy who played young Meyer.

And Helena Bonham Carter for Ruth.