Joey King is starring in the upcoming Hulu miniseries, “We Were the Lucky Ones,” based on the true story of a Jewish family from Poland. They are separated at the start of World War II and embark on a challenging journey to survive and reunite.
The first three episodes of the limited series are set to premiere on March 28. But what is King’s connection to the series? Is Joey King Jewish?
The basics
Joey King was born on July 30, 1999, in Los Angeles to parents Terry and Jamie King. The actress identifies as Jewish, but “not really, really religious.” She has also said she is “part Jewish and part Christian, but I’m mostly Jewish.”
The actress began acting professionally at age 4 when she starred in a commercial for Life cereal. She got her breakout role in 2010 when she was cast as Ramona Quimby in “Ramona and Beezus.”
Eight years later, she became famous for her lead role in “The Kissing Booth.” She also received critical acclaim for portraying Gypsy-Rose Blanchard in “The Act” (2019), which earned her Emmy, Golden Globes, and SAG nominations.
Her wedding incorporated Jewish traditions
King married director Steven Piet after the two met on the set of “The Act” in September 2023. Before the wedding, King revealed to People Magazine that the wedding would be “nontraditional.” She explained that she and Piet are “not religious people at all” and that she “grew up very relaxed Jewish” while Piet “grew up relaxed Catholic.”
She hinted that the ceremony would incorporate parts of both religions saying, “It’s just exciting to represent who you both are as people and in front of all the people that you just love.”
She loves Jewish food
King has documented her love of Jewish food on Instagram many times. In September 2020, she posted about a sweet kugel she made for Yom Kippur break fast.
She also revealed that bagels with cream cheese and lox is one of her favorite foods.
She celebrates Hanukkah
Hanukkah is probably one of King’s favorite holidays since she posts about it so often! She loves flaunting her Hanukkah sweaters on Instagram each year and celebrated with her husband Steven in 2022.
She has portrayed a number of Jewish characters
In 2014, King starred alongside Zach Braff in “Wish I Was Here,” a film about an Orthodox Jewish family. King played Braff’s daughter Grace, who ends up being homeschooled when her parents can no longer afford tuition at her Jewish day school.
King said that learning about the Orthodox world through Grace was “really fascinating.”
In the upcoming Hulu miniseries “We Were the Lucky Ones,” the actress portrays Halina, the youngest daughter of the Kurc family. They become separated during World War II after being forced to flee their hometown of Radom, Poland. The series is based on the bestselling novel by Georgia Hunter.
Producer Erica Lipez discussed the decision to cast King for the role in an interview with Elle Magazine, saying, “It’s this incredible sort of adult coming-of-age story for her. I think she starts the war at 21 and ends around 28. There’s just this strength and intelligence and humor and ambition to Halina that we felt like we knew Joey would capture…She did that and she was extraordinary to work with.”
She visited Israel in 2023
King vacationed in Israel in May 2023 with her Israeli “We Were the Lucky Ones” co-stars Amit Rahav, Hadas Yaron and Lior Ashkenazi. She was seen out and about in Tel Aviv, visiting the shuk and the beach. The actress documented her trip on Instagram, saying she was having the time of her life in Tel Aviv.
She has a Hebrew tattoo
During her recent visit to Israel, King got a tattoo of the word “hummus” in Hebrew on the nape of her neck at Derech Yaffa studio.
