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How war and suburbia shaped a Hollywood writer

Adi Hasak enjoyed an idyllic upbringing in Highland Park, but his Israeli military service in Beirut ultimately defined his work as a Hollywood screenwriter and producer.

"As I witnessed the violence all around me, it led me to appreciate the humanity that we all share," Hasak said.

"It turned me into a different person. What it made me realize was something that I really like to write about: the complexity of the humanity of all characters."

Hasak funneled his war-inspired sense of empathy into two TV series: the NBC crime drama "Shades of Blue" with Jennifer Lopez, and the upcoming "Eyewitness." Adapted from a Norwegian series about a multiple-murder investigation, "Eyewitness" premieres Sunday, Oct. 16, on USA.

Julianne Nicholson stars as police investigator Helen Torrance in the new USA Network series "Eyewitness," adapted by Highland Park High School graduate Adi Hasak. It premieres Oct. 16.

"The show doesn't judge any of its characters, including the bad guy," he said. "The show is not a whodunit, because we know who the killer is eight minutes into the series. It's more about how does this violent act affect all the people it touches."

That's something he saw firsthand in Beirut.

"We would go after what we considered to be the bad guys, but when we went into their homes, I noticed they also had parents, children, went fishing, had photos on their walls and so forth," Hasak said.

Hasak was born in the Netherlands where his parents, Nehemiah and Judith Hasak, had gone for his job. The family moved to Israel for a few years, then relocated to Chicago, eventually settling in Highland Park.

"I loved the security of Highland Park during the '70s," he confessed. "It was a very, very nurturing environment. My time in Highland Park enabled me to go do all the crazy (stuff) I've been doing ever since!"

Hasak became an actor in Chicago, all because he spotted "a beautiful girl" on the school bus when he was 11.

"She was involved with an acting group over on Devon Avenue called Tom Thumb," he recalled. "It was an acting school. I just followed her there and became part of the repertory company."

Hasak loved the camaraderie of theater.

"They were amazing and wonderful years that allowed me to develop a sense of security," he said. "Those years on stage provided me with the moxie to pursue the things I wanted to do in my life."

After graduating from Highland Park High School in 1977, Hasak moved back to Israel for the next 12 years, seven of which he served in the military.

At 19, Hasak spotted "the prettiest girl in Tel Aviv," a 17-year-old high school student named Naomi. They married, moved to the United States and set upon a cross-country trip until they ran out of money in Los Angeles.

"We were on a life journey and never knew where we'd wind up," Hasak confessed. "I loved the sunshine and the beaches, as did my wife. We decided to hang out here to raise our family." He saw an ad for a job as a writer and thought he would give it a try.

Hasak wrote the pilot for the HBO series "Generation Kill," which somehow ended up in the hands of bombastic French filmmaker Luc Besson, who cold-called him one afternoon to offer him a job.

Hasak took it. They wrote "From Paris with Love" and "3 Days to Kill."

"I remember when I was in the military and I saw Luc Besson's movie 'Subway,' and Christopher Lambert had platinum hair," Hasak recalled. "I remember thinking, What? Men are coloring their hair in Europe? What's going on?

"Anyway, we spent four or five really productive years together blowing (stuff) up."

- Dann Gire

• Jamie Sotonoff and Dann Gire are looking for showbiz people who would make good stories. Contact them at jsotonoff@dailyherald.com and dgire@dailyherald.com.

Creating ‘Eyewitness’

Hollywood screenwriter/producer and Highland Park High School graduate Adi Hasak is particularly proud of his work on the upcoming USA Network series “Eyewitness,” based on a Norwegian series.

“I needed this production to do three things,” said Hasak, 57.

“1. It must be respectful of the original series.

“2. It must be properly adapted for American audiences.

“3. It must contain something that speaks to me so I could write it from an emotional place.”

Hasak calls his thriller “a 10-hour version of a ‘Columbo’ TV show” only “really intense and challenging.”

You be the judge when “Eyewitness” premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, on USA.

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