Interview with the Actor

You are defining yourself as one of the bravest actors on the contemporary scene. After Sebastian Meise's Große Freiheit, which won the Jury Prize at Cannes last month, and before Gabriele Mainetti's upcoming Freaks Out (2021), with Luzifer there is the interpretation of another outsider character. How do you choose these roles?

You know, it's not really like I choose a role like I’d go and choose a drink. When the good parts knock on your door you have to let them in but of course one always needs a strong door.

The religious theme with the "fear of the devil" is an obsession that pervades the whole film, but it does so with a crescendo that generates tension but at the same time remains credible. How do you build this credibility?

We believe in the cause. We listen to each other and then with gentle aggression we put our daily needs aside. The director Peter Brunner and Susanne Jensen, the main actress, helped me every day with their inspiring energy.

From Christian Petzold to Terence Malick, via Michael Hanneke. You have worked with many great directors. Is there one to whom you are most grateful for the work you have done together?

My Mom.

And after this experience with Luzifer, what should we expect from the role of the villain you will play in Gabriele Mainetti's new film?

He is a drug addict and a child. Cruel from time to time. He is a pianist in love with Hitler. He is reaching for the stars and the stars look like swastikas. He wants to change the course of history but history is powerful.