NETFLIX-STAR: So funktioniert das FILMBUSINESS! (Frederick Lau)

Exactly. Now the question is, what is acting? For me, acting is of course about bringing emotion to the stage, or let's say onto cellophane. What am I even talking about? It's cellophane, isn't it? That's cellulose. God Zilopfan is what you would call awesome . Oh God, this is a great start. I became the Berlin Judo Champion back then, and you did Judo. I also did judo at a higher level. Real ? Yes. We have to fight right away. Have you ever had a situation where someone didn't press play during a recording session ? Do you know what we've already had? All the material was already ruined. I have to reshoot everything. Everything possible. That's millions in damages. It costs a lot of money. But still, the question remains: how much does one earn if one has a leading role in a great Netflix film, for example? Netflix depends. I don't even know if I'm allowed to say that. That's the problem. I think, I think, let's say, range. Approximately how many Olympic medals are there? I think there's a range of, uh, I think so, because I'm a bit lazy about it. I sometimes find it a bit strange to talk to the camera, to say: "Hey, come along, let me show you what I want to show you. These little cameras are strange." Yes, into the camera. I always jump past it . The film is a scene, you know what I mean? But looking into the camera like that, you know you can always have fun , but my father once told me, losing is okay, but winning is more fun. Good mindset. Yes, that's right. My name is Markus Baulik. I am a self-made multimillionaire and I use my time, money and energy to talk to interesting people and let you listen in, and yes, learn something from them too. And I was really looking forward to this interview , because I used to act in theatre, always wanted to be an actor, and today I have a fellow actor from Germany here. He's known from film and television, Netflix series, and all sorts of things in the cinema. We are of course talking about Frederik Lau. Greetings, Markus. It's great to be with you, or here in Berlin, and yes, I'm looking forward to the conversation. I am also pleased. We also spent some time together yesterday, namely at the opening of your own kebab shop. You said it. I hope it tasted good . It was very tasty. Yes. Yes . Very good. Very good. The special thing about this doner kebab is that it's vegan, right? He is vegan. That's right, it's made from pea protein. But it tastes like meat, and uh, we just wanted to offer an alternative for vegetarians or vegans, or let's put it this way: for people who don't want a cow to die every day. So, yesterday there was a queue that went around the block several times. So, did you expect it to go off like this? To be honest, at 11:30 we thought, oh God, there's no one here yet. Real ? Yes . Yes. I was thinking to myself, this could all go wrong now, what's the weather like and all that. You do start to rethink some things, scenarios and uh, but then just before it all started and the nice thing is that the clientele is really a great mix. So, it wasn't just a rush of kids who wanted to get 250 kebabs , but people who were genuinely interested in the product, and the good thing was, it was constantly full, there was a line, a queue, until midnight, until we eventually closed the shop and handed out kebabs at a rapid pace. I think it's about how many kilos? Almost 200 kg is quite a lot . Yes, I think we did; we even set a record yesterday. This was the largest sale of any meat substitute product or skewer ever sold . So, I'm now a return carrier. I just wanted to flex for a bit. Very good flexibility. When you started acting, did you ever imagine that you would one day open a kebab shop? No, to be honest, I've never really worried about it . Well, it was also the case that I never really wanted to become an actor. It never came up , I actually come from a family that was very interested in art or sports and things like that, but um, it was never the idea that I wanted to become an actor, it fascinates me, or I had maybe been to the cinema three times before . Well, I started very early, when I was 10 years old. I became Berlin Judo Champion back then, and you did Judo too. H did Judo. Real ? Yes. We have to fight right away. And you realize that if you do judo , then you'll become something? Absolutely, and then it was like this: I actually wanted to cut out a newspaper article, but there was nothing in it, but at the same time in the youth section it said, uh, we're looking for a sporty boy for a film, and then I just went there . What newspaper article did you watch? Because of the Berlin Judo Championship, the newspaper was there. Back then, the Berliner Morgenpost said they would publish an article about it the next day. Yes, and that's why you bought it, Ann, basically saw that we were still looking for something specific because there was nothing in it, so I was naturally very disappointed, but then it said okay, we would like to visit sporty boys up to 10 years old and stuff like that, and then I just went there, and funnily enough, in the place where I opened the kebab shop, which is right diagonally opposite, was my first casting. Yes . Yes. And I went there, then there was just a note saying to send photos only, and I went there with my father and he said, " We're not going to send photos of you to complete strangers." Do you know what i mean? But when you hear it like that, you definitely think it's a bit strange, and then he said, come on, I'll show you the old Berlin backyards. So, these brick buildings and stuff, and the bullet holes from the house-to-house fighting, and there was a guy smoking on the third floor, just out of the window. and said something like, "Come up again somehow," and then, uh, I went up there for the casting. Exactly . And then I went up there and got this role, and for me it was like, well, I was coming to film for the first time, I had absolutely no plan, and everyone was incredibly nice, they were totally interested, everyone was really cool. It's just that, you have to imagine, the people in the film industry are mostly also career changers, and you only make it if you perform well . So, like in real life, quality somehow prevails and they're all free spirits and stuff. It was really interesting to experience that firsthand. And then there was a small premiere at the Hakische Höfe and my former agent asked me if I was enjoying it and I said, great fun and uh, the premiere of this film, my agent, so let's get to it a bit quickly . I have an agent. OK. OK. No, no, that's how it is, so I'll explain it to you . So you come in, you have a small premiere and then you go to a cinema, the Hackesche Höfe, a nice cinema, an old cinema and then this came on, it was a children's film for 30 minutes or something. Yes, nothing special. But then, after the premiere, my former agent, Mrs. Müller from the customer team, approached me, so a woman approached me, I can say. A woman came up to me and asked, "Can I talk to you for a moment , Frederik?" I was like, yes, yes, you can talk to me if you like, and I'd like to know if you enjoy it, would you like to do it more often ? And that's when I said, yes, absolutely . And then I had an agent, I didn't know what it was back then, but she sent me casting questions and then I prepared for castings and went there and then I just kind of stuck with it, to be honest. So, my intention wasn't to become famous, and I knew that even after the first film you still do n't really know what acting is. I think that takes a really long time somehow. So yes, it will probably take until I'm 16 before I really understand what acting is. So, before that, you go in just for fun and do it intuitively, but there are many approaches. So, the question now is, what is acting? For me, acting is simply about bringing an emotion to the stage forever, or let's say onto cellophane. Cellophane, what am I even talking about? It's cellophane, isn't it? That's Cellulite God. Zopal is what geril. Oh God, this is a great start, isn't it? To bring people. I think the important thing is that you are authentic, that you lie and convey what, you know? And I believe that many nuances and things, as you yourself will know, show something, radiate something, or send out an energy, you know? And um, I think you need to know how to train what is being sent and what is being received by the viewer . You have to do that with your partners or people you make deals with, you have to check it out the same way, so to speak, what kind of person is this person to you, right? And I also think that if you want to captivate an audience, it's crucial that you bring authenticity to the role, that you 're relatable, and I believe that even with the most terrible roles, even roles that are, um, let's say, an antagonist, I still think it's always very important that you're understandable, that people can still understand you, even if they hate you, and somehow love you for that reason, you know? And I think if you understand how to do it, and if you do n't necessarily create it, but if you really feel it, and if you play and forget everything around you , then you know that you've played, and I think that conveys itself, and I have, I can, I've also had films where I didn't manage it so well. Sometimes, um, I'm sitting in the cinema or watching a film and I think to myself, oh God, what have I done? Because I thought, sometimes you think to yourself, okay, just because you feel it, you also radiate it. But sometimes that's not so easy. Well, sometimes that's not the case. And um, and then there are techniques that make it easy, because we have cuts here, for example, right? He goes close to you and there 's the wide shot, and then to function in this close-up or something like that, to send the minimal amount of what you want to send, that's sometimes not so easy. Mm. And um, and I think that's the whole principle of film, when what gets cut. Of course, sometimes it also depends on the editing process, since there are so many people involved, or the director, and how he edits it all together. Sometimes you get completely lost in what you're thinking, but there are so many factors that also contribute to making it a good film, or to you coming across well, or yes, that too, or becoming a success. Yes. Mhm. You just said the agent approached you. Yes . Then, uh, she probably arranged more movies for you. Got it . Exactly. So, I really had to prove myself there. So, it was like this: you sit down and it immediately starts with "Here's a contract, it looks like this and that." So, I can explain it to you, it's like this: the agency always gets 10%. Mhm. And they do that for you, well, I'm not so good at organizational things and uh, that's actually quite nice, as an actor you can really concentrate on your art and you get, for example, nice, nowadays I get offers for roles, but before you were like, you get a very small one, you get texts, you do n't even know what it's really about. They'll look at you first . Would you fit the role ? Do you fit in with the partner, with the scene partner? Um, how do I play it? And they say, okay, you're in this situation , try it this way, and how do you act in front of the camera? And there you are, just a little kid, and you have to try things out or learn your lines, and then you go to the casting, you're naturally super nervous, and then there are all these other boys your age sitting there, all facing the same thing, and you have to hold your own. And man, I'm telling you, that's quite an emotional thing, isn't it? And if you do n't get something, it's like being lost, you know, like, you've lost anyway. Especially when you come from sports, you think, "This is so crap, I've got this completely," you think, "Okay, you," and then it's explained to you that it's due to several factors and things like that, but it still hurts, and then to gain that energy from it and say, "Next time it will work, next time this will happen," and not to give up. Yes, did you used to get more rejections than acceptances? It's funny how it usually goes that way; where I thought I was going to get a rejection, I did get one. I thought I was so bad, there was no spark at all, and things like that. And sometimes, when you think, oh, that was a great match, and then you don't understand at all what happened, because you do n't usually talk to them afterwards, to the director, you usually never see them again in your life. Yes, and then, of course, you worry, especially as a young actor or as a teenager, about what the reason was? Do you know what the reason was ? Where was it located after that, right? Can you remember any casting that went really badly? Anecdote or something? I'm telling you, I once had a huge role. It was a super important thing and I had it for Monuments Man, it was with George Cloney, everything was really big. I was extremely well prepared. He went over and said something like, "You still have a little time, like 3 hours or so." And I thought to myself, okay, 3 hours. Borussia Dortmund is playing right now, and then I went over to the pub and thought to myself, oh, I'll just watch a little bit of football, but I wasn't even concentrating at all. I also drank one or two beers , I was about 18 or so , and then I came back and God, I was so unfocused, it was a disaster. That's a real shame, and um, yeah, I learned from that, but sometimes you have to, sometimes it's your own fault, right? Okay, so you've basically lost the movie . No, no, I've lost that one. Yes, but but did we at least win the football match, right? I think so. Yes. Yes, I think so . And I think I was very euphoric and all that, and I got there, and it probably didn't fit so well with the film, which is set in the Second World War. You're a big Dortmund fan. Why is that? Yes, my family comes from there, so on my mother's side my mother comes from the Rpot and then you can see there are two clubs there. There are a few more, but for me there are two big ones. Half the family are Schalke fans and the other half are Dortmund fans. My grandpa was from Dortmund, and so I went to the stadium with him very, very early on, and I tell you, it's a big deal. So, football is there, is there identity, you know, now that there is no more mountain lake, it has gotten even worse . And so once you're in there, you can't do anything about it anymore , there's no way around it . Then you know Chico too, right? Yes, yes, I know Chico. Greetings to Chico, who has already followed the instructions at that point . Feel free to watch the episode with Chico as well. That one was great too. Yes, sensational. Your breakthrough, I'd say, was probably back then with The Wave. Yes, I would say so too. Did I even see that in the cinema back then? I don't even know how old I was then? I think, look, you're a bit younger. The thing is, a lot of people had to watch it in school. Yes, exactly. Exactly. I saw it. They all had to go through this topic year after year, and it was always so funny, I think around 13 or 14, because you always know exactly, when you see 13 or 14-year-olds on the street, which one they've just watched, and which one, and yeah, but before that I, um, actually, I once made a film adaptation of an Erich Kessner story. Although The Flying Classroom was also a great film. My children are watching it now. I think I was about 13 years old then . I had already made some pretty cool films before, but The Wave was definitely a breakthrough in that sense because I won my first German Film Award . So it was the biggest prize you can win in German film, and then I was there too, and the role was awesome to play. Well, that 's really something, so if someone doesn't know the film , they should watch it, but it's a brilliant ending and that's exactly how the move was. Uh, exactly. So yes, and he already knew school material and, um, yes, but a breakthrough. Yes, but of course, if every student is forced to watch the film , then you basically have, uh, the younger generations all practically have to know you, right? Yes . Yes, you're right. You're right, are n't you? The great thing was, I won this German film award and there was, or is, a really great agency, an acting agency in Germany for the player. This is actually the biggest one, the best and most amazing actors are there. And of course it was always a dream to come there as a young actor and suddenly get an offer like that, you know, they call you after the wave, right? Yes. And that young bird recommended me back then because he asked, " How are things?" Do you want to talk to them and stuff? I'm totally nervous, of course. I'm like, okay, that's crazy, those are the craziest. And uh, I went there and was quite nervous, I think two days later the Christmas party was there and all these idols were standing in front of you and yeah, who was at the Christmas party? Oh, so everything must remain true here, Christoph Wald, youth bird, all of them. Could you please go to the website players.de? de. These are just the [ __ ], as I say, of German film. So, and uh, yeah, and I, as a little kid, did a Christmas party. Yes, yes, yes, and yes, absolutely clear. Do you remember what the Christmas party was like? Yes, cheerful and lively, just like always at the film's Christmas parties. They always last longer and are always amazing. Yes, but are you still connected with those people? So, did they already know who you were beforehand, or did they already know who you were then? So, I saw the wave here. You did a good job shooting around and all that. Yes, we already had a park. They come up to you and congratulate you, of course, but for me it was so totally crazy to shake hands with people like that, right? Around 17 years old. It's something else entirely when you're standing there with people who have really achieved something, and of course you've just made your first big film and, uh, sure, but the sushi, the sushi is there. Did you record it? Yes. H was pressed on Record. Yes, we forgot to press start. That's happened to me before, hasn't it? No, but I once deleted an entire project for that reason. Strong. Do you know, because he also did it once, so it's already happened, have you ever had a situation where someone didn't press play during a spin ? You know what we already had, all our equipment was ruined. We spent three days playing through it and all the material had to be reshot, everything imaginable, that's millions in damages. Do you know what I mean? That costs a lot of money. Millions in damages. Alex once accidentally deleted a project and could n't recover it, and that was the only project where my best friend and business partner bought one of those Maverick terrain things for €50,000 privately. Yes. And the pickup was, and we looked at it, drove around, tested it, and Alex deleted exactly this one project where he spent €50,000 of his own money . Strong. Yes, still good friends. Yes, exactly like that. Christmas, the Christmas party, have a drink. What to drink, then? Okay, let's try again. You'll feel more comfortable then. I don't need them. A secret feeling from the flap, eh? No, I think we left off at the Christmas party, right? Then all the idols clasped their hands, mega cool. But that was when you were 17, when you were already a player. But you were still in school at that time, right? Yes . Yes, well, I also filmed during school, and then I always had to catch up on lessons and stuff like that, or in the end I had a lot of OBS on my report card, which meant it said "without assessment" because I was rarely there , to be honest. Um, because I really wanted to become an actor at some point. It brought me so much joy somehow, and I really fell in love with it . So, no Juduka after all, and I do n't think you can make that much money with Juduka either . To be perfectly honest, it 's really sad, and I think that's a topic worth discussing. I find it so sad that Olympians and such can't make a living from it , you know? They win a gold medal for your country and get nothing but apples and eggs. I think that's outrageous. What do the first medalists get? I don't even know tens or tens 10,000. I think tens. Yes, I think they need it, I do n't know. But I think that one guy from the Bahamas will get a house with land and something like that, an estate or something like that, and I think in America, in the USA, you get 100,000 1000 mm, that's a bit more. Does that mean actors get more money, or what? As B now knows, you have to work your way up. So I started with 250 ml a day, which is already a lot for such a tiny little thing. How much did you get from the wave? Oh, I don't know. The thing is, you really have to work your way up, then you'll eventually get paid. I was like that before too, I don't know. I think we've all been there sometimes; if you're working on an ensemble film with lots of young people back then, what do you get paid per day? €1000? Something like €2000, I don't know. Well, at least €2000 is the equivalent of 15 Olympic medals, and if you have the filming days now, it's not so bad at all. No, but then sure, but you still have to know, 95% of actors in Germany ca n't make a living from it, right? So, there are the 5%, or maybe the 1%, or perhaps less, who can really make money from it, or let's say, who can really live well from it , right? Getting there is hard work. It's just like with you now, is n't it? It's not like it was given away for free , is it? So, um, and that's why I always have the greatest respect for everyone, but I have respect overall for all people who work hard, you know, who want something in life. But it's all connected with sweat and tears. Let's be honest. So what makes the difference in acting? So, why are you in the movies and why can't others ? Look, I've been doing this for 27 years now, you know? It wasn't always like this . I can tell you, sometimes I would come to the set and then I would go to Katherine . They said, no, sorry, I just wanted to get a coffee. They said, no, for the team. So, I've been through that too, right? Well, it wasn't always like this, Frederik, there you are. So, you go to the director and they ask you, "Who are you again?" Or don't address them by the wrong name . So, you're in for a nasty surprise in the end credits, with the wrong name. Yes . We've been through everything. I don't know the name for the end credits . It's completely wrong, misspelled, and so on. I figure it ca n't be that difficult. So, Frederik Lan or something like that, you know, you've already experienced all that. So, in that sense, it 's pretty tough, and you think you're somehow being undervalued, you feel like, well, not appreciated , right? Because the work itself remains the same. But I also simply believe, I believe it's the mix that matters , I believe that firstly, of course, it's also about delivering good performance, about being able to do something. I firmly believe that you simply have to be good at what you do. Mhm. Or, to put it another way, you probably know this from a sporting perspective, sometimes it's like this: when I do something, I've never really had any hobbies. If I were to go there, I'd always want to be the best, you know, if I were to go there I'd want to tear it up, you know? I want to get something out of there , right? And I'm not just okay with seeing what happens, but there has to be a plan behind it, or let's say the director, or in film there's something else, I really know a lot about that . For other things, you obviously have to feel your way and improve. You must always improve and learn and follow the rules. Uh, so how much crap have I already completely wasted? But you get better. And I think especially if you do n't come from a family that's somehow, um, economically savvy, has already started out, or has actually managed something or is somehow somewhat competent in that area, you just have to make it all up yourself, and you don't get it in school. You weren't there yourself, you know what I mean. And I think it's a shame that you're not taught that in a normal school career, that you don't know, okay, this is how the economy works. And, um, in any case, as I said, like with everything, you work your way up, you see how it all works. And I think it's really important that you don't just target the mainstream, but also make things that are of a different quality, perhaps for a different audience, so to speak, that you cover a broad spectrum. You know, you make films for children, you make films like a film for older people, you run a blog, you do it for the cinema, you just do everything. And I enjoy all of it, and the work isn't different; I take everything equally seriously, you know? But sometimes it's simply a matter of luck and being in the right place at the right time, in the right place at the right time . Mhm. For example, if you open the right newspaper ad , then say it. Yes it is. And keep your eyes on the curious one, you know? I believe that's it, I believe I am a person who has an interest in everything, so I always look at everything and I can also get excited about it. Yes, but still the question remains: how much does one earn if one has a main role in such a nice Netflix show, for example, or something like that? Netflix depends. I don't even know if I'm allowed to say that. That's the problem. I think, I think I'll say, how many Olympic medals are there? I think there's a range of, um, I think what's normal is, how should I package this so I don't get punched in the face? Um, I think it starts from around 3,000 a day up to 20,000 a day, and then of course, if you're smart, you can do something like a profit share, then, um, and you know what I mean, that you participate in ticket sales, in cinema sales, so the range is really large, where you can do something. So you know how you contribute, or if you say, okay, I'll direct it myself, or it's my book, and it always depends . So, let me tell you, the top players are definitely, I'd say, Schweikhöfer, Till and Elias. I think the one who's there is even more involved, like this. But it depends, you know, if you, you have to build something for yourself so that people want to see you, definitely. Mhm. But also, that you are so indispensable, you know that they know, okay, if you have a film, if you are in this film, then that will happen , then then people will watch. Exactly, but it's just, you know, and I find it really difficult sometimes, I don't always have to be entertaining, you know? That's a big difference. Look, with four blocks, for example, we definitely didn't think it would be such a breakthrough, right? So, uh, we thought we'd do a series and stuff like that. We were the pioneers, so to speak. We didn't know that it would continue like this and that there would be such a huge hype about it. Yes, you know, and if you're making a movie now, you definitely need that hype, you absolutely want your few million viewers, especially if you're making a big movie with famous actors. Um, but you never really know. You never know, and sometimes you just have to wait and see; sometimes you get a buyout, and if it's very successful, you get something extra . And then of course there are also advertisements that you do, and um, well, it depends . Well, that obviously also depends on what you mean by market value, like with a footballer , you know? Mm. If you say yes, exactly. That's how I would explain it. How do you see the comparison between, uh, Germany and now America? Yes, those are completely different worlds. Completely different worlds, but you have to work your way up again there too, you know? I was once with the English agency too, and it was really like going from one agency to another. They've seen a few of my projects and stuff, and yet I still have to go back here in Germany where I actually have to go to castings less often. You'll have to read text again, clean doorbells, and in between, maybe use the Barrick. Yes it is. But of course, I also enjoy European cinema, and naturally, you don't do it just for the money; I really enjoy it. So I really have my love, I love it. Look, somewhere right now, we were in Bangkok for three months filming CRS Crooks and um it was amazing, you know how awesome it is to be filming all night in Bangkok's red light district with all sorts of people, it's awesome. So it's true, you come back with stories, you know, you experience an incredible amount, you travel a lot. It's always like being part of a community, you're always with about 100 people and everyone is different, and then after filming a series for five months or half a year or so, and then of course you fall into a kind of funk, you know, when you're so high every day, you know, and you're always on 100, and then you have to go back to normal family life and do mundane things like going shopping and stuff. I know that sounds like a no, but that's what I mean by things that don't make you friends . Otherwise you're gone all the time, so when I'm filming, I rarely go shopping. I'll be filming from 8 am or 10 pm until 6 am tomorrow, and then you sleep the day, and it goes on like that all the time, and then you have a weekend, then you go out to eat. So there are n't really any set routines or things you do . It's incredibly difficult to develop any kind of routine or structure because you might, maybe, we should talk about it sometime. How exactly does the process work, for example, of producing a film or the series Crooks? Yes, so how should one imagine that? Let's say it has n't started yet. You're sitting at home and then you get a call, or your agent, who gets 10%, gets a call and says, "Should we do another season, Freddy? What do you think?" Are you up for it? Of course I can do it. So, it all starts with an idea, right? An idea comes about, a screenplay is created, or at least an idea is generated, and I'm asked to participate; I'm asked, "Um, are you up for it?" Would you be able to imagine playing that role, or are you familiar with this book or novel? What do you think of it? Then I read it, say whether I think it's great or not . First, read the novel, or yes, exactly. Or what I'm given, and then I dig into it, read through it, and say, okay, in principle, yes , but go on. And then it continues until it 's actually a finished screenplay, or tell me about it! "Go on," I usually say to the producer. The producer doesn't have a script yet, or does he? No, not yet. Just like that, someone's sitting somewhere, I don't know, in Berlin, or maybe I just bought the rights to some novel, by a German author, by some random author, or by Fitzig, or whatever, right ? He is, and then he buys the rights to this book. So, he buys the rights and says to himself, okay, I will hold these rights for two years for such and such a long time. So, he can do something with that time. So, then you assign authors to it, can you do something? Or ask me, look, so- and-so could imagine doing that. Write that down, write that down, so to speak, and uh, we'll send it to you when it's ready to be announced . First you get an exposé, which you read through, say okay, pretty cool, but let's keep working on it, and sometimes years can really pass. So it's really like this: you say, okay, he writes for two years, or sometimes longer, or sometimes only half a year, and then at some point you have something like a pitch, or at some point you really have something like a screenplay in your hand, and then the announcement is, I do n't like that at all. I like that typical manuscript style, like you know from TikTok Reels, where it shows exactly where the scene is played and at the bottom. I don't have TikTok right now, but I think I do. Don't you have TikTok? No. Instagram? I do have Instagram, but am I also spiritual? I am not who I am, that's what I mean. Yes, I mean, sometimes you have to focus on being at home and being there for your family, otherwise I might end up spinning my wheels. Maybe I should hire someone to take care of that kind of thing for me. Yes, because I'm a bit lazy about it. I sometimes find it a bit strange to say to the camera, "Hey, come along and see what I want to show you. " I find it strange to say to the camera. Yes, into the camera. I always jump past it . The film is a scene, you know what I mean? But looking into the camera like this, hey, I don't know, I want something completely different. Um, okay, then at some point the script will be finished and then I'll tell you, but can you still say you don't feel like it anymore? I can still say that. Sure, because no contract or anything like that had been made yet. Just like that, someone works on the screenplay for two years and then you say, "Ugh, no way, I don't feel like it ." It is entirely possible that it will not be promoted. We have a funding system in Germany, then you go to, for example, Berlin or Munich, or there are funding systems there, and then they say: "Okay, we'll give you half a million, or we'll give you this much," and then they collect funds, kind of like in the business world, or let's say when you have startup clients and they say, okay, who wants to contribute ? It's rarely private money. Um, because actually, it's really like this: you get money from the FFA or, let's say, from the Berlin-Brandenburg Media Fund or something like that, and then at some point you have enough money together for this film to happen, and they know, of course, that they want to recoup the money . That means they do n't just give them away. They think to themselves, okay, this can be funded, this can't be funded , there's a committee, they say, well, it's like this: okay, um, let's put it simply, the film costs one million, one million should be earned, and everything else after that is basically just winning, right? That's perfectly logical, and that's how they think too. That means they give money and say, not of course, but with the film that's coming out, for example, it's the perfect, the perfect vacation. I think the first part, which has the perfect secret, attracted over 5 million viewers. Now you can calculate that a cinema ticket costs €7.70, so that's quite a bit, and then of course they think, "Okay, come on, we don't need to think about it for long, let's promote the second part too," and of course they go. I don't know how many people saw it on Amazon, for example, or elsewhere; that's a good question. We know that we do n't know the numbers for streamers, right? No, no, not at all . I know that's the case at the cinema, and they're totally secretive about it . Um, they're different there. But the contracts are completely different too, really substantial. There, there's something that's not so easy, so they can do anything to you, and um, exactly. And this is how the funding system works. It is said that they still go in with it and say, um okay, they still have to reckon with the fact that the whole thing could go bust and then the money is gone. In that sense, but still, it's a kind of de-subsidization, a subsidy, so to speak, that takes over the whole thing. Okay, you have the script, the project will be funded. How much does a film like that cost? What would you say? What is the minimum amount one has to spend these days to get a good one ? If it were good, high quality, I'd say 6. 6 to 8, you can also go higher, up to 20. As high as you want. Some cost 14, some cost more, but small films can be cheaper, for example, if you're only going to shoot in one room, or you also have to look for location scouts, you look at the script, written on trebuches , right? Then I say, okay, I would play, then of course we also look at who the others are playing, who the other people are playing, the other roles. Can you also help decide that? No, so we'll still talk about it . So if I 'm friends with the director, it's still basically his film, right? But it's also about the producers, whether they like them, whether they say, okay, I can imagine myself there, but of course it's also someone who markets themselves well or whether they're a good match. In the past, it was sometimes the case that even with producers, you have to imagine that the economic and financial demands were completely different, right? We then naturally bring an artistic aspect to it, and um, at some point they say the cast is finalized, and at that point they already calculate what the cost of this film will be. So, then you naturally look at the car driven by the person at the main office, who lives at such and such a place. If you say, of course, that it takes place in Thailand and on Jal Diven, and you can imagine this and that, it will be a bit more expensive. If you have a film that only takes place in one room, it will naturally be a bit cheaper. Yes . Um, that means they also know the effort involved is less. That means you do n't have the trucks that need to drive from there to there . Do you understand that? Yes, a huge, enormous machine. Everyone who has their task, their light, their I do n't know what. So, I can't criticize everyone who works in film and it definitely works exactly like that. What are you saying, how many people are typically involved in an average production like the ones you've done in recent years? 100 or so more, including Thailand. There are a lot of people we don't see as often as we do in the office, you know, like, you know, doing all the numbers and stuff, and we're on set, and on set there are usually around 60-100 of us. Crazy. Exactly. But of course, if we 're honest, you actually need a microphone, a camera, lighting, and an actor, but everything else is also incredibly important, like continuity, making sure everything is consistent, that we do n't suddenly say, okay, now the room is suddenly bright, suddenly the scene is like this and so on. And none of that fits together, because we do n't work continuously, so to speak, from scene to scene, like, first scene, then we shoot the second scene, but sometimes scene 56 in one day, because it takes place in the same room as scene 3. There's a cut, suddenly she's standing there with the bottle, of course, there's a scene where there's just a Starbucks cup right in the middle of it. Yeah, sure, but then you look at the costume design, for example, right? So you have a makeup image, what does it look like? Do you see, what should the rooms look like? What do we tell a story with a color concept? There are so many things you want to consider as a director or as a production company, and it's already a huge apparatus that all needs to come together to make the whole thing work and be successful. Mhm. Now we have the script, you say we'll make the film, production is also underway, everything is going smoothly. You know how it is with TikTok, which you do n't know. Then the actors sit together and read the script. That happens too. Yes. Yes . Yes. We have, so it comes right before that . First, the rolls are collected. Then after about three weeks, we sometimes do a little rehearsal to see which difficult scenes we could try out to see if they work. Oh, so you rent a studio there to rehearse or something? SAS like here. Exactly. Simply. And then we practice a little, sit down, and talk about the roles. You have talks with the directors, you do role work, you do role work for yourself, sometimes you still have to do role work, sometimes you have to figure out who is who. You need to find out what kind of person you are embodying. Then it's like this: sometimes you have to train yourself, or you have to learn to ride a horse, or I don't know what, learn to dive, and you have to prepare yourself for this role, so to speak. That will take another few months. You can do that on the side. What kind of role would you, uh, need to learn ? I was here, so apart from the fact that I'm now in your new role as a kebab entrepreneur, I'm here to discuss how to prepare doner kebabs. So, for example, in the Netflix series Crooks , I have to learn how to break in. I watched the first episode yesterday, I ca n't say I like it, but it's also really cool. So the first episode of To Die is really great. I'm experiencing a real cliffhanger. I had to keep looking. Know what's happening. For example, I was out and about with the guy from the locksmith service, who can also do safes and all sorts of things. I was with them for weeks, driving around with them as a locksmith, opening doors and then we opened safes. You go to a regular locksmith service as an employee and travel with them, and then you're here in Berlin, Switzerland, but yeah, okay, but then people said, " Why is Freddy Lau with me?" Trying to be funny. It was a residential complex where people knew each other and spoke very little German. I think they did n't know many of them. But you know what was interesting, looking behind those facades, because you suddenly open up a different world . Suddenly you're at someone's house, so you know, that's pretty crazy. Those are some real stories, aren't they? Well, and uh, but it was super interesting. I couldn't imagine doing it forever, but you learn things like that , you know, or like I said, diving, what all you have to learn, like stick fighting, then you have the training, then you have lots of stunography and stuff like that, which you do for weeks, because then you fight against ten people and stuff like that, but does the production organize that for you or do you have to say to them yourself: "Hey, you're an actor, take care of that key, it'll be fine." So it's also a lot that I tell them, this and that I have to do, these things have to be learned, this I have to discuss, and otherwise, yes, of course, those who aren't producing their first show , they also keep an eye on what other things might be coming my way or what simply needs to be done in PR. Mhm. So you'll already be practicing relevant scenes. Yes, exactly. Sorry, I must say it's nice that you always remind me where I've been. As a YouTuber, you always have to make sure that it's in red colors . Very good. Very good. Definitely, um, then we have reading. Then we'll watch everything again with all the actors. Let's read through the entire script in character. Mhm. And sometimes something else comes to light . And sometimes you even go on set visits and take a look at the place where you're filming. Sometimes you just let yourself be surprised. But you don't rehearse the scene now, or do you also rehearse the scene before you film it on the set, do you also play or always? I always do a rehearsal beforehand, because you have to do it another day. No, same day. Well, I can explain how the process works. So, when we get there, I can briefly end the topic; the reading sample is finished. So, and then we say we'll start filming that week, and then comes the first day of filming . Then you come in, get ready, get your costume, wait, stop. So, you've now completed the reading. What are you doing at home now? So, what are you doing? You really put a lot of thought into it beforehand and practice reading it at home before the reading test, right? Yes, it depends. So, obviously, you probably read the script five times or so beforehand, and it always changes a lot. There will eventually be blue pages, then green pages, orange pages with all the changes, you know, you have to get hold of those again and you have to prepare yourself in such a way that you know who you are, so who you are and how you are going to do it. So to speak, right? Even though everything will always be different, because you sometimes enter spaces you do n't yet know, and your imagination is just like when you read a book, your imagination is there and thinks that's how it will be , but you have to be adaptable and you also learn difficult texts. Some people do, well, I can only say, like, sometimes you do a few, or say, sometimes you have five pages of text, so you have to prepare that a little bit. You should, otherwise it will be more difficult during the day and otherwise you'll come, I always study in the evenings before, come then, because I know the scenes are starting tomorrow. You watch the scenes you're filming again practically the evening before, then you sleep on it. It's just like when you learn. In theatre, you basically have to know all the texts because you always have to recall everything on the same day, but yes, it's different there. That's really crazy. Yes. Yes, with film we have the advantage of editing, but I also once made a film that worked without any editing . Victoria. Exactly. So I was allowed to be there too, just like a play that was being performed outside. Great movie, I can recommend it. This is a truly amazing film, one of my favorites, right? Yes, it also won an award. Even the best camera, also the best here, silver, the bear on the Berlin and so on. So, the film is really mega, really, really, really cool and it's never been done before. That's just awesome. There has never been a film without cuts that lasted longer than 140 minutes. We did n't even know if the camera would last that long, because that was only stated for Fuji, I think, or Sony, it only said 120 minutes of recording, and we were really afraid that it would just run out of power in the middle of this one-take. Exactly . They could have tested that beforehand, you're absolutely right , but that's not my job. Will this work or not? Yes, you're right. We could have done it before , but we decided to take our chances . It should also feel real. Yes, probably. Adrenaline. Uh, exactly. So, you prepare yourself and the next day you go to the set and first arrive in an empty room where there is no light yet, where nothing is prepared, except of course the props and everything else is already set up, and then you come in there , go through the scene with the other actors, with the director and say, okay, that's how we'll do it. And then they say, okay, we'll set up the set, and then the lighting will be adjusted. Everything will be done again, just as it should be, as discussed with the assistant director and all that. And then he says, then it's handed over to the other crew members, and then you go into the scene. After it's finished, let's say, okay, we'll go back to the beginning, and then you come in , go to your marker, or let's say you enter the room and start playing this scene. And right after you 've rehearsed it, you move forward, and with the "after" you prove that everything works, and then it starts. And then, of course, anything can still happen, like you saying, "[ __ ], this is n't working at all," then you see a reflection, then you have that, and you still have to stay in your concentration and, um, finish that scene, so that you feel it, or even that you completely lose yourself and forget what just happened. And then you know for sure that you've played that scene, and then they always tweak it a bit, say, let's do it a little bit like this , a little bit like that, until you 've finished a scene and then you go to the next one, but no, no, of course you still have to pay attention to lots of camera angles. I play the scene over and over again, then there's a wide shot, then a close-up, then the focus shifts back to the antagonist , so it's a lot, so sometimes I play the scene 100 times and even if you have a monologue, you get a headache. If you speak a monologue 100 times, you won't even know your own name afterwards. That's real brainwashing, you say it like it is. If I then receive another instruction for tomorrow, say yes because of tomorrow. I'll say, "Leave me alone." Tell me, I don't even know my own name anymore. I'm saying, please don't come up with any changes. Is there any scene of yours where you say that drove B insane? Yes, for example, in that first film, um, in The Perfect Secret, it really was like that, we just sat at the table. You have to imagine that this film takes place almost entirely at a table. That means you're not moving. You 're only in the studio, only at night, so it's only dark. You don't see any sunlight and you're sitting at the table and you're creating this scene, and there are eight of you or something like that at the table. That means there are eight settings for close-up only. A medium shot, a full shot, and you get a quirk, and you play that 100 times, and everyone has their own thing, and at some point you just don't feel like you're doing anything right anymore. You don't remember anything anymore. Then you say your text . So you understand? So at some point you're done . Yes, it's also very tiring for the mind, and you have to function in the moment. No apologies, I just ca n't right now. What if you, I don't know, you always make the same movements, right? Yes, I suppose you're extremely sensitive to that, because it can't be that you... Exactly, so that's also because of the cuts, but it's sometimes difficult to do that, you know, it always has to feel right and sometimes it's completely different than before. I find it difficult to always do the same thing, because, you know, it's all about action and reaction. If someone else says this or that to me, I react differently depending on whether they say it in a harsher tone or in a softer tone, or, to put it in a somewhat banal way , I react differently. It does something different to me . I can't exactly give you the same reaction I had to the action before, you know? Mhm. I'm asking myself this right now , because if I do it 100 times the way you're describing it, then at some point you just don't know anything anymore, then you just function like this. Then you start wondering, did I always drink at that point before, or does it become automatic? It's not really that simple, these processes and all that, you can manage it, but the thing is, at some point you realize it just becomes functional, and then it naturally loses its vibrancy, which is super important. You know, if you have a scene where everyone jumps into the pool and stuff like that, you say, if you film it 100 times, you start to think, and I was already at the point where I thought, what am I even doing here? This ca n't be happening, man. Who told you to go see a movie? Seriously, a scene where you had to eat like that and then you had to be really hardcore. Tell me how it is. So, if you have to eat your currywurst at 6 a.m. because we started picking up orders at 4 a.m. and you're doing that all day, well, that's not healthy . Don't look inside the Curry Boy the whole time. You have to see, you have to see, in scenes like these you have to pay attention to the actors. That's usually how it is, and then they act like they don't want to eat. It's often the case that you see how these people rumble and so on, always just a little bit or so briefly, always just before and then they say a sentence, and because they know that there are tricks involved. Yes. OK. OK. How many shooting days are there for scenes in a film like that , for example? Sure, but much less so for television. You simply have very little time for television . I think they make it 90 minutes, I believe, and if I'm not mistaken, 26 and 27 days, which is really not much. So you can calculate it down to 19 minutes, like what you have to film a day for telenovelas and such, because I've never done that, it's really, I don't even know what they film a day, I'd say 20 or 30 minutes a day, that's hardcore, so what they have to work for is really crazy. At the cinema you actually have more time, so you really have 90 or 100 minutes. 55 shooting days or something like that. So, since we're working with the big picture, if you're talking about a main role, I mean the whole production, or do you mean the entire production? I mean not the production itself, but the shooting period before and after. I'll get to that later, if you're interested. Um, there 's still a huge process before it actually hits the cinema , right? But you have these 55 shooting days for a feature film because you're working with the cinematic backdrop, where every detail has to fit and look visually appealing, or not, right? So you're telling the story again for a completely different screen or canvas. Oh, exactly. And then you turn it and then at some point you're finished. The film is finished. There's a big closing party, and then the cat's work begins. or the director sitting with the editor . Then there's color grading. All the colors are being adjusted again. Um, what else is there? Then comes the post- synchronized post-synchronized sensation. Uh, I usually have to go there too, because I'm so... and you're still... well, you know. Yes . Yes. You have to re-dub some scenes, some sentences, because of too much wind or because I speak too ambiguously . Exactly . Of course, sometimes I don't understand myself. I thought I'd already had ten, where I said, what am I even saying? Say, incredibly, what I'm saying, so I'm very sorry if you do n't understand me. It's not meant to be offensive . I get along great. Um, exactly. And then you have that, then you have sound effects artists, then the trailer is edited, then of course the whole press model is made and poster shooting is done, and until it finally comes to a cinema, sometimes it really takes another year, for series sometimes a year and a half, I've already waited. So, there's really an incredible amount of material involved, which then has to be edited to create the finished film . Exactly. And then at some point the premiere comes, but as an actor you have absolutely no influence on it anymore, nothing at all. Is it the case that you see the film or series beforehand before it goes online on Netflix ? I know sometimes we get them to review beforehand because we need to talk about what's actually going to happen right now, especially with the press. But I'll tell you how it is, sometimes I don't watch it because I like the feeling of premieres. So, I like seeing this together for the first time , but sometimes you're just really disappointed. You think, then people come along and act incredibly well, you think, God, what kind of movie was that, huh? So it's all already happened. I've gone before too . Am I completely clueless? Am I still with your own? Yes, after another 20 minutes I looked at it and said, "What kind of rubbish is this?" Yeah, sometimes it sucks. Are you in the pier yourself, if you're also talking about what kind of crap I did completely wrong, I did everything wrong . Yes, you must forgive yourself. Yes, I can do that too. I can, you know, which is also important? You have to be able to laugh at yourself. You should n't take it all too seriously , because it should still be fun . It has to bring joy to other people, and if you can't laugh at yourself, you've already lost it. How often and how much you shake your head at yourself is also important. Yes . Is there any role where you'd say, "Wow, I'd really love to play something like that?" There's a great movie starring Klaus Kinski, it's called Fitzgaraldo. It's about someone bringing Italian opera to the Amazon, and it became an adventure film, where this documentary also includes scenes that are familiar to many . Yes. Yes. Yes. With all the native people and everything. Yes. Yes. They wanted to kill them. I had offered to kill him, but I still really needed him . That you like to play. Yes. Yes. I find it so absurd, and I think adventures are awesome anyway, because you do n't need language, you know? So, it 's like, people are always adventurous when you tell a German story like this, of course, like the lives of others, it's super interesting, won an Oscar and was done super well , but I find it interesting to tell a slightly more absurd story, a bit of a world that you don't yet know, also as a player. Mhm. And what else is there to roll? I'm actually totally open. I would never do something like Towela or anything like that. Never. So it has to be of quality, because it has nothing to do with what I want to see, you know. I mean, I want to be able to look myself in the mirror without them not appreciating the work, but isn't that what I want to see? But I think, you know, it's the same for everyone who has a certain level of ambition at some point, and for themselves too , I want to make awesome movies and I want to act in awesome series. Well, everyone would want that. So, you know what I mean, I just don't feel like it right now, you know what I mean . Okay, so superhero movies wouldn't be for me, I was never really a comic book fan or anything, but sure, I don't know if I'd want to direct a really awesome horror movie, but you know, with really good twists at the end and stuff, I'd be up for a really awesome horror movie, not so splashy, but just a real mystery thing, I'd really love to do that , but I don't think the Germans are that good at it yet, or maybe we should write something together. Exactly, how do you see the difference between German and American films? Yes, it's because, as I said, I watched the first episode of CR yesterday and then I immediately noticed, oh, the pacing is like a typical American series, okay, wow. That's true, it's cut quite differently, that's true too. Yeah, color grading, really American style, probably because of Netflix, I'm guessing , right? No, but also my director, he's really into Gip, my dear favorite director, Marvin Kenner, is a king, that guy, I love what he does. I'm also watching the second season of Crooks. She's so awesome, she's so absurd, she's like some kind of awesome Richy thing. And, um, the big difference is of course the money, and you have a preparation time there, the actor might have a year, sometimes two years, to prepare for the role in a film, right? That 's a different story altogether. With us, things move very quickly; it's simply that we're talking about completely different money. And of course, they're always very epic, always very heroic in the end, and with us it's sometimes a bit more like a house story, okay, we try to tell something interpersonal. There's also a huge difference between mainstream film and arthouse film, so to speak, between art film and the films that might be shown at a festival or in Venice, and there are many films by those who are n't popularized by the masses, right? Mm. So this is not a film that will necessarily become a blockbuster. So, a clear distinction must be made here. This is truly a film, but of course for me personally there is much, much more space to play brilliantly, where something is really at stake. Among the German films are... No, not with the house as a whole, you know, with the festival film. OK. It's just that it's much more notorious, and it's really about completely different topics. It's not just pure entertainment, you know? Mhm. And uh, and I still think everything is calculated on the side, but I think it's good when you do both, when you say, okay, you're making a comedy, but you're also making a dark drama that's about something else. I think it's important to be able to use everything like that, and I enjoy it all , you know? It's obviously something completely different, but in terms of gameplay, it plays a much bigger role in a community like this. You know, unlike when the camera in an Osfilm is really close to you, you have 20 seconds without a cut, but where everything takes its time and really focuses on the character, and it's not just an " okay TikTok," which just mentioned four blocks or Voglocks, I don't even know what it's called, right? Before Blocks, four Blocks, I think you can say both. Yes . Yes, I'd say four blocks. What exactly your role was there for people who don't know about it. I played a Vann who basically, so everything takes place in the Arab clan milieu in Berlin, and I play someone who basically grew up with them, distanced himself at some point, and then suddenly comes back . And, uh, they are of course very happy to have me back, their old lost brother, but he, uh, now works for the police, so to speak. So, that's what you just told us. Role work is important. How does one prepare for the role? So, how did you walk before? Um, I've had a lot of experience with men, but it's sometimes difficult to get close to them. However, I've met a few people who work in civilian clothes and stuff. And of course, I'm a Berliner. We're often out and about in Kreuzberg and places like that . You know your regulars, and of course we chatted, and sometimes I even went along on patrol, but you know, you just get one of those things, even a civilian one, you get something underneath, and then you play the fly on the wall, and um, that's exactly what you do . Yes, but when you then develop the role that you then embody, I tell you, you know what it was like, that can explain it. Let me explain. We had the script, we knew what it was about. Rough. Yes . So, we had one episode up to the reading test . We had the first episode and filming will take place next week. We had no idea what would happen next. That means we only had the first book, and that was a given. So, we're coming, I'm basically coming back to Berlin. Yes . And after that, we didn't know what would happen next . That means we have Pö, but you had already blocked everything for the Ja. Yes, I haven't finished the rubs yet either . You know what I mean? We did n't even know where the trip was going. That means we've always done it like that, because we've been filming more continuously. And um, and then we just kept going , simply working from day to day. Yes. Yes. Full. Yes. Yes . We had no idea where the journey would lead. We really knew, this was really, come on cameras and give it to him. That was really a bit like, uh, yeah, harakiri, so two cameras and watching what happens. So, but we also have the best director, Kren, who also made Crugs, has also made four blogs. That guy is simply a genius, he knows how to create things. But that was pretty intense. We were all sitting there without scripts, so we only had the first episode, and then at some point during filming we would get the second and third episodes and we were supposed to read them on the side, you know? Yes. Yes. I 've already slogged through episode after episode. Exactly . Full. But as you just explained, normally, okay, we're doing 55 days here, wasn't it like that then, but was it like this? Yes, indeed . They already knew roughly how long we would be filming for. So, we blocked each other, you know. We said to ourselves, okay, we'll block for three months and every actor has to block, so to speak, and then the three of us block the mother and see what happens. In production, you're simply there, sometimes you're filming, sometimes you're not, sometimes you have a day off, because exactly, but it's like this, there's of course a shooting schedule, when what is filmed and that has to be the case , if this script doesn't exist, how can it be more difficult, but I just wanted to say how it normally is. Well, there's also the other option. Yes, it's possible. Anything is possible. Like I said, all you really need is a camera, a microphone, an actor, and that's it. And a little light. Have you missed out on a lot of really cool movies because you didn't have time due to other filming commitments, or where you say, " Yeah, I've had to turn down things, even big Hollywood productions," where I said, "When I got the role, I was sitting there... uh... what's her name again?" There's one where Warn, what's his wife's name again? There's the hot Klump, then there's Claudia Schiffer. Exactly. I was sitting in the house, in a house like that, in their country house in England. I flew out in the morning. We already had a reading sample with Roll Fin and something like that, like how the Woldemord played out or I do n't know what. So I got the role, but then the people from the other production company wouldn't release it to me. They said no, it's not possible until now. So I'm saying, hey, if you're trying to fool me, I have the opportunity to turn it around. You can postpone it. It couldn't be moved, so I couldn't play. It can be quite bitter at times. Have you missed George Clooney and Wold? Do you see? Yes it is. They missed me. That's really mean. That's how you have to see it. Yes, now, uh, you became very well-known back then with The Wave, or when did you really realize, okay, people know me now? Was that right after the first film or later? So, it's becoming more and more common, and things like that. And then, because people don't watch all films, but you can tell it's quite funny. Sometimes you can tell which movies they've seen . That's how they talk to you too . Some people. Do you have any examples? Totally. So, when they saw Victoria, for example, many students looked at her and said things like, " Man, they're really interested." How did you do it? And so, on four blogs, they tell me their ghetto stories, and yeah, it's always quite funny. That's always really wild. So, I know exactly what they look like, or where they happen to be . Do you also know which clientele saw what? You know it. Mhm. And where did you first really notice that you were now famous ? Ah, I don't know. I can tell you about a moment when I knew, because you don't really know if you have n't studied it, a little bit, because you're an actor and I never knew when you're allowed to call yourself that , you know? And um, yeah, because I presented myself, what should I say, I'm an actor, and because I hadn't learned it, and then I went to the video store. Suddenly, this old woman comes following me, really frail and already so... she... she... and I'm like, what's going on now? You are an actor. Whenever I see her on television and stuff, I keep watching and things like that. You are an actor, and after that I said, now the moment has come, now I can become an actor. You essentially received mental permission from her. Exactly. But sometimes it's like this, I sometimes find someone , you know, who has passed another master's exam. Here's a certificate, and this was the lady in the video store who gave me the certificate, and since then I've been saying that, since then I've been allowed to say actor. Before that, I didn't know how to explain it like that. I once said I'm going to do something with film, so I'm going to make films. Yes, with media. Yes, exactly. What about media? Okay, so you didn't study that. What is the difference between you, who taught yourself this sort of thing autodidactically, and people who are now professionals, like me, who were at the Ernst Busch Academy, when I was considering going there? Many people also do it by acting a lot in the theater. They really make a big fuss. Um, you can do it that way too. So, I could probably act in a play now, if I wanted to , but um, I think the big difference is, of course, that sometimes when there are theater actors involved—and I have nothing against theater actors— they wait because they have to learn so many lines, they're always waiting for that cue. And sometimes they don't really listen, you know, because I do listen and then I can tell you what I have to say , but sometimes, if you do n't ask me otherwise, what I meant earlier by action and reaction, I just say it differently, and that's just how it is with them, sometimes it's so intensely rehearsed and already so fixed, and they have very clear pronunciation, they have such stage presence, kings. Yes . Yes. And yes, and then I also meet really cool people, and only at the theater do you have to, you have to, so at the film it's like, well, I imagine it like you said, okay Freddy Lau, so how would you react to the message now, what does that do to me, you're obviously there, and at the film you're close, that means you can see, but at the theater you practically have to, you have to reach the last row, you have to reach the last row. That means, uh, you have to do a bit more, I think, right? Simply because it's clear, natural, and you see so many more nuances in a film, and that's why I love films, I also love series, because you can really immerse yourself more, but I also think there are some super cool, awesome plays, like waiting for God or something, that are super cool to see. If they're great actors, it doesn't matter what they do, you'll enjoy them and when they catch each other. And I believe that, I believe that's what you asked at the beginning. I don't think you can learn that. Either you have people and reach them and have a presence, or you are someone like that, right? I think it's difficult for such a quiet, unassuming person to learn how to stand up . It's obviously super interesting when it's a role like that, but to have such a performance, I think you need a certain amount of guts for that . And you have balls, B, I have balls. What is your recipe for success? No, but I mean no, as for my success concept, I don't have one . I simply believe that one has to, um, I believe that one has to be incredibly daring. I think you always have to go where it hurts in some way . You might not have to do it so much at some point, but it's also fun. Um, and I think it's really, really important that no matter what setbacks happen, that you really, like they always say, always get back up and say, okay, I'll take this as motivation. Mm. Now more than ever, now I'll show you all. And I believe that it's important to have that inner voice of resistance that you always have to overcome and say, "Now everyone out and let's go home." Were there also phases in your acting career where you said, wow, nothing was working for me right now? I don't know, what's going on, how long have you been saying? For 27 years. 27 years. Yes, exactly. Oh, that's crazy. Yes. Um, I wouldn't even call them phases, but there are definitely a lot of times when you don't know what you're going to do next year. But I was never the kind of person who would say, uh, or who would worry that much . I thought to myself, okay, if I don't do that, then I'll just do something else. Do I have time for something else? And of course, playing that is extremely time-consuming when you're away for half a year. So, operationally, doing anything about it within the company is extremely difficult because they do n't know when they can reach me. Then you should always have good managers or people who somehow have a plan. I think it's very important to work with people who are good at what they do, where the other person is really good at what they do, and that everyone has their own little island where everything is top-notch , and of course, trust is essential too. And I believe that if you build something up and if people know that you're doing it with passion and that you really want something when you get there, then it works. But there are also people who just do it, what do I mean? Yes, I'm not a fan of people who do things just for fun. So, you know, fun can always be fun, but it's... Look, my dad always told me, losing is okay, but winning is more fun. Good mindset. Yes, that's right. Yes, you are also a father yourself. Yes . What's it like to have family and a movie at the same time? You yourself said you've been in Thailand for months now, I don't know. Yes, it's tough. It's tough. The thing is, my children aren't quite that old yet. My daughter already does, you can really talk to her and also make WhatsApp calls or Teams meetings or maybe you know, no, you know what I mean, that thing, that online talking video, nice that you're on Teamsmeeting. I sent you a link. The administrator will invite you around 1 p.m. Please send your email address for the calendar entry. You know what I mean. I can do a video call with her, but my boys are just boys, and they're not going to sit there for long saying things like, "Dad, how was your day ?" So I do miss you , you know. And, uh, but the good thing is, you know this yourself, you get around so much, you always have stories to tell, you know? And I think it's important that you are like that; I sometimes envy people who work from 9 am to 6 pm, or 9 am to 3 pm, or what? No, to ne, one says. I'll be there at 5 pm, but that's never happened to me before . I always keep going until it's finished, and I'm also the kind of person who, if we've been on set for 13 hours and the scene isn't finished yet, doesn't say, I say, we'll keep doing it here until it's finished. I'm not saying that in my case, one could describe that as a good character trait, but also as a bit self-destructive. I, I, I won't stop . So, I'll continue until it's finished. So. And maybe I should work on that in that respect, to say, okay, all right, I need to find a good balance there, but I'm pretty cool, well, cool in the sense that if you're completely outside and you're only there for this, then you don't have anything else to do, right? You do n't have to go home. You don't have to go home. Yeah, you do n't have to justify yourself in that sense, right? No, no, there's no justification for that anyway, but for me, you know, I want to see my children, see my family . Um, well, it is sometimes hard not to be in contact for so long, but of course you are also in another world, so they are very different worlds. What's the world actually like during a shoot like this? I have no idea now, you just said Thailand. It's true that you're always stuck with something , it's like a bubble, which I always found in the theater, you know, especially since we sometimes had 24 to 32 performances, so always quite a lot over several months, but then always when it's towards the end, leading up to the premiere, right? Yes, then there are lots of rehearsals, then you've been to a rehearsal weekend somewhere. You're basically in this bubble the whole time, always surrounded by the same people. Yes, that's correct. Of course, you also buy during the crucial phase, before it all starts. So, about two weeks beforehand, you're already in Bangkok, and then you slowly start filming, and the cool thing is, you don't know all the locations yet, which means you don't know what tomorrow will bring . That means tomorrow you'll be picked up at 6:30 by the driver and you'll arrive there and then it'll be a surprise every time you say something like: "Cool, it's great if we're not filming in the studio or something, right?" And that 's always like a little boy who suddenly finds himself on such cool rooftops, and then there's a shootout or something. Pretty cool, you know? Um, but still, it's obviously very closely intertwined, and I find it super difficult to explain to other people what's going on, or I 'm not the kind of person who talks a lot about movies with my friends, or with my family, well, my wife does, she knows about it, but my parents couldn't really understand it. I invited my mother to Bangkok, which was cool, but I ca n't mix it all, you know? I find it very strange when people from my normal or private circle come to visit me and then I have to act like this. I feel so silly, like a clown, you know? Me, yeah, something like that, I just can't, not at all. Even when I practiced texts with my wife sometimes, or something like that, it was like this: I said, "Please stop, look away." How do you do that then? I said, "I don't know, I'll figure it out ." I can't play beforehand. That's really, really strange. Yes. OK. Mhm. So, they're like worlds apart, and you're absolutely right , it's a bubble, and then you 're there, and you're completely focused, and you rely on each other, and it's incredibly fun, but you also have a lot of challenges to overcome where you don't yet know what will happen or how it will all turn out. Yes, overall. Yes, you just mentioned your parents , your social circle, how did they perceive it? To be noticed. Yes, well, that's been a long time, hasn't it? That's all perfectly normal. Yes, that's normal. So, she was, like yesterday for example, saying, "But you played terribly in this film, didn't you?" Yes . Yes. Yes, they are quite honest. Yes, some people can't even see me. Some of my friends have never seen a film. That's okay too. I can't take what K says seriously, or how or why? Well , they all say, "Fred, I ca n't watch it." So, when you put an end to it. Yes, that's right. I think that's okay too. So, as I said, my main topic is n't really about talking about stuff like film or anything like that. So they know that too, I know that, if you 're an entrepreneur in business consulting and I'm chilling with friends who are also entrepreneurs, then I say let's not talk about biting, please. No, sure, but I also find it difficult sometimes. Sometimes I explain things to him like this, like I did this and that, I saw that, but to really explain to him what goes on inside an actor, on an emotional level, I think that's also something I'm into , you know? Mhm. It's kind of mine, and I think so too. I think my boys are less interested in it, they come like that, I don't know, I don't always go to them somewhere and stand in the office and say what, what, what are you writing right now, do you know which customer that is? Very good, now you've earned a bit of money over the years, I'd say, with one film or another or one series. Meanwhile, you don't even live in Germany anymore, but in Switzerland. Exactly, I moved to Bären, so I'm 23 already, and why? Because I'm always on the go anyway, and I've got my... I just kind of lost interest in Germany, so Berlin was a bit much for me too. I love coming back here and meeting friends, but I've also fallen a little bit in love . So, I'm in Bären and enjoying the peace and quiet, and you're definitely much more anonymous around here. Yes, because normally, when I chat with people who are very famous, Boll is also well-known in Germany, right? Just like you are now. They are very reserved. Exactly . They always want to go abroad somehow, because there you can go for a walk without any worries. Completely full. They are completely different there. And uh, and I founded my own company there. Um, and I'm also making various investments, like I said, including the doner kebab thing. Um, I want to try a few other things myself. Um, and exactly, and uh, let's just say, we'll see where this journey takes us. How do you decide what is a good investment or not? Because what if not, because there are many actors who do n't know. Yes, I know, they don't have this, let's say, this entrepreneurial spirit, right? Or financial education, for example; many people go there, I don't know, athletes, for example, then make millions or something, they get salaries of more than €100,000 a month and then they buy, I don't know, Ferraris. What was it like for you when you first earned money like that? No, well, for me it was always really important to, um, build something up for myself first, so that I can say, I have the Y, um, I want to earn an income , what I mean by indirect income, um, what I simply have per month, you know? Mhm. and/or what can naturally grow , which I need to somehow maintain my lifestyle, and then, of course, I also said, okay, I definitely want to have three houses for my three children. I know it's pretty banal, but I wanted to do it that way first, and I don't know, I know it's not the smartest thing to do from a business perspective, but the good thing is that it pays for itself and stuff like that, you know, because back then... Oh, so you basically bought homes for your kids. Exactly . And completely financed without external capital, or is it really cash? Yes. No, we have that too. So, my brother and I have it too. I just want them to have a hut over their heads and to always have somewhere to live, so to speak, and um, exactly. And then, um, it 's like this: I've always been interested in things like that, for example, like the kebab industry, where I say, okay, that's something, these are people with big budgets, that could work, that's something new, why not say something where you don't invest a lot of equity, you know, these are n't huge sums, and so I always find things like that quite interesting, of course ETFs, standard things, but otherwise I also have very good advisors. I somehow believe that they are standing by me there. It's true that many people in Switzerland have fortunately learned some sort of thing at banks. So, almost the largest part that I know. Come on, they're bankers like that, and I have a good friend, uh, with whom I'm doing this from the Alpares Group. Um, he buys up a lot of companies and makes them valuable again, you could say. OK. Yes. OK. Basically, it's like private equity . Exactly . Yes. And um, but it's also really important, you can take a look at what he's doing, and um, and I always think it's important that you grow together and that you somehow make a name for yourselves together, it's not so easy over there in Switzerland either. Mhm. and then I plan to make a few investments. For me, the most important thing was to have security. So, look, you never know what might happen in life, and I think it's important that, um, that I just don't have to worry about things like how I'll be when I'm older, you know? So, if you don't feel like working anymore at 70, or if you don't feel like working anymore at 50 . Well, that's my goal, to be honest. So, to be in such a position by the time I'm 50 that I no longer have to work. But do you know what I mean? But there, if you feel like it. When I feel like it. Yes. Yes, I understand. Where does that come from? So it could also have been that you said, wow, awesome, dude. I just received a transfer of ten euros, I'm going to spend it all at the club now. Yes, I did that too. I already have many things. I have lived like that too. It wasn't always like that, that wasn't the question, but the nice thing is, if you have more income than expenses, or so that's what the simplest solution is about: looking at how to earn less. And I think it's really important to feel like you're living a great life. I want to offer my children something too. I want to see the world, and I also want to build something for myself, something that my family, my children, can benefit from someday, you know, and that they, that they, they start from somewhere completely different , you know, I started from nothing and with debt, so to speak, and then build that up. You started when you were ten, huh? Well, I had parents too , you know? They also had those who were self-employed, they also had to pay things off and stuff like that, you know what I mean? And I've always been supportive, you know? That wasn't just that, I did n't skimp on it, I always supported my father in that and things like that. We are anti-competitive because previously there was no big market for it, now of course there is, so if you had the internet market, it would have been different in the past . At four flea markets, there's no big money to be made. Now you can get cash here, or as it's called, money for revenge. Uh, in that sense, uh, exactly. Do I always have to look there, and you didn't exactly make a lot of money back then, and um, exactly. For me, it 's still important to just drive safely first. Yes, so you have a great need for security, so you simply say that I should put my money in there so that nothing can happen to me anymore. Exactly . And then you can still look around, you know. But still, I like to travel, and if you travel with me, if you're traveling as a group of five, then it's something special again, and not just flying like an echo. Yes . And then you do things like that , you know, and then you end up going to the Champions League final. I also think it's great that you fly, and yes, I think it's great that you know you can offer your children that, and the nice thing is, I think many people have asked me, do you then keep the children away or are they too spoiled? I think the great thing is that they would have to work their way up from the start to a standard of living that would then remain the same. They have a completely different motivation, you know, because if you could just continue living down below, so to speak, saying I don't need anything, I don't need much and things like that, but if you, if you, I think some people have that fire and some don't. I think it 's quite simple: some want something, some don't, and I think it's perfectly okay that some people don't want anything; that's just how it is. Um, I'm not going to interfere with that either. I've done that too often already, and sometimes it's just a case of falling on deaf ears. because they simply don't want anything. So. And I believe in giving children something like a fire, in telling them to try and achieve something , because that makes it more fun and celebrating successes is just fun, so to speak, this or that and that works. But I also think it's very, very, very important to make mistakes and say, okay, all right, I've done that, that was a bad investment, I totally messed up there. It hurts so bad. Those first things really hurt. Then you can't sleep for a few days and then at some point you laugh about it because you know, okay, [ __ ], it's been half a year. And then I told my wife that I had lost, give me six months, I'll make it again. And that's how I did it , you know? And um, I think you learn an incredible amount from these crashes . That's what I meant to you earlier, if you haven't learned that, it means we lack know-how, especially artists and such, or athletes, we simply do n't have it. You have to learn it, I have to learn it from scratch, you know what I mean? And I made a lot of mistakes. Now I'm more cautious and I want everything to run smoothly and go well, and to work with good people, and I also want to delegate operational tasks and not take on too much baggage myself. So, exactly, and I think I'm doing quite well right now, but um, I 'm still hungry. So it's not like, I'm 37 now, I think it's time to build this up first and now we can continue. What is your vision? What's next for you? I would really like to just get a taste of all the different segments . It's like with film, so to speak, where I say, okay, this character does this, that character does that, they 're so skilled at it, I'm kind of interested in robotics too, I find that super interesting. I actually find it interesting. I find gastronomy interesting. I want to make my own films . I think there are so many possibilities there , you know? I find it super interesting when people say things like, "When I hear Pitch and this and that and that," and I say, "it's really interesting." Let's talk about it . First, make sure you get that patented, and then call me. But this way, you always know I'm always ready to listen . I don't know how you feel about it ? Yes, well, we have already made many investments, and we also have many holdings in our group of companies, and one of them is generating 10 million euros in revenue this year. That's great, I'm glad. Was it worth it ? Yeah, awesome. But that's how it has to be. Yes, exactly. No, you just mentioned AI, which is something I was going to ask myself anyway. So, to say something again, which I always find is that out of ten investments, I don't know how it is for you, one has worked out, I know, yes, because I am, let's say, a primary entrepreneur and less of an actor, my success rate is a bit higher, but the thing is, that's why we're sitting together. I can gladly, I'm not bringing anything to the film, what's wrong? Send me a message, you pig. No, but you know, it's like with the castings, you know? At the beginning, you won't get them, and maybe at some point you can get me a roll somewhere, or at least I'll manage to arrange a camo appearance somehow . I'm worried about that . But we need a good setting for such a nasty, money-grubbing young entrepreneur, then I have a friend who is a jeweler and connoisseur in Vienna, the Hügler family, they are really great, they do a lot of gold trading and stuff like that and I have given him a role in Crooks. He was a jeweler, or rather, he pretended to be a jeweler, but he was incredibly cool. That's great, you, there is, I have, I point to, I have filmed something, that's also a scene, uh, that you may have seen before. I'll show you in a moment. Okay, I'm excited because I just did it out of uh, yeah, actually it was supposed to be a bit of a joke and advertising, but we didn't use that because it's a bit harsh, but the acting aspect, I'd say, uh, I was kind of motivated to record it. I'll show you in a moment. Could you take a look, then you can tell me if I'm perhaps looking at an actress? Okay, all right. You just said AI. Yes, with AI, if you look at today, scenes are just kind of prompted. Yes. Uh, how do you see that as an actor? Because it's possible, right, that with this whole contract you signed with Netflix, you've already given up your identity, right? No, I paid special attention to that, didn't I? No, no, I think we all pay attention to that . It's really, really crazy that they want to train so many of their AI and stuff like that, and I absolutely do not agree with that. Uh, it will probably be, I'm curious to see where the journey leads, to be honest, whether we might at some point only have actors of the present time, because I think we've been lucky that we're already so established that you can say, okay, they've grown up with us. Many people say that about my film, you know, and I think it makes them sad. I would be sad too. if I, uh, if I were no longer visible on the screen . And maybe at some point you'll only be scanned, or a scene will be missing. I know that during dubbing they do a lot of things, it 's simply about matching your voice tone to yours and saying to themselves, okay, you don't even need to come for re-dubbing , we can do it another way, you know? But I still believe that a human being is, of course, something different, or I can imagine that it functions functionally. I know it sounds strange, but I mean, it works like this: you say, okay, all right, this role is going to be the villain, this and that, the nuances this and that and that are then done, and it goes pretty quickly. I think in 5 years it will be time, or maybe, or maybe it will be time for you to say, oh, what series do I want to watch today? Wow, write it down. Write it down. Wow, I'd love to have Spider-Man here today, but with Freddy Lau in the lead role. Oh, I see, that's what you mean? Yes, but I'm curious. Perhaps it's the case that we won't even be able to get a green Kobold or something for the setup at home anymore. Exactly . You, or do you know what I've been thinking? that we sit like this and are filmed from all sides, and that will be nice. I'll just sit there with my cameras; I'll go to the filming location. We'll see. I think a lot is going to happen, and it's also a little scary. Sure, but like I said, I also somehow believe in myself, that I've left something behind that appeals to people or makes them happy, and I'm always happy too, you know, when they're happy. No, I mean, you do it a lot, you know, and when we do cool stuff and they participate, they say: "Hey, man, that scene was awesome, that's not like that in other films, you know, when you meet someone like that and say, man, that scene was so cool, you'd love to be a part of it, you know?" And um, I do believe that I have loyal people or loyal comrades on the spectator front. Mhm. And you just said you also produce something yourself, so I think you've already done that, at least on a smaller scale . So, I'd like to do something . Yes, I'd like to. What? I'd really like to see a movie or maybe a TV series. I've already spoken a few goals. May I ask what it's roughly about ? Um, it's actually kind of like a journey around the world. I don't want to give too much away. The idea was stolen. Tell me, but we can discuss this calmly off the record. Oh right. Yes. Uh, I think I have a really good idea. Yes. A journey around the world. Yes, it's a trip around the world. I remain adventurous. Yes, but I'm not saying what, how, and so on. Awesome, Freddy. Yes . Yes, it was really awesome. Cool. Thank you so much for all the input. Yes very much. I hope you were able to make use of it . Very exciting. Yes, cool. We're eating our sushi now, so please comment on how you liked the episode and subscribe to the podcast. Thanks. All the best. Nice to see you soon . Take care, everyone. Ciao. Ciao. Ciao. Ciao.