february-2011

© 2010 Warner Bros. Ent.
TIL SCHWEIGER
Not only does “the German Brad Pitt” star in new movie Kokowääh
he also takes on the roles of producer, director and screenwriter.
Speaking from his new base, Berlin, Til Schweiger tells us what it
takes to be a movie star at home and in Hollywood
Imeet Til Schweiger, one of
Germany’s most successful
actors and directors, at
his fi lm production company
Barefoot in Berlin’s Prenzlauer
Berg to talk about his latest
fi lm, Kokowääh, which is set for
general release in Germany on
3 February. Schweiger not
only produced, directed and
co-wrote the fi lm with Béla
Jarzyk, but also stars in it. He
plays Henry, a screenplay
writer who comes home one
day to discover his illegitimate
daughter on his doorstep. It’s a
pretty fi tting role for father-offour
Schweiger, whose youngest
daughter, the impossibly
cute Emma, appears alongside
him in the new fi lm.
Dressed casually in V-neck
jumper and jeans, and looking
remarkably fi t for his 47 years,
it’s easy to see why Schweiger
is often described as Germany’s
Brad Pitt. And that’s not his
only link with the Hollywood
heartthrob. He acted alongside
Pitt in Tarantino’s Inglourious
Basterds and his wife Angelina
Jolie in Lara Croft Tomb
Raider. But in Germany,
Schweiger is better known for
his feel-good comedies, and
ability to win over German
audiences with his charm and
humour.
Schweiger’s acting career
began over 20 years ago, with
his role as Jo Zenker in
Germany’s popular soap opera
Lindenstrasse. He then moved
onto the big screen, starring in
box offi ce hits such as
Männerpension and Der
bewegte Mann, and in the mid-
90s, he produced his fi rst feature
fi lm, Knockin’ on Heaven’s
Door. He then relocated to the
US, where he worked on various
international projects. But
six years ago the actor and his
family returned to Germany.
He later split from his wife
Dana, leaving Hamburg for
Berlin in 2005.
“Berlin has a great image
around the world,” says
Schweiger, leaning back into
his chair. “I’ve just come back
from America, where I was in
New Orleans, Vancouver and
New York. Everywhere you go,
people are talking about the
city, saying: ‘I love Berlin, it’s
one of the coolest cities in the
world,’” he says, mimicking the
Americans’ enthusiasm.
“There are a lot of artists here
and it’s still really cheap. Berlin
is known as the cheapest city
in the world.” His latest fi lm
also takes place in the German
capital, and one of the opening
scenes features shots of the
T I L S C H W E I G E R
Til Schweiger mit seiner
jüngsten Tochter Emma
im Film Kokowääh
Schweiger and his
real-life daughter Emma
star in Kokowääh
city skyline, including
Alexanderplatz and other
striking landmarks. Most of
the fi lm’s locations make the
city appear very smart and
cosmopolitan, and reveal a side
of Berlin that rarely comes to
the fore.
“When we fi lmed
Keinohrhasen, after previously
making all the fi lms in North
Rhine-Westphalia, we decided
that we wanted to portray
Berlin as a world city, rather
than the grungy place that
people know from German
fi lms, which focus on areas like
Zoo station and Neukölln. We
decided to fi lm in the best
GW—53