Constantin Film presents a Christian Becker ... - Delphis Films

Lena Olbrich Interview Continued:
How did you recruit German veteran stars like Maria Schrader, Ralf Richter and Martin
Semmelrogge?
Ralf Richter has been a part of the Rat Pack stable for a long time, as a real Ruhr coal
district character; so he was a natural pick. As far as Maria Schrader goes, we just think
she's a wonderful, many-faceted actress who would be terrific as Kai's mother. We just
asked her, she met with director Christan Ditter–and they hit it off! And as a veteran of
the original "Crocodile" gang, Martin Semmelrogge was on board from the very start.
Semmelrogge isn't the only reference to the 1977 TV version...
Well, it was a connection we were deliberately trying to make. For example, we held a
meet & greet with eight of the original actors and our cast. That came about thanks to
Heiner Beeker, one of the original Crocodiles. Over all those years, he managed to stay
in touch with all the "alumni" and organize reunions. He's also responsible for an exhibit
in the Brüggen city museum, dedicated to the making of the first film. Naturally he was a
treasure trove of anecdotes and stories about the original shoot. It's almost enough to
make you nostalgic, seeing how easy it was to shoot a movie back then.
For example, we had to build an entire set for the roof in the opening "Dare" sequence,
since we can't film our child actors 40 feet in the air. But back then, they did! They just
put the camera on a fire engine ladder and shot on a roof…!
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