Nora Tschirner

Two things are noticeable when you meet her. First of all, Nora Tschirner likes to wear black. At our meeting in Café Schoenbrunn in Friedrichshain Park in Berlin, she kept cozy with a black, hooded jacket and a thick knitted scarf. Secondly, when talking she radiates a sense of humor, quick-wittedness and nonchalant depth – traits that all demonstrate an affinity to her film characters. The reason for our meeting is her comedy "Rabbit Without Ears 2", sequel to the box-office hit "Rabbit Without Ears" by Til Schweiger. The 28- year-old actress has conquered new territory with this film, for it is the first sequel that she had ever made. “At first, of course, we were all skeptical,” she admits. “But it wasn’t a matter of milking something for all it was worth after the first film had attracted 6.3 million viewers. It was obvious from the beginning: if we can’t manage to produce a good screenplay, we’ll forget it. But the skepticism only continued to a point. There are a lot of bad sequels. So if we could manage to make a good one – why not?”

In "Rabbit Without Ears 2", Nora Tschirner proves once again that she is one of Germany’s few truly funny women. Her talent as a comedian is based on her confident skill as an actress – but above all on her authenticity and sheer love of fun and acting; and on many years experience of how to make people laugh. “After all, I didn’t become an actress yesterday and I certainly took to comedy long ago,” she says. “I feel as though I have been a comedian since the age of five. Years and years of practice! I have always been very interested in humor and its structure. Naturally, in the course of time you learn many things and master a wide range and various useful comic aids, like the right timing. That isn’t especially difficult if you are a humorous person in your private life as well.”

In matters of humor, Nora Tschirner demonstrates good taste and sure style as a consumer as well: besides Wolf Haas, the author of the “Brenner” novels (“The man is a language genius, absolutely unique!”), and the American comedy duo Tim & Eric, she laughs most at German icons of comedy such as Christian Ulmen, Hape Kerkeling, Kurt Krömer, Olaf Schubert and Loriot. “And my friends. I have very, very funny friends. Like Anika Decker, the author of 'Rabbit Without Ears 2'. Or my cousins, my uncle, my brothers, and my father, and of course my mother... I’m simply surrounded by hilarious people. So it’s no wonder that it rubs off on me somehow. Although I’m absolutely convinced, of course, that I am the funniest person in my family! Ha.”

In conversation, it soon becomes clear that Nora Tschirner is capable of saying some very clever things as well as being witty. And because she is also capable of self-irony, this has gained her a lasting image as an authentic, humorous and smart actress with the gift of the Berlin gab. Asked whether such a flattering picture could also get on one’s nerves, she considers briefly. “To be honest, I haven’t really thought about that,” she confesses. “It may be that now and then it’s possible to see something of me personally, or at least people think they can see something of me in my roles. And because of my public appearances and my work for MTV, people think they know me. But my image doesn’t get on my nerves. Anyway, actually I only rely on the judgment of a very few people who are close to me, those who I trust.”

Her naturalness and talent have also attracted the attention of international audiences. In recent years, however, Nora Tschirner only knows about international viewers’ reactions via hearsay. “The last time I attended a festival abroad was with 'Kebab Connection',” she recalls. She wasn’t there when her film "La noche que dejó de llover", made in Spain, was shown at festivals, “but the director Alfonso Zarauza told me about the reactions – when he was in Chile with the film, he told me: ‘They all ask me who is this wonderful Russian actress.’ Of course I’m really happy to hear that.”

There are plans to show "Rabbit Without Ears" to audiences outside Germany as well: Til Schweiger is considering a US-remake of his box-office hit. And Nora Tschirner believes that German film is quite strong enough to earn international attention. “I’m a fan of German films. Usually, I’m pleased when I get a new screenplay, because the scripts are often so good these days, and people with visions, courage and great ideas are working in the film world. I feel very much at home and very happy in film-Germany.” Among other things, this is because German filmmakers are prepared to take greater risks and are learning to believe in themselves more and more. “And they have stories that are not so hyper-intellectual and a little ‘bigger’,” Tschirner says. “In the end, that’s what it’s all about: do you restrict your ideas and stay with the same little story? There is a new generation of filmmakers that simply believe in their own ability to do more.”

Even though Germany will remain her professional home, occasionally she flirts with other film countries. The actress has a great talent for languages, speaking English fluently as well as Spanish, and she has made two films in Spain. “That happened after 'Kebab Connection' had been shown at the Festival of German Films in Madrid,” she explains. “People saw me there and later cast me as a leading actress in the Spanish production 'La noche que dejó de llover'. I played a Russian woman, true, but it was all in Spanish. That led indirectly to another production with a Spanish director, a Spanish leading actor and a Spanish team. And I hope that it wasn’t the last time. I would love to be able to work in Spain more often.”

Like many actors and actresses, she also profits from the international exchange and faster forms of communication developed in the creative industries some time ago. Due to co-productions and financial participation, filmmakers abroad are noticing German actors more and more. Nora Tschirner, who quickly takes up her iPhone and checks her appointments and emails when we have finished talking, explains this phenomenon in the words of a modern young woman influenced by the Zeitgeist: “Of course globalization leads to globalization in the film business. The world is growing closer together here, too, ways are getting shorter and people get to know one another faster and better. Personally, but also via the Internet, via YouTube – there, it’s much easier to find out what an actor or actress has done before at home, and to gain some impression. It’s a great development, because more exchange emerges as a result. It’s like a huge school theater festival on an international level.”

Author: Eric Stahl († 2009)