Heike Makatsch

“I have just made two films, almost five months with no respite,” Heike Makatsch tells us when we meet her in a Berlin photo studio at the first interview and photo shoot for her latest film "Hilde". She is wearing skin-tight jeans, a loose black sweater and green sneakers. As far as outward appearance is concerned, the 37-year-old actress has remained delightfully youthful, but when she speaks, she conveys a remarkable depth. Critics believe they can discern the same ‘non-artificial naturalness’ in the roles that she plays, and those who have been fortunate enough to follow her professional career over the years are familiar with this great character actress’ media presence; as she grows older, she seems to become more and more adept and experienced. “Of course I am pleased when I hear such comments,” Makatsch replies, but then adds: “But I don’t act with that ‘naturalness’ unconsciously. Obviously, I think about every role in a very concrete way. Ideally, the process that one goes through as an actress is already a very analytical one. But in the case of extremely emotional scenes in particular, you have to discover something within yourself that does justice to the feelings needed. Usually, I dig deep in my innermost self and find something that I can work with.”

In the case of Hildegard Knef, the great chanson singer who was obsessed with the urge to continue changing throughout her life, she obviously found this difficult – mainly because her personality is fundamentally different to that of Knef. “In reality, perhaps I am also more ambitious than I admit to myself, but there is no way that I am a person who is driven, who has to keep moving onwards and upwards.” In order to come close – despite this difference – to the personality of the show icon who died in 2002, she read a lot of books, spoke to Knef’s contemporaries, pored over her music, and watched past appearances on talk shows in order to study her characteristic language and so approximate to her nature.

“I am convinced that acting is something that works from the inside outwards and not from the outside in. When I notice one of Hildegard Knef’s poses, for example, I don’t attempt to mimic it – I try to find out what it was that moved her to make that particular gesture at that particular moment. It is a matter of imitating a person’s inner feelings. If I can manage to empathize with that, the rest of my body will automatically act in a similar way to hers.”

Expending a budget of several million Euros and including ninety motifs in fifty shooting days, the film – directed by Kai Wessel – recounts a period of twenty years, which the actress informs us are intended to highlight the key moments of Knef’s life. “From the very beginning, it was clear that we had to set a variety of emphases while working on this project. You can’t capture someone like Hildegard Knef, who was so very complex, in a simple way. I don’t think you could ever claim to do that.”

Heike Makatsch ought to know, for in the recent past – with "Hilde", "Margarete Steiff" and "Hope" (working title) – she has made three biopics about the lives of strong women who actually existed. “It was primarily a coincidence that those particular projects were the most exciting ones that I had been offered in recent years,” Heike Makatsch admits by way of explaining her choice of roles. “But that doesn’t mean that I want to specialize in biographies now, by any means. However, often film material that is chiefly centered on one character is naturally a special challenge to the actor or actress, who automatically has an opportunity to play a complex role.”

Over the last fifteen years, the 37-year-old actress has demonstrated that she is capable of taking on such key roles on several occasions, even though she had a difficult time convincing the German feature pages of her presence in front of the camera during her early career. “Those who marry art must accept criticism as their mother-in-law,” Hildegard Knef once said, and this is true of Makatsch more than most other actresses. However, over the years she has proved all the doubters wrong with her talent and iron determination. “I don’t have any problems with criticism anymore,” Makatsch explains. “In fact, I would even say that more than fifty percent of my films that have meant something to me personally didn’t get a very good general reception. That means I’m not so sensitive in that respect; I tend to be quite fearless.”

Looking back, it is difficult to say whether this relaxed attitude is connected to her now very contented private and family life together with musician Max Schröder and their daughter Mieke Ellen. But one thing is certain: very few German actresses have pursued their careers with such an open, honest, single-minded and yet tranquil approach as Heike Makatsch. “I think it’s very healthy to remain attentive, to take note of positive changes and, above all, to herald them.” Heike Makatsch says at the end of our conversation, so clarifying her view of life. And we think to ourselves – if only there were more people like her.

Author: Johannes Bonke