Wotan Wilke Möhring

Apart from having one of the officially coolest names in the German film business (He's named after a god!), and most likely still able to take down and out any producer, director or actor within range if need be, Wotan Wilke Möhring, one of the busiest actors of his generation in Germany, is extremely grounded, leaving the 'flakery' to others. One of the first things he said for this portrait was, quite simply, "I've never done a role for the money."

The obvious next question is, of course, what does he do it for? "Well," Möhring replied, "as an actor I read a script and when I have no feeling for or idea about the character, I turn it down. But if the character gives me a small door or opening, then it comes from the inside and I can play the part with veracity. On 'Das Leben ist nichts für Feiglinge', the author, Gernot Gricksch, has a mixture of humor and emotion that is very touching. We’d already worked together before on a TV-movie and he's very good. I play Markus, the father, by the way: I can no longer play sons!"

Part of the preparation for a portrait like this is reading through the material sent by the press agency. In this case there came – in addition to the regular filmography and vita  – a very glossy set of photos from Gala magazine, showing Möhring on the red carpet at this year’s Academy Awards. He wasn’t gate-crashing or letting himself be seen: he had an official invitation as the lead actor in the nominated short film "Raju". Directed by Max Zähle as his film school graduation film, it is the story of an adoption of a young boy in Calcutta by a German couple who discover the child was kidnapped.

"It was my first Oscar® red carpet experience," Möhring says. "I flew from a night shoot in Munich to two days in LA and then back again. It was very impressive, the whole thing. 'Raju' is a student film with no money and no campaign behind it. We never thought we would ever get that far, and then the sheer contradiction between India and LA!”

At this point Möhring whips out his own copy of the photo-spread and it quickly becomes clear whose camera it was and whose finger was on the button most of the time! But he has every reason to be proud, not only because he looks very dapper in his tuxedo, but because it’s obvious Möhring is a team player
and not a limelight hogger. And what’s this, bottom right? That golden shiny thing in his hand? Could it be? Yes! Yes it is! Except the Oscar® in question belongs to Robert Richardson, who took the coveted award for his camerawork on "Hugo". "It’s not that we lost," Möhring explains, "it’s just that we didn’t win!" So, add generous, self-effacing and funny, too, to the list of character traits describing this actor.

Resting, which is what actors call the 98% of their time spent waiting tables and pumping gas, is not something for Möhring because he is a) in demand and b) very busy with his two small children, aged three years and ten months respectively. His partner, Anna, is a camera assistant: they met on set, in Jamaica, during the filming of "Almost Heaven". At the same time, his thoughts do extend beyond acting. "I don’t write," he says, "I have loads of stories but a fear of white paper! When it has to come out, it will. But I’d rather direct since it’s best in your own package with your own script."

When it comes to consuming films, Möhring is a member of the German Film Academy, which means he gets every German film automatically, but "for popcorn cinema I go with my brother to the local multiplex. I sometimes love tent-pole films. As an actor I enjoy English films, anything with football and is social,
like 'This Is England'. I also like Scandinavian films and genre movies. That’s something Germany doesn’t make," he says with regret. "Only a few go for it and are willing to experiment. The USA makes them, Germany’s afraid. There’s the occasional attempt, it misfires, then it’s basically back to comedies."

"So I have great respect for Til Schweiger and his latest film, 'Schutzengel'," Möhring continues. It’s an attempt to do action or genre films in Germany. 'Die vierte Macht' might not have been very successful: maybe it had too much political message. In the end it hurts genre films, when everyone is scared to lose their jobs. The US makes great, brave, small films, the British, French and Scandinavians too. You can have blood and violence and humor all mixed up together!"

Unwilling to be typecast, Möhring tries "not to do the same role twice." When asked to name his key roles, he cites the TV movie "Hat er Arbeit?", which gained him his first nomination, for the 2002 German Television Awards, and "proved I could do this to start with!", then "Antikörper", "Das letzte Schweigen" and "Die Vorsehung". Among his big budget, international productions, he is especially proud of playing alongside Tom Cruise in "Valkyrie" ("Operation Walküre - Das Stauffenberg Attentat") but would be the first to admit, "I can’t play everything." As he explains: "I listen to my stomach in every case and if you pay attention you can’t go wrong. 'Eierdiebe', for example, is about the experience of cancer. I had to shave my entire body and discovered the actual physical preparation for a role. In "Antikörper" it is that rare thing where the main character also has the role of being the moderator. Here good and evil fought in the one character: that was very special.”

For Möhring a good director "has a bigger, stronger, vision in his head than I do. He or she can see beyond the individual figures to do everyone and everything justice." He then cites his favorites: Ken Loach, Lars von Trier and Fatih Akin, with whom he made the critical and audience hit, "Soul Kitchen".

Coming back to why he does what he does, apart from "the profession really suits my personality," Möhring admits "I am not really sure! It’s more a calling, something you can put your soul into and expose, and it’s also about 'you'. It’s about putting your world experience into something and moreover learning at the same time, and having more respect and responsibility for all your characters and the audience."

"What I’d like to see," Möhring leans forwards when he starts getting into his stride, "is more courage, more belief in the story telling. You need to tell a good story to make a film. The subsidy system is a blessing and a curse. An interest-free loan certainly keeps people busy, but maybe it’s not enough to make and it’s frustrating films get made when they are not ready. Nobody goes bust here, unlike in the US. The US has an industry," he continues. "We make films with budgets they would laugh at. We make them with very little money, in which case the story should be even better. And we do have stories to tell and great directors." He mentions how he recently received "a great script but it was rejected for funding as being a first-time film: they wanted either an arthouse film or a comedy. This is a thriller! It shows a very strange spirit, a complete lack of courage. But the guy’s got my letter of intent, so here’s hoping."

What about when he is not acting or taking care of the kids? "It’s football!", Möhring, a dedicated fan of Borussia Dortmund, replies. "I love the whole football feeling. I follow the team. When something works, from a lucky shot to a well-built and executed team play, it’s great."

Author: Simon Kingsley