"In Düsseldorf you are welcomed with open arms and the audience is very loyal once they have taken you to their hearts."

Christian Friedel is a proven multi-talent and not only acts at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, but also in world-class films. He is known from Michael Haneke's "The White Ribbon" as well as from the hit series "Babylon Berlin". In Düsseldorf, he played Nathanael, the protagonist of E.T.A. Hoffmann's "Sandman" in a production by star director Robert Wilson. Christian Friedel is also Wilson's "Dorian". For almost a year and a half, the Magdeburg-born actor has been crawling, creeping and whirling across the stage of the Großes Haus in this role. Not only that: the play, based on the novel by Oscar Wilde, also features the art-pop band Woods of Birnam, whose lead singer and composer is Friedel.
The 44-year-old recently performed Shakespeare's "Hamlet" for the 150th time at the Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus, where Woods of Birnam are also significantly involved. Christian Friedel can soon be seen on the big screen alongside Sandra Hüller in "The Zone of Interest" by Jonathan Glazer. The film won the Grand Jury Prize in Cannes in 2023. Friedel and Hüller have also been nominated for the European Film Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and the UK has entered the film in the running for an Oscar. And yet Friedel still finds time for a chat in the foyer of the Schauspielhaus before a performance of "Dorian".

A few days ago, you performed "Hamlet" for the 150th time. You've been playing it since 2012, when it premiered in a celebrated production by Roger Vontobel at the Staatsschauspiel Dresden. In an interview with MDR, you once said that repetition bores you and that you are always on the lookout for something new. How do you deal with this repetition?
That's true, of course, 150 repetitions are not without consequences. But there are several years between the "Hamlet" in Dresden and the one in Düsseldorf. Life changes in the meantime, you change yourself and so the play changes too. When "Hamlet" was taken over in Düsseldorf in 2019, the ensemble also changed to some extent, so fresh blood has flowed into it. I'm delighted that "Hamlet" has been running and working for so long. That is a great gift.

Another play that premiered in Düsseldorf and was enthusiastically received is "Dorian" in the production by Robert Wilson. It was subsequently also staged in Dresden. In the play, you keep the audience in suspense for 90 minutes with a solo performance. The text is convoluted, elliptical. You change roles and costumes on the fly, even watching you takes your breath away. How do you cope with such an evening and how do you learn such a text?
Yes, that was probably the most difficult text I've had to learn so far. Although there is an inner context, many passages are very wild and associative. The best way to memorize a text like this is during rehearsals. You need a physical and visual action to link the individual sentences with the play. That's why "Dorian" is one of the plays I always have to prepare for the day before the performance. The more light-footed and - as we actors say - permeable we go through the evening, the better the audience can get into it. In the end, it's not about understanding and penetrating every association, but about picking up on individual moments and emotions and taking them with you. In addition to the wonderful aesthetics of Robert Wilson, this is the exciting thing about the piece: that every audience member can form their own thoughts about art, beauty and transience.

How do you wind down after a performance like this?
I usually take a long shower, then meet friends from the ensemble or watch a series. "Dorian" is an evening that is very exhausting, but after which I am always very happy. Of course, I sometimes think beforehand: 'How am I going to manage this? My dear friend Sandra Hüller once told me what a director told her: The form of the day is part of the role. I find that very liberating. No matter what mood you're in - your daily form generates new aspects of your role.

You live in Dresden, are a frequent guest at the Dresden Staatsschauspiel and also often appear as a guest actor in Düsseldorf. We owe this not least to the directorship of Wilfried Schulz, who came to Düsseldorf in the 2016/17 season. Is the Düsseldorf audience different from the Dresden audience? Can you feel the Rhineland mentality?
I've known Wilfried for 17 years and it's great to grow together and get to know the most diverse audiences. In Düsseldorf, I have the feeling that people are very easy to get excited about. You are welcomed with open arms and the audience is also very loyal once they have taken you to their hearts. Perhaps the danger of being seduced by beautiful images or music is somewhat greater here than elsewhere, but I think the fundamentally open attitude and the enthusiastic response are wonderful. The Rhineland mentality has something very cheerful and positive about it - and optimism is something we can all do with right now. When the Düsseldorf audience realizes that you're giving your all on stage as an actor, they can easily get carried away and have a party together. This is also noticeable at the concerts we give with the band Woods of Birnam - most recently we were at the Zakk. We were met with so much love and euphoria there that we were completely inspired afterwards.

The band has become part of the production of "Dorian". What did Robert Wilson think of your idea to integrate the band?
I am incredibly happy that I met Robert Wilson. Working with him is very instructive and inspiring. Because with Wilson, all trades play an immensely important role: the lighting, the stage design, the costumes, the music. It was fantastic to be involved in the creation of "Dorian" from the very beginning. As for the live music: unlike the pieces with a larger ensemble, Wilson sees his monologue works more in terms of recorded music. However, he was interested in my suggestion to develop the piece with live music - quite a challenge, as Wilson works very intuitively and situationally. He was particularly fond of the song "On the Wild Sea" and often played it on a continuous loop during rehearsals.

You once said that vanity is the worst enemy of an actor or actress. How do you protect yourself from it?
Acting has something to do with vanity, you want to convey as perfect an image of yourself as possible. During the work, however, your own person should disappear behind the character; it no longer matters what my ideal image of myself is, how I would like to see myself. Taking this to heart protects you. Nevertheless, sometimes you have to be careful - when your vanity is being stroked a lot. The perfect self-image must not become more important than the content you are conveying.

You work not only as an actor and singer, but also as a composer and theater director. Is your day long enough for all the projects you would like to realize?
So far, I have still managed to combine all my projects, but yes, I would of course like to perform more plays in Düsseldorf if the journey wasn't so long. I have to be very selective in order to be able to realize everything I want.

You were born in Magdeburg. When was your first time in Düsseldorf and what was your first impression?
(Laughs.) In 2004, I had to change trains in Düsseldorf on my way to Tunisia, I went for a walk along the Rhine in the evening and ate a kebab. So that was a very brief first impression, but even then I thought it was great that the city is on a big river. When I rehearsed "Sandmann" for the first time in 2016, I gradually explored the city and got to know it better. My image of Düsseldorf has changed a lot for the better since then.

You've been a regular guest in Düsseldorf for around seven years. Can you have a coffee here in peace and quiet or do people recognize you everywhere and talk to you?
There are already more people who talk to me, but I don't have to leave the house with a cap and fake moustache. I can move around freely here, I can go jogging along the Rhine in the morning. I enjoy that.

What impressed or surprised you about Düsseldorf?
When we were rehearsing "Sandmann", I lived in the Medienhafen with my colleagues Rosa Enskat and André Kaczmarczyk and we always walked from there to the rehearsals after breakfast together. I noticed how many facets Düsseldorf has. On the one hand, of course, there is the luxury mile Kö, on the other the Moroccan quarter. Many worlds exist in parallel in Düsseldorf.

Is there somewhere you always go when you're in the city?
I love ice cream and discovered Gelateria La Romana 1936 in Oberkassel. They have fantastic ice cream, plus white and dark cream and white and dark chocolate in liquid form. I also really like Brasserie Hülsmann. I took my family there when they were last visiting. The atmosphere is great and they serve interesting variations on home cooking. I like to go to TenTen on Oststraße for a latte macchiato, and the Wilma Wunder restaurant is a place where you can always get something good for a snack, a salad or a soup. I always eat a fried egg with spinach at Heinemann. Not to forget: the record store A&O Medien in the Schadow-Arkaden. It has a great classical and jazz section. I like to pick up a bit of vinyl there.

Where will your next trip take you?
I've been traveling a lot in North America in recent months to promote the film "The Zone of Interest" and will continue to do so in the coming months. Promoting a movie in the USA is very different to here. The competition is huge. It's important to present the movie in its entirety and in person. As an actor, you are also received very differently in America than in Europe. America carries you on its hands very quickly - but before you take off and believe everything you're promised, it's important to get back down to earth. And that's what I do when I'm on stage in Düsseldorf. Because being celebrated is all well and good, but it's preceded by hard work. Fortunately, that's exactly what I love!

Would you like to see Christian Friedel on stage? More information at dhaus.de.

Interview: Ilona Marx
Photos: Markus Luigs