Milan Peschel as a quirky TV commissioner "I prefer to clean up after myself first"

German actor Milan Peschel has a heart for underestimated characters who have been battered by life. In this interview, he reveals why perfection bores him and what's good about losing control.

Mr. Peschel, your character Danowski is sometimes compared to Columbo. Do you think this comparison is apt?

Columbo is often underestimated by others. It's very similar with Danowski. That's exactly what makes it exciting.

Apart from that, Commissioner Danowski is always friendly and collegial, he is not competitive. That's exactly the reputation you enjoy. Not only as an actor, but also as a director at the theater: it is considered a stroke of luck to work with you because you are always friendly and responsive to the wishes of the actors and actresses. Not exactly typical in a production, where there is often a harsh tone. Or is that just a cliché?

I'm only interested in clichés in order to question them anyway. But I am interested in kindness and respect. I want both from others myself. That's why I try to give both to others. It's not said for nothing: treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. Good cooperation is very important to me - professionally, but also at home or when I meet people on the street.

If you look around the world, you get the impression that we are regressing in this respect, don't you?

That's true. I prefer to look at my own house first before I talk about our society: what's not going right in my own dealings with other people? What can I do myself? If someone is described as a political artist, I can't do anything with that. For me, it's a form of being political by treating other people with attention, respect and empathy. Who knows, maybe you save a life just by smiling at someone on the street or on set at a certain moment?

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The setting for "Danowski - Neunauge" is school. How do you remember your own school days?

I was definitely very interested in other people having a good time, even when I was at school. Even back then, I enjoyed making people laugh. Laughter is a loss of control. And losing control is a good thing.

In what way?

We live in an age in which everyone controls themselves as much as possible. It's often all about appearances. And how you look to others. We are constantly told: be the best version of yourself. But I'm not a fan of self-optimization. Because self-optimization is a kind of control that we are encouraged to exercise. Laughter is a form of resistance. Laughter liberates. Laughing makes your facial features relax. And as a result, we are no longer so easy to control.

This also applies to crying. You once said that you are built close to water and therefore always have tissues with you. What can move you to tears?

Oh, that's not difficult (laughs). As a father of two, it's very easy when a story is about children. I'm close to the water when I read a good book, but especially when I watch an emotional movie. It always depends on how you compare what you see on the screen with your own experiences.

Did your fascination with it also draw you to acting?

Yes, that too. I'm fascinated by the unexpected. That's why I don't like acting with colleagues who want to control everything. Mistakes are part of it. I like mistakes. When the unforeseen happens, you start to improvise. That's when life gets interesting. And we should change our perspective more often.

What change of perspective do you mean?

We can influence our happiness by looking at life from a different perspective from time to time. If I were to look at the earth from space, I would be horrified: "Unbelievable! The people down there have this beautiful planet and are destroying it!" If, on the other hand, I look at our sheltered life in Central Europe from the perspective of a street child in Colombia, I would probably get a completely different picture. Both images apply.

Are you optimistic about our world?

To change something, you have to be a pessimist in the short term. Otherwise you don't start at all. In the long term, however, optimism is the only solution. Because without optimism, you can't believe that change is possible. Because I'm a father, I always believe that the world will be a better place.

Where would you like to see this change?

A society based on growth in a world of limited resources is clearly doomed to failure. We haven't just known that since today. We've known that for 50 years. I fear that capitalism is going to fall heavily on our feet. Nevertheless, I have hope that we will do better. If people are still around in 400 years' time, they will certainly have found a different way of living together. They will certainly be amused by how dependent we were on cell phones back then.

Just like on social media? In contrast to many of your colleagues, who do a lot of self-promotion there, you don't present your numerous projects on social media.

There is nothing social about social media. In fact, there is often something extremely toxic about it. Time and again, I resolve to unplug. I managed to do that for a while. But then I got curious. Let's be honest: social media is a huge self-promotion machine. But I'm not a salesperson. At least I don't sell myself.

What do you mean by "selling yourself"?

When I look at some of my colleagues' profiles, it's often the same person in every photo. Over and over again. That's boring. Selling my photo - myself - would bore me. If I do, then I want to show something that goes beyond my face. Great ideas, for example. Or art. That's exactly what I use social media for: I show pictures I've painted there.

That's a side of you that few people know: You are also a successful painter. Your colorful portraits hang in numerous exhibitions. Can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

I started painting at the end of the 1980s, just out of boredom. And it went on and on, getting bigger and bigger. There is currently an exhibition in Hattingen near Bochum and I also have an exhibition with my wife in Berlin. But above all, I'm now working again at the Rambazamba Theater in Berlin. It's an inclusive theater where people with disabilities perform. In Schwerin, you can see plays I've created there over the last two years. And the fifth season of "Doppelhaushälfte" starts at the beginning of August.

Do you see painting as a balance or a vocation?

I don't ask myself that question. Because then I would be comparing. Comparison is the beginning of dissatisfaction, said the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. That's why I don't even start with that. But you don't even have to know who said that. You just have to live by it. I am a happy person. At least I try to be.

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