"Bergretter" star Sebastian Ströbel "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to love the second child as much as the first"

"Bergretter" actor Sebastian Ströbel is unusually emotional: he talks about which movies make him cry and what he has learned about love through the birth of his children.

Actor Sebastian Ströbel is almost on the move again: another season of the ZDF series "Die Bergretter" is being filmed in Ramsau am Dachstein (Austria) from the beginning of February to October. "I can already smell the snow," laughs the 48-year-old . In between, from April, Ströbel wants to finish his "Terra X" documentary for ZDF in Greenland.

But first his current passion project goes on air: "Die Beste zum Schluss" on Friday, February 7, 8.15 p.m. on ARD, a tragicomedy with endearingly quirky characters, a touch of melancholy and casual humor.

Danish bestselling author Michel Birbaek not only wrote the laconic novel, but also the screenplay for the film. Sebastian Ströbel plays Mads, who, after the death of the love of his life, sets up a wonderfully chaotic flat-sharing community with his sandbox lover René and her children.

Sebastian Ströbel, the tragicomedy "Die Beste zum Schluss" is, like many of Michel Birbaek's stories, both hilarious and tear-jerking. When was the last time you shed tears at a movie?

The last time it happened to me was with "Manchester by the Sea" (editor's note: a family drama by Kenneth Lonergan). Or also with "Il Postino". There are always films and books that touch me deeply. I was also very moved by the novel for "Die Beste zum Schluss". I really like Michel's books ...

... and how do you experience author Birbaek personally?

I've known Michel for 14 years. We are friends. The way Michel describes characters is not particularly German. His humor is always a little different. That may be because he's Danish. He always portrays the characters with incredible irony, but there's always sadness in there too. In this country, people often don't like it when you mix genres.

"Bares for Rares" starHow do you tell the difference between real and fake friends, Mr. Lichter?

Even with the subject matter, you might not immediately think of a comedy. Markus Sehr is a great director and a great person. So many great things have come together. The project was under a good star right from the start. I think you can tell that in a movie. Also the atmosphere on set.

How did you get to know Michel Birbaek?

He wrote a few episodes of the RTL series "Countdown", in which I was in. Back then, we saw each other a lot in Cologne and became friends. That's why I was even happier that I was able to realize the role of Mads for him.

The film is about patchwork family happiness, strokes of fate - but above all about the friendship between your character Mads and his sandbox love René. And also about the question: Is there real friendship between a man and a woman? Many people doubt that. What do you say?

Of course, there is real friendship between men and women. I like movies with little messages and this is one of them. I have many female colleagues who are now good friends. And I've always known it that way.

What the movie also shows is that there is no right or wrong way in life. And that you should never give up hope, something can always change in life.

For example, you might unexpectedly find the love of your life. You' ve been with your wife for 25 years. What makes a good relationship one for life?

I think the most important thing is the will to make it work together and to be committed. And to do that, you also have to be in harmony with yourself. The second thing is to communicate. Even if you have a thousand different things to do at work, in life, in parenting - you still have to create a space where you can meet again and again.

Bötschi asks Friedrich Liechtenstein"All three aren't jerks, but they're all unlikeable"

That you remember what connects you. Then you can go somewhere else again. But I think you need this strength, this basis. It has to come from both sides. That's why it's such an incredible game of chance.

Are you a romantic?

Yes, I'm a big romantic. I believe in love. And I believe in the power of forgiveness. Even though I'm not a believer, I find that all the more important in this day and age. Love is something that I have also learned through the birth of my children. Perhaps many people know this, especially when you have one child and the second is on the way:

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to love the second child as much as the first. Because you can't imagine being able to love a creature so much again. And then our second child came along and I realized: Love is infinite. It's not something you can measure in grams and kilos. You can give it to an infinite number of people. Love is not limited. That was a really beautiful realization for me.

In the movie, a terrible diagnosis throws all plans out the window and suddenly death is very close. You mentioned in an interview that you have experienced a few such turning points in your life. How has that changed your attitude to life?

Very much. The more you have to lose in life - including children, for example - the more you risk. You know that at some point the grim reaper will come knocking and then it's all about that:

How did you live? When friends tell me about their wishes or dreams, I always say: "Don't put it off." I try to take everything in, to enjoy everything. Even with my family. I don't have a bucket list. Because ultimately that's nonsense, you can't plan everything. That's why you should be at peace with yourself.

How would you like to look back on your life one day?

I read a sentence by a Russian writer that is also written on gravestones. I could very well imagine it on my own: "I was loved. And I have loved." It hit me so hard when I read it that I thought: How can you describe life so aptly in two short sentences! That's all you need.

More videos from the department