"Kommissar Rex" is back "Just like the actors, the dog sometimes needs a stunt double"
After a 20-year break, TV's best-known sleuth returns to the screens: "Kommissar Rex" is investigating again. Maximilian Brückner can be seen at his side this time. In this interview, the actor tells us what the filming days with the dog were like.
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- Dogs are considered man's best friend. He is a companion, protector - and know-it-all. The latter certainly applies to the hero of the series "Kommissar Rex". SAT.1 is bringing the animal investigator back to the screens after more than 20 years.
- This time, however, he is no longer sniffing around alongside Tobias Moretti as Richard "Richie" Moser, but Maximilian Brückner (47), the star of "Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage", as lead detective Max Steiner.
- However, Brückner, a farm owner and father of three, knows only too well that a dog doesn't always listen to its master, but also has a mind of its own.
- In an interview to mark the start of the reboot (six episodes, from Monday, April 13, 8.15 pm, on SAT.1), he tells us how emotional and varied filming with his animal colleague was.
Maximilian Brückner, fans can now see you alongside an animal protagonist. Do you have pets yourself?
I don't know if pets is the right word. I have sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and geese. But luckily they're not in the house. We used to have dogs when I was little. But that was a long time ago. Dogs simply need an incredible amount of time and attention. It's different with my sheep, who graze happily in the pasture all year round. My farm animals are therefore also very compatible with my job.
For "Kommissar Rex" you are in front of the camera with a dog. But dogs don't follow a script ...
Basically, that's exactly what I enjoy doing. I had to be wide awake at all times, react to the dog and still stay in character and say my lines. Even when I almost stumble over him because he now prefers to go left instead of right. I find it exciting not to break off just then, but to let the scene continue. It often results in something very fitting. Of course, I didn't just have to act for myself, but also for the dog - my partner and best friend. I talk to him normally in the movies. He sometimes got on my nerves, but that's when we as a team conveyed something unintentionally funny and quirky. Rex and Detective Max Steiner are just two bachelors who live together in a pad and solve cases together.
What does it take to make the relationship between investigator and dog seem credible?
I think that despite all the humor, seriousness is the most important thing. I always find it difficult when the dog is just the dog and the detective gives him orders. Sometimes the dog just doesn't do what you want. This back and forth is what makes the films authentic.
But surely this required special preparation?
We have great animal trainers who are very unpretentious, which I really appreciate. I didn't prepare for this role any differently than for my other roles - I act a lot from my gut. However, I went to the trainers at the film animal ranch two or three times beforehand to get to know Rex better, because I was the only candidate at the casting who the dog didn't want to take a photo with. Absurd, isn't it? (laughs) I thought to myself: "Great, now he doesn't like me ..." But I like things that seem very complicated or even impossible at first. Now we are one heart and one soul.
Why does the relationship between humans and animals often touch viewers more than many interpersonal stories?
From my gut, I would say because animals are very real and pure. They don't play a role, but act unfiltered - just like people do when they are still children, before they get caught up in the structures of society or are forced into them and everyone has to take on a role in their own lives at some point.
What do you think people can learn from dogs?
I did spend a lot of time with him, but most of it was through the dog trainers. He mainly listened to them and less to me (laughs). But what we can learn from dogs is trust. I remember one scene that gave me goosebumps. I was supposed to freak out emotionally. The camera came closer very slowly to capture the moment. The dog noticed this and perceived the camera as a threat to me. He wanted to protect me. That really moved me - who am actually more of a pragmatic type.
So who is the better colleague - the human or the dog?
That's mean (laughs). Dogs are just cool. They are also very forgiving and stay by your side. However, I don't think we can compare humans and dogs as play partners in front of the camera.
Over the many years of "Kommissar Rex", there have been far more dogs involved in this role than viewers realized.
That's also the case here. Just like me, Rex simply needs a stunt double for some things. Then another dog who specializes in risky jumps, for example, jumps into the breach. And we mustn't forget: He has to work every day, just like me. That's why there's also a life-size dummy for rehearsals.
That all sounds like very exhausting days for the dog too.
At no point did I have the feeling that the dog wasn't having fun - on the contrary. It was more as if he was enjoying it and sometimes even deliberately taking his time. Almost as if he was letting the star hang out ... I wouldn't consider working with an animal if I realized that it wasn't doing well. The dogs were very motivated here - we almost had to slow them down a bit. The animal trainers are also very careful to ensure that everything is calm, that the concentration is right and that the animals are not touched by anyone. I was the only one who had close contact with them. Everyone on set was very careful to ensure that everything was kept in the right proportions and that they were not overwhelmed.
Wouldn't it be easier to create the dog with AI nowadays?
No, it's about the feeling we can convey - even at a time when AI seems to be smoothing things out. If nothing real happens anymore, if we no longer improvise, it quickly becomes boring. It's the little imperfections that don't quite seem to fit into the script that bring scenes to life. Without them, the interplay seems dead - like AI: it pretends to be alive, but it's not.
"Kommissar Rex" was also very popular internationally. How much pressure is there?
I'm completely relaxed and just do my best because I like challenges. Failure is part of it. If you can't fail, you have nothing to lose. Of course I hope that doesn't happen to me. You can't compare me to Tobias Moretti anyway. He has created a completely different character and we also look very different. I tried to find my own approach. My character seems rather withdrawn to the outside world, like a loner who doesn't really let anyone get close to him. But with the dog, he can let go. That opens up something in him that perhaps no human could achieve.
How do you rate the reboot's chances of success?
^It's always difficult to assess something like this. I think viewers have the same feeling as I did when I saw this series. I can't even say exactly what it is. But this feeling continues. Maybe they realize it and accept the new. We will see.
How is this reboot different from the original?
A copy of the original is always bad. Essentially, it's not about the details, but about bringing your own feeling to the character. Whether it's a leather jacket or a suit - such outward appearances are of secondary importance. What matters is that the constellation works. And I think Rex and I do that.
You seem very down-to-earth, even though you are a well-known actor. How do you manage to stay grounded even after 20 years in this industry?
I live on a farm. There's often something very reassuring about that. Despite my many professional trips, I have always remained part of the village. At the same time, I continue to write, develop screenplays and am currently working on a musical reading about death. I always try not to rest on my laurels.
On top of that, you are also the father of three children - how do you reconcile work and family life?
Those seven months when I was only at home at the weekend were really tough. Now I'm at home all day and take all the time in the world for my family. I don't have to leave in the morning and can make breakfast for my children. I attach great importance to that.
How do you experience fan encounters at home and in the surrounding area?
Most of the time I'm just Maximilian. That's because I completely disappear in my roles. People know that they know me, but they often can't place me. For example, when there's an autumn festival in Rosenheim, one or two people come up to me. But then I'm usually mistaken for my brother anyway (laughs).
Is there competition between you at times, for example when it comes to coveted roles?
Yes, it was a mess that I didn't get the role of Florian Eder in "Neue Geschichten vom Pumuckl" (laughs). No, joking aside. We have a rule: we never go to castings together. I'm extremely pleased that the new edition is celebrating this success. Basically, we do similar things: I play a dog and he plays a leprechaun. We both investigate in our own way. We are never against each other. In fact, we're currently doing everything we can to be in front of the camera together. Unfortunately, I can't say any more about that yet.
You come from a large family and live in a multi-generational house. Isn't that sometimes exhausting?
Yes, but that's quite normal. However, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Everyone has their own retreat. I have my office upstairs. Six to eight children play downstairs. It's great for the children. For us too. We can always rely on each other. But it's still human ...
Would you support your children if they wanted to follow in your footsteps?
If it's their decision, I'll always support them, even if it's a tough industry. We'll see where it goes. For example, I didn't realize that readings could be so successful. I notice that there is a real need for analog experiences. There will always be counter-trends like this. Theater, for example, will remain. Film, on the other hand, will change a lot, I'm convinced of that. Ultimately, it all depends on what the audience accepts. If people accept that AI plays something supposedly alive for them, then it will catch on, but it's hard to say at the moment.
At the Munich 2025 Film Festival, you admitted that, looking back on your professional career, you were annoyed that you often took things for granted. How do you look to the future now?
Brückner: I don't just want to relate this to my industry. If I embrace change, then I will be able to cope with it at some point. I am simply broadening my base. Global political developments, on the other hand, are in a completely different league and really worry me. Things have always gone uphill in my life so far and many things were taken for granted. But I realize how quickly that can change. Gaining this insight is a process - and that's what concerns me the most.
What does happiness mean to you personally?
If I can keep everything around me the way it is right now, then that is a huge happiness for me. I am very grateful for my family and the professional opportunities that have come my way. But I don't just define myself by my professional successes. I'm happy here in my home, and that's the most important thing.
The series is set in and around Vienna. Can you or do you perhaps even have to do without your Bavarian dialect?
No, that's cheese. I'm not Viennese and I won't presume to imitate anything. The audience will definitely notice the southern German influence. After all, we're not far from the border. Nevertheless, I'm also quite good at turning off my dialect.
How important or present can dialect still be today?
I am of the opinion that there are only dialects - and that is wonderful. Let's look at the Bavarian dialect, for example: Bavarian films work incredibly well. On May 14, my new film "Ein Münchner im Himmel" will be released in cinemas. Pumuckl" and the crime thrillers by Rita Falk with Sebastian Bezzel are also extremely well received by audiences - far beyond the borders of Bavaria. Dialect is likeable and its peculiarity makes it easier to relate to each other.
