Heiner Lauterbach on acting stars "That's nonsense and one of the biggest mistakes in film history"

In the ARD crime thriller "Hagen Benz - Das Böse in dir", Heiner Lauterbach plays a mysterious ex-commissioner. The 72-year-old once again proves to be a man of great charisma.

Heiner Lauterbach, you have steered clear of roles as investigators in crime series or TV shows for decades. Now it looks like you're changing your mind ...

We don't yet know whether "Hagen Benz" will become a series. That's up to the viewers.

You have long been one of the most prominent German actors. Surely you've received an offer from "Tatort" more than once?

Yes, of course. One was very specific, ten or twelve years ago. But I won't tell you what it was. It would be unfair to the colleague who actually got the role.

Your Hagen Benz is a mysterious male figure. Can such characters be told differently today than in the 80s or 90s?

I think so. We tell stories more psychologically today than back then. Even in prime time. Today, men are also allowed to have weaknesses and secrets. But in the end, good stories are simply good stories - in the 80s, 90s and today.

Ever since Greek tragedy, people have understood how stories work: Boy loves girl, good guy versus bad guy - and so on. It's the deeply human desires, passions and catastrophes that people are interested in. That will never change.

You play a mostly silent charismatic man with a secret - as you did recently in the TV series "Tower Shadows". Your signature role in old age?

Yes, it seems so (laughs). The taciturn loner for whom each of his few sentences weighs a ton. Even when he's just ordering chips. Reality rarely offers people like that.

Of course I know that people in movies like to be bigger than life. But I also like the other, the completely natural. In the end, it doesn't matter what works. Characters in movies have to do exciting things, that's the be-all and end-all. But many people confuse suspense with action. In my opinion, action is not exciting per se.

What do you mean by that?

When people shoot at each other in an action movie and you don't even know who they are, I'm not interested. On the other hand, when a great love just misses each other because he passes by on the streetcar and she doesn't see it, that's much more emotional and exciting. The first commandment for us filmmakers is to create suspense. Which is often confused with screeching tires.

Let's go back to your old crime series roles. "Faust" and "Eurocops" aired on ZDF in the late 1980s and 90s. Are crime dramas better or worse today than they used to be?

Back then, crime dramas didn't want to be more than crime dramas - that's how I would put it. The two series you are referring to were typical Friday night crime dramas on ZDF. They were in the tradition of "Der Kommissar", "Der Alte", "Derrick" or "Ein Fall für zwei". If you look at these formats today, they seem totally outdated. They seem superficial and banal.

Of course, that has to do with the zeitgeist and taste. Maybe we'll be saying the same thing about today's crime dramas in 20 years' time. A few from back then have also aged well. This often has to do with the actors. When I see Erik Ode in "Der Kommissar", for example, or people like O.W. Fischer - they had an incredible naturalness. It made these actors into stars that people still enjoy watching today. For me, the biggest secret of acting is naturalness.

What makes actors stars?

I'm ambivalent about this question. Both can be attractive and work. You're meeting an old Clint Eastwood fan here. As an actor, he has extremely reinforced the charisma theory. Eastwood had incredible charisma in his roles. Steve McQueen had that too, or Alain Delon.

In films like "The Ice-Cold Angel", people would say about Delon: "He's only ever playing himself. That's nonsense and one of the biggest mistakes in film history. People have said that about many stars, that they always play themselves, but it remains wrong. They simply had this special charisma that works in every role.

Now you've mainly mentioned stars from the past ...

I got stuck thinking about charisma. Of course there are also fantastic actors today. But male stars are often a bit androgynous, completely different types than back then.

Take Leonardo DiCaprio: he's an amazing actor, but still different from the guys I just mentioned. Maybe people want to get away from these pithy male types. Maybe you don't want to see them right now, even if they were also complex. Images of men change over time, even in movies and television.

You are now 72 years old. Nevertheless, it doesn't seem as if you want to cut back professionally ...

No, I've just finished shooting a Netflix film and there are also two new comedies coming out next year. I'm also putting a lot of time into a project with my wife Viktoria.

At "Meet Your Master", prominent, very successful people share their knowledge in detailed courses. We initially organized this online, but now we've also had our first live event. I also really enjoy this work.

Do you subscribe to the theory that a person should never retire while he or she is still healthy?

Yes, I would subscribe to that. What keeps us happy and healthy is passion. Whenever we feel passionate about something, we feel good. We feel alive, involved, meaningful.

People need to feel that they are important and useful to society. That's why many people who have been pushed out of the world of work are so unhappy. Then it's not far before they no longer feel like living.

What makes us feel important?

It can be many things. Maybe you decide to plant flowers in the cemetery and bring joy to grieving people. Or you are a bus driver and strive to make all the children want to ride with you because you are the most popular bus driver. We don't have to do earth-shattering things or be big stars to experience the feeling of significance. Life creates endless opportunities for that.

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I can only advise anyone who is retiring and is reasonably fit: Make something of this phase of your life. Go to retirement and nursing homes. Visit people who are lonely. And I also think that such activities should be paid for. This is also a form of appreciation that is important for us as human beings.

What is the most important thing for you to lead a happy life?

Some would say it's love. But you shouldn't underestimate passion. You can also live it alone, by the way, regardless of a close relationship. But of course in association with other people, depending on what you do.

As an actor, I was asked what is more important in my profession: talent or passion. Many people probably say talent. After careful consideration, I come to a different answer, and not just for the acting profession: talent is important, but it doesn't lead to anything if you don't feel passion. If you are passionate, you will always get better at what you do. For me, that's a big factor in the happiness we all want.

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