Bötschi asks Christoph Maria Herbst "Then I would be a very wealthy man today"
Christoph Maria Herbst spoke to blue News editor Bruno Bötschi about his new movie "Extrawurst". The other topics: his dislike of social media, racism and Switzerland.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- German actor Christoph Maria Herbst can currently be seen in Swiss cinemas in the comedy "Extrawurst".
- During a general meeting at a tennis club, a proposal to buy a second barbecue for the only Muslim member of the club causes a row.
- As a result, atheists and believers, Germans and Turks clash head-on - it quickly becomes clear that there is more at stake than just the sausage.
- "We shouldn't have an opinion on everything and, in the worst-case scenario, we shouldn't even spread it on our fellow human beings without being asked," says Herbst in an interview with blue News.
Hello Mr. Herbst.
Grüss Gott - or as you say: Grüezi.
Are you often on the road in Switzerland?
I was in Zurich just recently. We were on a promotional tour for the movie "Stromberg - Wieder alles wie immer". Unfortunately, I'm not in Switzerland often enough. Whenever I'm there, I always say to my wife: why don't we move to Switzerland? But most of the time the train leaves again and takes us back home (laughs).
When was the last time you had a really heated argument with someone?
I can't think of anything off the top of my head. I'm not a brawler. I'm far too ... I don't want to say "addicted to harmony", but I was brought up to make peace and not cause trouble. I'm actually more of a mediator than a divider. And when I listen to myself talk, I realize that: Our world could do with a big dose of that right now.
Where does a discussion end for you and when does a dispute begin?
A discussion becomes an argument when it goes below the belt. That's when a red line is usually crossed.
About the author: Bruno Bötschi
blue News editor Bruno Bötschi regularly talks to well-known personalities from Switzerland and abroad for the question-and-answer game "Bötschi fragt". He asks them lots of questions - always direct, often funny and sometimes profound. It always remains open until the very last question as to where the fast-paced ping-pong will lead.
Their new film "Extrawurst", which has been showing in cinemas since this week, is set in a tennis club in the countryside. During a meeting, a suggestion is made to buy a second barbecue for the only Muslim member of the club, when the mood suddenly changes. Have you experienced anything similar in reality?
No. I don't play tennis, I'm not a barbecue player and I'm not active in any other club. So in this movie, I immerse myself in a world that is completely alien to me. But that's exactly the beauty of being an actor.
Do you think it's cultural appropriation when someone feels they have to speak for someone from a different background?
I don't see it as cultural appropriation. But the advertising copywriter from the city that I play in "Extrawurst" is a do-gooder. And Melanie, my wife in the movie (editor's note: played by Anja Knauer), is even a very good person. That's an attitude that can get on other people's nerves at some point, as it contains a lot of paternalism.
It is also a question of respect to accept a no from my counterpart. Acceptance and respect are siblings. Unfortunately, Melanie can't do that and just keeps on going because she wants to impose her own moral compass at all costs.
What do you think: do these kinds of arguments happen more often nowadays?
I think the fuse has become much shorter in recent years. That's why I see the movie "Extrawurst" as a call for a longer fuse. It's time we got out the silver scales - there are already enough issues on the gold scales.
Was it different in the past?
Of course there were differences of opinion in the past. However, social media has made our society more transparent. That's why there seems to be a crisis at every turn at the moment. Perhaps it's up to us to be more careful when dealing with the media and not click on everything that could move us.
In the movie, a lot bursts out of the club members during the argument, even though they are not extremists. The question remains: Are all people occasionally racist?
I think so. There is also positive racism, i.e. the attribution of supposedly positive characteristics and stereotypes to people based on their origin or appearance. Recently, a white friend told me that his black wife was approached by an older man in the supermarket. The man held out a mango to the woman and said, "Is this fruit ripe? You know it is." I wasn't there in the supermarket, but I can well imagine that the man didn't mean any harm. In my opinion, he didn't mean to address every woman with the sentence "You know that", but was referring specifically to black women.
Isn't this example a bit off the mark?
Perhaps. But for me it shows that prejudices and racist thought patterns can be present in all of us. That's why I think it's important to be more aware of this so that situations like this no longer occur. At the same time, I am also pleased that our interactions have changed positively overall in recent years. I appreciate this progress. The only thing I am critical of is the tendency to exaggerate - in other words, this excessive sensitization. However, I have the impression that the spikes are slowly decreasing again and that a balanced, respectful way of dealing with each other is taking hold.
How did your friend's wife react to the man's question?
There's no record of that. In my opinion, she didn't make a scene, but reacted calmly and with common sense.
Hape Kerkeling plays the president of the tennis club in the movie. In a recent interview with "Apotheken Umschau ", he said: "Our society is in danger of everyone wanting to impose their opinion as absolute. There are too many little Trumps running around."
I could endorse that. I'm a friend of facts and don't appreciate it when people elevate their own opinion to the status of truth. Unfortunately, Trumpism is spreading more and more.
There are always people on social media who are looking for a fight. Is that one of the reasons why you can't be found there?
That is the case. Nevertheless, I sometimes express opinions in public that go against the grain for one person or another. My advantage is that I'm not part of any of these echo chambers, so I'm largely protected from getting any buckets of criticism. I don't even know where these shitstorms take place. That's why it's a good thing that I'm not a member of social media.
For younger actors, that's often not an option: they have to be on social media or they won't get roles.
I think that's an extremely problematic development. The number of followers on Instagram has nothing to do with the quality of my work as an actor. You can hardly imagine how happy I am that I'm turning 60 on February 9 - and not 20, and still have to try to gain a foothold as an actor.
Hape Kerkeling thinks that every single person has to take a step back at one point or another because "otherwise there's a danger that things will escalate". Do you have similar fears?
I believe that our society is currently in a bottleneck - and we have to get through it now. The only question is: in which direction will we move? Into the bottle or out? To be honest, I would prefer the latter.
The German comedian Dieter Nuhr once said: "If you have no idea, just shut up." I think it would be great if many more people would follow this advice today. May I throw another quote at you?
Go ahead.
The German cabaret artist and writer Karl Valentin is said to have once said: "Everything has already been said, except by me." I don't think we should have an opinion on everything and, in the worst case scenario, we shouldn't even spoon it onto our fellow human beings without being asked. I value restraint - because it's also an attitude.
Do you think that the movie "Extrawurst" will contribute to a more constructive culture of discussion?
I don't have this missionary zeal. I think it would be nice if the movie could give some moviegoers food for thought and they later talk to their friends about the topics that the characters in "Extrawurst" discuss. That would be a small victory for me. But first and foremost, our comedy should provide good entertainment. I think we have succeeded in doing that.
Were there any arguments between the actors during filming?
Honestly, not at all. Maybe it was because we got rid of our quarrels before the cameras were rolling. During breaks in filming or while the lights and camera were being set up, we often paused in silence.
Perhaps your younger colleagues were digging out their smartphones because they urgently needed to post something on Instagram.
Maybe, but I wasn't there (laughs).
As mentioned, you will soon be 60 years old. Looking back, are you satisfied with the impact of your work as an actor?
Oops, I've never thought about that.
Could you do it now?
I'm happy that I've been able to make a living from my hobby, acting, for many years. To be honest, I can't do anything else. I once completed a banking apprenticeship in the 1980s. But I can't be so desperate that I would return to the financial business again.
Of course, it would be nice to look back on my life one day - when I'm on my deathbed - and be able to say that my career as an actor and comedian has created a coherent, complete mosaic. Then I could close my eyes in peace. But don't worry: there's still time. After all, I'll only be 60 in a month's time.
How do you manage to remain flexible as an actor and play completely different roles convincingly time and again?
I may have made wise decisions based on gut instinct at various points in my life. For example, if I hadn't pulled the ripcord after the five seasons of "Stromberg" and the film of the same name in 2014 and said that that was it for now - because I wanted to cultivate other fields and romp around in other meadows - then I might have filmed ten seasons of "Stromberg". And I would probably be a very wealthy man today. At the same time, it would probably have prevented me from getting other roles, as it would have damaged my reputation as an actor.
What have you learned in the course of your life?
We humans should listen to our gut feeling more often.
How important is courage?
It's indispensable.
In addition to the comedy "Extrawurst", you can currently also be seen in the movie "Stromberg - Wieder alles wie immer". Does the movie mean the final end of office bully Bernd?
I can quote a famous British agent in response: Never say never again.
Your good advice for life?
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
As a celebrity, do you sometimes get an extra sausage, for example in a restaurant or when shopping?
There are moments like that - people letting me go first at the bakery, for example. But I have the feeling that it's now more along the lines of: "Come on, let the old man go first. Who knows how long he has left." To be honest, I don't particularly like developments like this. Whether you want to call it an extra sausage, I don't know. But I don't necessarily have to fry it, not yet. Maybe I'll come back to it in ten years' time.
I've often wondered why German comedies rarely become big hits in Swiss cinemas. You too?
Unfortunately, I can't give you an explanation. But the fact is that I will be touring Switzerland next spring together with Moritz Netenjakob, one of the authors of "Extrawurst", with our comedy stage program "Das ernsthafte Bemühen um Albernheit". And it would of course be great, dear Mr. Bötschi, if you could drum up some publicity for it on blue News. Then there's a better chance of us filling the stores (laughs).
"Extrawurst" will be showing at blue Cinema from Thursday, January 15, 2026.
The comedy is based on the play "Extrawurst" by comedy authors Dietmar Jacobs and Moritz Netenjakob. The play will be performed at the Comedy Bühne Weisser Wind in Zurich from March 19 to 21. Tickets are available here.
