She was the chav brat Chantal from "Fack ju Göhte", played an underage prostitute in Tatort and in the film "Warrior" a teenager who joins a neo-Nazi clique. As of today, Jella Haase, 23, can now be seen in the tragicomedy “4 Kings” in the cinema. A slightly different Christmas film, because the main roles are not played by members of a happy family, but by four young people who spend the holidays in a psychiatric hospital. The actress talks about the film and how she celebrates Christmas in the interview.
“4 Kings” is not a Heititeiti Christmas film with a series of gags and an entertaining story. Sometimes you have to laugh, sometimes you have a lump in your throat. What defines the film for you?
The script really appealed to me from the start. The characters are so lovingly drawn and yet crass in their own way. The film addresses difficult topics without pointing fingers or judging. It encourages questioning. If you're willing to question yourself and existing conventions, the film is just right for you.
Lara, your role, appears self-confident, challenging and rebellious, but also insecure and lonely inside. Was it easy for you to empathize with this character and his conflicts?
We had a very intensive preparation period in which we created psychological role profiles with a coach. That was very important for the work.
The film shows that growing up and later being an adult is sometimes really not easy. How did you personally experience this phase of your life?
When you realize that life isn't easy, but that it's okay, that it is that way, I think you're on the way to becoming an adult. But I often don't feel up to it and don't want to grow up yet.
At Christmas, conflicts are often swept under the Christmas tree. Sometimes, like in the film, they come to light just then. How do you see it: Is it better to talk about everything openly or is a little hypocrisy sometimes allowed and necessary?
In my family there was a lot of screaming, which is really important in order to unload and then be able to get along and love again on the other side. With us, nothing is swept under the table and everything is treated openly. In my opinion this is the only sensible way.
In one scene, the doctor asks his four charges, "What's the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about Christmas?" How would you personally answer this question?
Family. Potato salad with sausages (vegetarian for me), Christmas goose at Grandpa's with homemade dumplings and friends in the evening.
