As a child I wanted to be Pope!
Oliver Wnuk is an actor, author and much more. He is not pope, although he wanted to be one as a child. But maybe it's a good thing. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see him as Ulf Steinke in the Stromberg series for the last ten years and that would be a real shame.
UNIGLOBALE: Stromberg – The Film is in cinemas as of today (February 20, 2014). What was it like filming with old friends again?
Oliver: Nice! There’s always something about coming home and recharging your batteries. Over a decade of my life, I repeatedly filmed with this bunch of crazy people. And that was not only great in terms of people, but also in terms of quality! After being apart from each other for two years and of course filming other things, it's nice to return to this quality. Arne Feldhusen is really one of the best directors I know and my colleagues are great too. When you've been playing together for so long, you've really gotten along well with each other.
UNIGLOBALE: So were you immediately excited when the request for the film came?
Oliver: Yes of course, I really loved working at Stromberg. Of course, also because I am firmly convinced - and I don't say this with arrogance, but with pride - that it is formally one of the best products on German television. Of course it's wonderful to be a part of it.
UNIGLOBALE: As an actor, you have very intensive working hours. During a shoot, you sometimes have to be on set in the middle of the night and then maybe not shoot for months. Does that bother you?
Oliver: It's quite tiring. Not necessarily because you have to stand somewhere during a shoot at six in the morning. But rather because as an actor you may have an hour a day in total where you have to function 100%. That might only be two or three takes per shot, but they really have to be right. It doesn't matter what else is going on with you.
And of course the cycle itself. This insecurity that every year you have to start adding up your shooting days again in order to get your sheep to dry. It's completely normal to have many months off in this job. I have found ways and means to use this time creatively in other ways. For example, I write books or devote myself to other creative processes. Although I can make a living from acting, I would never rely on it exclusively.
UNIGLOBALE: Were there years when you couldn't make a living from acting?
Oliver: No, I honestly skipped that. Fortunately, there were no years of hunger.
UNIGLOBALE: Do you remember what you bought with your first fee?
Oliver: Yes, I bought a suit. A reduced Joop suit. Because I went to the premiere of my first film, Anatomy, and I didn't have a suit.
UNIGLOBALE: What did you want to be as a child?
Oliver: (thinks) Pope! As a small child, I loved the Popemobile and the fact that you are loved by two billion people. But that was just a childhood thing. As a teenager, I always told people that I wanted to become a judge for European law in French-speaking countries, simply because I thought the title was really cool. But I didn't really have a clue what that meant. After that I actually got into acting. And luckily things always went well enough that I never really had to rethink it.
UNIGLOBALE: How often did you hear from your parents at the beginning of your career: “Boy, learn something decent!”?
Oliver: I think at the beginning my parents weren't just happy with my career choice. They would have liked to see me in some more conventional job. My mother recently told me that she always thought I would become a lawyer. I think she really liked the judge number. But at the very moment I was accepted into drama school and started earning money, parental pride set in.
UNIGLOBALE: Would you describe yourself as a satisfied person?
Oliver: I think when you're an actor, a writer, or any artist, you're never completely balanced. There are one or two deficits that make you rush out. I think when you're completely happy, the urge to express yourself isn't as great. If the scale keeps swinging to the right or left, then something happens. Then you have something to draw your creativity from. But that doesn't mean that I'm a dissatisfied person or even ungrateful, just not particularly balanced.
Photo: Steffen Böttcher
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As a child I wanted to be Pope! Oliver Wnuk is an actor, author and much more. He is not pope, although he wanted to be one as a child. But maybe it's a good thing. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to see him as Ulf Steinke in the series Stromberg for the last ten years and that
