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Damian Hardung, known from series such as “Club of the Red Bands”, “How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)” and “Maxton Hall”, is not only an actor – but also someone who is currently worried about the condition of our society and is clearly political. In a new interview, Hardung makes it clear: he does not want to remain silent when it comes to AfD.
Damian Hardung: Art is always political
Art is never apolitical for hardening, which he makes clear in conversation with the magazine “GQ”. Even if he dives in roles during work and excludes personal positions, the selection of the projects is also a political decision for him: “I honestly ask myself the question: Which message does the film transport? Can this be an impetus for a discussion – about values that are important to me and that may be relevant for society?”
For the 26-year-old, acting is therefore inseparable to society and thus also associated with politics: “After all, drama does not take place in the air empty, but within our society, and of course it is also political.”
Hardening expresses criticism of the AfD and its cultural policy
In this context, he also looks at public service broadcasters: “If a party like the AfD calls for the radio to crop drastically, then this also affects the cultural task of ARD and ZDF. And with that we are actors: inevitably and correctly in the middle of the debate.”
In addition to acting, Hardung studies medicine in the thirteenth semester and prepares for the state examination. As a prospective doctor, he believes in the power of facts – and clearly opposes climate change against the anti -science positions of the AfD. He is shocked by them: “How else should I react to it if a party who is now moving into the Bundestag with 20 percent claims that climate change does not exist and CO2 is good for plant growth?” Despite everything, he tries to continue to focus on the strength of science: “I want to believe that knowledge is still power, even if it may sometimes appear illusory.”
Facts instead of perceived truths
The “Maxton Hall” star finally relies on what you can prove in political discourse instead of just feelings: “The basis must continue to be facts. But just because numbers and facts still have to make their way into our hearts because we need tangible facts, it does not mean that we should fall back on felt facts.”
Despite the growing popularity of simple narrative, hardening advocates in an interview for differentiated debates based on knowledge and not on emotions. He also criticizes the exhilarated discussion culture of our time, which in his opinion, rather than to communicate,: “The radicalization of the language, the constant against each other, the lack of a real dialogue. It is no longer about finding common ground, but only about delimiting each other from each other – because of who is the most distinctive position and who has the loud position.”
His counter -design in conversation: curiosity, willingness to dialogue and a differentiated understanding of identity. “Identity is not just a either-or, but often a both-as also,” says the actor. In general, it is much more exciting, “to concentrate on the knowledge, the experiences and the nuances that combine us instead of constantly being defined by demarcation.”