By Markus Tschiedert
Marc Hosemann was one of the stars of the Volksbühne, made a career in TV and in the cinema. Now the Berlin actor can be seen in the movie “Sophia, der Tod und ich”. The BZ spoke to Hosemann.
He grew up with Berlin, said actor Marc Hosemann (53) during the conversation with the BZ in a café on the Engelbecken.
He has lived here since 1999 and was a member of the Volksbühne ensemble for 12 years. When Frank Castorf went, he would go too. Since then, the native of Bremen has been increasingly in front of the camera. After the series success with “The Discounter” he is the Grim Reaper in “Sophia, der Tod und ich” (in cinemas from Thursday), but he messes it up and has to walk among the living.
With Dimitrij Schaad (left) and Anna Maria Mühe in “Sophia, Death and I” Photo: DCM Pictures GmbH
BZ: How exhausting was the mask as a death?
Marc Hoseman: It was part of the role to be painted white every day. The only problem with such a long mask is sometimes having to get up an hour or two before the other. But it was fun here.
Do you deal with death differently when you play it?
I actually didn’t do that. In general, a few things stuck with me when people talked about death. “One should be at peace with oneself when one dies”, “One should not be afraid of death” or “How to prepare for death”. That’s easy to say, of course, if you’re not directly confronted with death, as in the film.
Marc Hosemann in the Amazon series “Die Discounter” Photo: Amazon Prime Video
So you’ve never grappled with your own death?
Death is inevitable, you shouldn’t be afraid of it, but you can’t think about it every day either.
Is there anything else you would like to do before it’s too late?
No, I’m ready (laughs). But I also don’t need anything extreme like parachuting. I think I have an extreme life on stage too. I don’t miss anything there.
An extreme life on stage. Was that also part of the 15 years at the Volksbühne?
Of course. That was part of my work with Frank Castorf. When acting, I never felt a difference between theater and film. You take a situation for real and then do it as it is possible at the moment.
Why did you leave the ensemble in 2017?
Of course, that had to do with Castorf’s departure. The Volksbühne was my apprenticeship, so to speak, that’s where I come from. From here, the theater world was shaped worldwide by people like Castorf, Schlingensief or Pollesch. It’s good that this time existed and I’m happy and proud that I was there.
René Pollesch is now director. Could you imagine returning under him like Sophie Rois?
I’m still doing theatre. On October 19, again under the direction of Castorf at the Berliner Ensemble in the play “Fabian oder Der Gang vor die Hunde”. Of course, I’m still connected to the Volksbühne today and keep in touch. I am convinced that I will be on this stage again at some point. I love this theater and it still feels like my home.