By Markus Tschiedert
BZ spoke to Iris Berben about her new film “Triangle of Sadness”, MeToo and courage in front of the camera.
The Swedish director Ruben Östlund (“The Square”) is one of the most important European directors. Many a great acting star would work for him, even if the role consisted of only one sentence.
In his new film “Triangle of Sadness” (in cinemas from Thursday) Iris Berben (72) is part of the ensemble and says a sentence. It’s “In the Clouds”.
Berben plays a woman who goes on a cruise with her husband after suffering a stroke. But on the luxury ship there is a catastrophe, a few survivors save themselves on an island. A new power structure is forming there in which wealth no longer has any meaning.
Östlund’s bitter satire was awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. The film premieres at the Delphi Filmpalast on Monday evening.
BZ: Ms. Berben, how did you, as a German actress, come to an international production like “Triangle of Sadness”?
Iris Berben: casting (laughs)! But I’m not fooling myself. Since German money also flowed in, Germans were also cast. Director Ruben Östlund had already inspired me with “The Square” and “Fraere Majeure” because I saw how intimate and truthful his actors act in them. With “Triangle of Sadness” I was allowed to go on a new journey of experience with him.
What did she look like?
Ruben Östlund is someone who demands something of you, and at some point you think I can’t do anything. He wants you to take off your mechanisms, your security thinking, your corset, basically everything. He lets you do it up to 60 times per take, and that means every actor. At some point you get to a point where you think I can’t take it anymore.
That sounds damn painful…
On the other hand, he also pulls you with him, he doesn’t leave you alone. He is towards you, without aggression, but demanding. Being able to make this journey was a gift, but also a painful gift. After more than 50 years, I feel so rewarded to be in an ensemble film like this.
Even though you were sometimes desperate when shooting?
I like to expose myself to the different characters of directors. I know we have a lot of basic discussion right now about actors feeling cornered or insecure. But that is also our job.
What do you mean?
We have different temperatures, everyone wrestles in their own way. I’m not talking about assault or abuse of power. That’s not what I mean, but you have to see it very differently.
Scene from “Triangle Of Sadness” Photo: Alamode Film
In what way?
It’s all so easily thrown into the MeToo box that is so important. But I often think that some things might not belong there. Everyone has a different style and temperament. But as long as you feel like he’s pulling you along, that’s not an exclusion for me.
Because you mention MeToo – has anything happened to you in this regard?
No not at all. It’s about the fact that today, in the course of the me-too debate, there are often complaints that a director yelled at me, was loud and I feel insecure. Yes, that happens sometimes. There are loud and quiet, extroverted and introverted directors. Everyone is struggling for something, and when you see that, it’s a joint effort. That’s why I felt so at ease with Ruben Östlund.
Is it true that his mother-in-law was a role model for your role?
Yes, she had had a stroke, can only say the right side and this one sentence: “In the clouds”. There is something poetic about it and you can interpret a lot into this sentence. I also got to know her, which also made me feel responsible for her character.
The film is about how the balance of power on an island, where survivors can save themselves, changes after a shipwreck. Suddenly the former toilet lady is in charge because she knows how to fish and cook…
Absolutely! For me, the bottom line is whether capitalism has reached its limits. But this film also poses other, infinitely many questions. For me, that is the status quo of our time.
So does this film about the current world situation come at exactly the right time?
Yes, many people are asking the same questions as the film. We have to deal with this analytically and there are no easy answers because it is all far too complex. Pandemic, war in Ukraine, environmental and distribution issues – all of this is coming so concentrated that many of us are overwhelmed.
They also?
Of course, many things overwhelm me. My memory card is sometimes full, but I try to stay calm and, unlike some, I’m fearless. I’m not afraid of change or new challenges.
Did you have to work out this freedom from fear first?
No, I’ve always been a very fearless person who was socialized and politicized in the ’60s. That’s why I’ve always liked to take full risks.
As an ambassador for L’Oréal, Iris Berben is a regular visitor to Cannes Photo: Getty Images
Charlbi Dean, the leading actress of “Triangle of Sadness”, died suddenly at the end of August at the age of 32 …
This is difficult to understand and infuriating. That left us all stunned. She was such a talented actress with joie de vivre, humor, but also depth. Life is so fragile.
Just one week after “Triangle of Sadness” comes “The Last Name” with you to the cinema. How do you look back on the making of this film?
Both films were made almost simultaneously during the pandemic. Filming on Triangle of Sadness was suspended for three months in Greece so I was able to film The Last Name in the meantime. I’m happy to be back in the sequel to “Der Vorname” as Dorothea, whom I really like because of her hippie attitude.
Are you closer to Dorothea or Therese from “Triangle of Sadness”?
Both roles have something to do with me, neither more nor less. I know both the analytical nature of Therese, who observes everything, and Dorothea’s serenity.
You recently recorded a song with Peter Plate for the film Storm…
I can’t say anything about that yet because the film isn’t out yet. But it’s not the first time I’ve sung. I did that for Miss Sixty, and I even played a singer on Not To Get. I like to sing.
But you haven’t recorded an album yet. Will this happen again?
I don’t know that. I’ve been asked again and again, but so far I’ve been able to bravely refuse (laughs).