TV producers and filmmakers still know where to find Marcel Musters (63) from Tilburg, but he says ‘no’ to everything. On Wikipedia he is listed as a ‘former actor’. For almost forty years he said yes to almost everything, resulting in a serious burnout just when he received a Golden Calf for ‘best actor’. He talks about it on Wednesday in the TV program ‘KRAAK asks door’.
He now lives as a half hermit in a ramshackle house on a holiday park under the smoke of Amsterdam. And apart from his dog Mika, he doesn’t really need much. “I don’t go anywhere and don’t watch movies or series. I’ve seen it all.” He points to the meadows behind his cottage: “This is my television. I imagine this is all there just for me.”
For years, Marcel was omnipresent as an actor. He played on television in ‘Oud geld’, ‘Hertenkamp’, ‘Penoza’ and in many other series. For theater performances with Maria Goos under the title ‘Ons Moeder’ he returned to his Tilburg roots. Just like for ‘Meepesaant’, with that other Tilburger: Marc-Marie Huijbregts. And he played in countless films such as ‘Black Book’, ‘Gooische Vrouwen’ and ‘De Bende van Oss’.
“There was a night when I thought I was dying.”
In 2019, he played the leading role in the film ‘God only knows’ on his gums. It was the role of his life, but after that he was completely burned out. “There was one night I was in a lot of pain and I thought I was going to die.” The doctor didn’t need much time the next day to make his diagnosis: a serious burnout. Musters was sitting on the couch at home when he received a Golden Calf for best actor for his role in ‘God only knows’.
It turned out to be his last role. He is at peace with that, because he feels a lot happier now. He doesn’t do much, but he does make a podcast entitled ‘The 100 women of Marcel’. In it he talks to women who were important in his life. And he likes that so much that he is already making plans for the next series of podcasts: ‘De 100 men van Marcel’.
“Everything that does me good can be found here.”
But otherwise he has enough of his quiet life at that holiday park. “When I first came here I thought: yes, I want to grow old and die here. Everything that does me good can be found here.”
‘KRAAK keeps asking’, is broadcast every Wednesday at 5.15 pm and then repeated. The program can also be viewed online and viewed via Brabant+.