An Actor for all seasons
Germany's pride and one of Europe's most amazing actors, Daniel Brühl!
by Jed Medina & Kathleen Sydenham

"You have to be very careful as a German actor in Hollywood because normally it's very limited the parts that you're offered- you can imagine what classical parts you are offered as a German actor," replied Daniel Brühl in an interview by Neala Johnson. The typical role Brühl referred to is that of being the bad Nazi, a role he already played and is not willing to try again.

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A Tale of Two Actors: In an article written for Another Man by David Calhoun, he said 'It's interesting to contrast his career with the young American actors of a similar stature- those who, one minute are hailed as the new saviors of independent cinema, and the next, are dressing up as Spiderman or nestling happily in King Kong's computer-generated fur. Its easier to say yes that it is to say no'. Though it was written especially for Gael Garcia Bernal, it applies almost perfectly to Daniel Brühl. The two acclaimed actors have more than just principles and personal views in common. Both also speak Spanish and seem to click the minute they started talking.

"I was glad that he was so well-informed about my movies because his name is a bit better-known than mine," Brühl says of his first meeting with Garcia Bernal. "We liked each other right away.

"If you come from Spain, you don't use insults as frequently as Mexicans do. So I needed time to get used to being called an asshole 30 times a minute. But it's a compliment, you know. It's quite charming." he added.

It's interesting to note that both actors have already started to carve their niche in world cinema. Relishing roles in some of the most acclaimed indie films in recent years, both actors have demonstrated a certain charisma and intensity that excited filmgoers around the world. Indeed, Garcia Bernal has been credited in igniting worldwide interest in Mexican films, while Brühl played an important part in reviving German cinema to an appreciative audience who wanted more than the usual big-budgeted Hollywood films.

Hello World! : Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo was born in Barcelona, Spain, and is the son of German stage director Hanno Brühl and a Catalan professor. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to Cologne, Germany where he grew up. He was raised in a fully bilingual home, and so speaks both German and Spanish fluently (some Catalan as well). His brother still lives in Spain.

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Brühl first entered the scene with an amazing performance in the 2003 award-winning film Goodbye Lenin! Directed by Wolfgang Becker, the film shows how a young man named Alex (Brühl) would do anything to protect his mother after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Combining a mixture of teen angst, bittersweet romance and a rather personal and often comedic look into the lives of a typical German family, the film depicted an important part of German history. Many young Eastern Europeans appreciated the film because they see themselves in Brühl. But the acclaim is not limited to those who lived in the Iron Curtain, as the success of the film is almost universal.

'German director Wolfgang Becker projects a warm, human comedy of intimate dimensions' says a critic. And much of the film's "success is due to the lead actor's (Brühl) inspired performance" says another.

"Good Bye, Lenin! is an outstanding movie which exactly matched the Zeitgeist and touched a nerve in people at that time, obviously not only in Germany but also in countries like France, Great Britain and the United States." commented the actor.

Brühl eventually won the best actor award at the European Film Academy. It was a first of many accolades for the young German actor.

Marching His Way into the Hearts of Filmgoers: After Goodbye Lenin, Brühl starred in a number of high-profile roles, cementing his position as one of Europe’s most important leading men. Among the roles that brought much acclaim to Brühl are Hans Weingartner’s The Edukators, the youthful drama “was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken” (Love in Thoughts), Ladies in Lavender and Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas).

In The Edukators, he was reunited with noted filmmaker Hans Weingartner, whom he collaborated earlier in The White Sound, where he play a young man suffering from schizophrenia.

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"We do have a very special relationship." says Brühl of the director. "While shooting "The White Sound" Hans even started to call me his "favorite enemy", just like Werner Herzog called Klaus Kinski in his documentary. Sometimes we fight like crazy, but in the end we always find a common denominator, like in a good friendship, where you hate and love one another. Also, when shooting is over, we always stay in touch." He added.

Many regarded his role in The Edukators as one of his finest. Perhaps his best after his role as the young East German, Alex coping with the sweeping change of reunification in Goodbye Lenin!

In this film, two young Germans Peter (Stipe Erceg) and Jan (Daniel Brühl) take their political beliefs very seriously and wanted to make sure they are heard. They decided that to effectively send the message, they invaded the mansions of the wealthy, rearranged their furniture and valuables and leave messages like "your days of plenty are numbered." When Peter's girlfriend Jule (Julia Jentsch) moves in, she joins them in their subversive activities. But when a rich businessman catches them in the act, they decided to kidnap him. Faced with the values of the generation in power, they will see what kind of revolutionaries they are, if their friendship can survive, and discover if they truly work in the interest of the greater good, or just for their own self-interest.

"It's easy to be a rebel when you're young," says Brühl. "Then you want a bigger car and a bigger house. I experienced that myself. As long as you are conscious of that and you don't get decadent because of your success, it's all right." The Guardian reports.

Whether he remains untainted by his own success is an open question. "It's sad but true but if you have a commercial success you become valuable. This is how it works unfortunately and that's what has happened to me. There are much more offers than before. It's tough because I want to be very careful. My father is a good adviser. He didn't want me to become an actor because he said they were stupid and vain. Now he's proud of me and we work together."

Aside from The Edukators, much praised was given to Brühl when he starred in another notable film that year, Love in Thoughts. Pitting talents (and charm) with another top German talent, August Diehl, the film is based on a true story of a suicide pact between two young men. Set in 1927, it depicts a fascinating period when Germany took a brief respite between two world wars.

In Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas), Brühl starred with two other German acting talents, former supermodel and German icon Diane Kruger (Troy) and the Benno Fürmann (The Princess and the Warrior). The film also starred French heartthrob Guillame Canet. This Academy Award, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee for Best Foreign Film, tells the true-life story of the spontaneous Christmas Eve truce declared by Scottish, French and German troops in the trenches of World War I. The colloaborative nature of the film's production is but a testament to Brühl's growing reputation as a star with an international appeal.

On the lighter side, Ladies in Lavender provided Brühl with an opportunity to get an introduction to British cinema and a chance to work alongside two acting greats- Judi Dench and Maggie Smith.

Daniel Brühl: I am always offered the role of the good guy. I actually like playing it... I always wondered why of all actors I was chosen for this role because physically I did not meet the expectations of director Charles Dance. He was looking for someone like the youth in Luchino Visconti's "Death in Venice" - blond, angelic, soft. There must be something that makes filmmakers and audience see the romantic in me, however, I have no idea what it could be." commented the actor.

No matter, critics and filmgoers agreed Brühl has arrived!

Recent Works: In 2006, the actor played another career-defining role. As anti-Franco-fighter Salvador Puig Antich, Brühl wasted no time to showcase his range as an actor. Evidently, he wanted to make sure that his audience is aware that he's ready to take on more matured roles. Comparison was made between his role in Salvador and in The Edukators "The roles do have a lot in common. Salvador and Jan are both young men that fight injustice and that want to change the system. This courage for wanting to change things and to risk something for it I do admire a lot. " says Brühl.

"In Salvador's case there was a distinct enemy, the Franco dictatorship, which they fought against. This distinctness is also what fascinates me about the time back then. That's the problem for us today that supposedly you can do or leave anything, even though that isn't true. To find ways and means for protest today is difficult. " he added.

At the recent Berlin Film Festival also made waves in the romantic comedy film, Two Days. The film was the directorial debut of French actress Julie Delpy, who also played the lead star.

What's next? "One day I would like to play the nasty scheming rat, one whole movie through. Perhaps like John Malkovich in "Dangerous Liaisons" - that's my dream." Daniel replied about what type of roles he is looking forward to.

This interview which took place earlier in his career was a bit prophetic. Soon to be screened is the Anglo/Russian production In Transit where he'll be playing an evil prisoner of war, also co-stars (surprise!) John Malkovich.

The Last Word "I am incredibly silly, but I can be an asshole as well. I probably do not dare to show that often enough, at least not onscreen. My friends, my girlfriend and my parents, however, know very well that I can be an asshole. But somehow nobody wants to see me like this in front of the camera; I am always offered the role of the good guy. I actually like playing it..."

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Spotlight on Daniel Brühl written by Jed Medina and Kathleen Sydenham for the Movie-Fanatic. All Rights Reserved Worldwide 2007

Interview Excerpts, quotes and sources:

Articles from DanielBruhl.com:

Interview: ''Inside, I am probably still a boy after all.''- Interview by Edda Bauer. Translated from German by Lissy.

Interview: 'Deeply rooted in Spain'taz Nr. 7745 vom 18.8.2005, Seite 15, 291 Zeilen (Interview) by JULIA MACHER. Translated from Spanish by meininki

Radically chic, an article about Daniel Bruehl published by the Guardian.

Photoshoots courtesy of Players.de, his agency in Germany.

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