“A touch of America”
Elisa Schlott had an unusual start to her career
Elisa Schlott as Marie Kastner in “A Touch of America”.
© SWR / FFP New Media GmbH / Ben Knabe
“A Touch of America” star Elisa Schlott explains what makes the series so special. She also talks about the start of her career.
Elaborately produced historical multi-parts are popular with the audience and now the first is adding a new chapter to this subgenre. The miniseries “A Touch of America” will be broadcast in double episodes from Wednesday (December 1st, December 4th and December 8th) at 8:15 pm. If you want to see more right away, all episodes are already available in the media library.
Emancipation and Racism in Post-War Germany
The post-war series tells of the clash of two worlds when US soldiers were stationed in the Palatinate province in the early 1950s, paving the way for the villagers to individual freedom and capitalism. In terms of culture, the “German Krauts” and the American GIs, who want to bring the Germans closer to the “American way of life”, are initially still miles apart. The fact that “the major political issues of the time, which today form the foundation of our society, are being negotiated in this rural region” particularly appealed to Elisa Schlott about the historical multi-part, as the leading actress explains in an interview with the news agency spot on news.
The multi-faceted painting of customs embeds highly topical issues such as emancipation and racism in a large historical context and an exciting story. The miniseries takes place in Germany, but also tells of the racism of the time in the USA. “The Americans bring a modern society and the principle of freedom to Germany. But America is not a free society because of the racial segregation of the time, many rights only apply to whites. This leads to conflicts among the stationed GIs. Also because black GIs are freer in Germany felt at home in America, “says Schlott, explaining the context.
The Israeli director Dror Zahavi (62, “Tatort: Franziska”) does not only address US racism in the series. It is also about the persecution of the Jews under National Socialism, which many Germans wanted to sweep under the carpet after the war, and the denazification of the population. “It is important to our director Dror Zahavi to tell all forms of racism and to tackle them,” explains Schlott on the two major issues.
A close friendship and an unusual love
The series focuses on two relationships. On the one hand, the friendship between the farmer’s daughter Marie Kastner (Schlott) and the mayor’s daughter, Erika Strumm (Franziska Brandmeier, born in 1993). “Erika and Marie are family for each other. They have the same roots, even if Erika’s family rose through the Nazi regime,” says Schlott.
It is also about the love story between Marie and the black soldier George Washington (Reomy D. Mpeho). “Marie and George come from completely different realities of life and yet have one thing in common: They are at the very end of class society. That connects the two, even if their relationship is not accepted from outside,” says Schlott.
“The character of Marie was very exciting for me insofar as I was able to tell a great character development,” says the actress. The inner workings of the figure were particularly important to her. “In order to be able to develop this for myself, I worked with a family constellation. It was also important for me to experience the physical work on a farm for myself. This opened up the pragmatism of this character to me,” she explains.
When asked about the natural styling of your figure compared to the sexy styles of girlfriend Erika, the actress says: “Marie has no time for styling. That’s why we see her most of the time with a practical braided hairstyle to get the hair off her face. With the change in Marie’s views, her visual appearance also changes. “
This is how Elisa Schlott came to acting
In addition to Elisa Schlott, Dietmar Bär (60), Anna Schudt (47), Jonas Nay (31), Julia Koschitz (46), Nina Gummich (30), Samuel Finzi (55) and Philippe Brenninkmeyer (57) are included in the miniseries see. The main actress should be familiar with working with stars. Because already in the award-winning GDR escape and family separation drama “Die Frau vom Checkpoint Charlie” (2007) she played one of the two little daughters of the title character (Veronica Ferres, 56).
By the way, it was thanks to herself that she got a taste of film as a teenager. “I signed up for a children’s agency for film and television independently over the Internet. Then the first auditions came and my first film was accepted,” says the artist, who has now received multiple awards, of her rather unusual start to her career.
And what did your parents say about it? “My parents always supported me,” she says. Her half-sisters Emilia (born 2005) and Helena Pieske (born 2007) are also actresses. Who is giving tips to whom? “My sisters are very talented and independent. But when they have questions, I always have an open ear for them. And I get tips from my sisters on a regular basis,” chats Elisa Schlott from the family sewing box.
Speaking of home: the multi-part series will be broadcast during Advent. Does Elisa Schlott have a lot of glitter and sparkle? Apparently rather not: “I find the pre-Christmas period very cozy. I’m just not a fan of Christmas decorations. They are very discreet with me,” she says.