The Bundschuhs are drawn to the country in their new adventure, which will be shown on TV on Monday. That would also be Andrea Sawatzki’s dream …
“They all have at least a little bang”: Andrea Sawatzki (58) reveals in an interview with spot on news why the Bundschuhs offend in their current adventure. “The Bundschuh family: It’s not quieter anywhere else” – the sixth film in the series – will be shown by ZDF on December 6th at 8:15 pm. In addition to Sawatzki, there are again Axel Milberg (65), Levis Kachel (15), Thekla Carola Wied (77), Judy Winter (77), Stephan Grossmann (50), Eva Löbau (49) and Uwe Ochsenknecht (65).
In the comedy – based on the series of novels by Andrea Sawatzki – there are new challenges for Gundula (Sawatzki) and Gerald Bundschuh (Axel Milberg): Gerald buys an old manor house in the country without Gundula’s knowledge. The relatives want to move into the new family home. But of course they don’t want to contribute to the modernization of the property themselves … Sawatzki, who has two sons with husband Christian Berkel (64), explains whether their own family has something in common with the Bundschuhs.
“The Bundschuh family – it’s not quieter anywhere else” is now being broadcast on television. How has your character Gundula changed over the past few years?
Andrea Sawatzki: For some time she has been trying to make more of her life. The children are slowly out of the house. But family life with the mothers, brother and sister-in-law remains. Out of necessity, they actually all live together in the new part. Of course, she really wants to escape and thinks about other skills. Gundula tries to find a job. She wants to push aside her fear of “just” being a housewife and mother and find out what else is in her. This is a big step for them, but it is entirely understandable. In this regard, Gundula is a good role model for a great many women: She just does things, even if she keeps falling on her face. She is constantly trying to change her life.
The Bundschuh family moves to the country on their new adventure. You have contributed the book template again. What was your inspiration for this story?
Sawatzki: First of all, I had to bring this whole family together in one place without anyone being able to leave. I needed them all in one place to be able to let them fall on each other even better. The real trigger for the story was the Berlin airport, which suddenly opened, which nobody would have suspected anymore. It occurred to me that the Rotkehlchenweg, where the family lives, could be in the flight path. So they have to move away – and end up in a three-sided courtyard. After all, I needed a big building so that everyone could fit in. Gerald has good contacts in the tax office with Rüdiger from the insolvency department and so comes to the court, which he thinks is a bargain. Gundula sees this more realistically and wants to stop the family from doing it. But since everyone actually wants to live in a castle, there is of course trouble.
Even in the village, the Bundschuhs are not welcomed with open arms …
Sawatzki: Exactly. You have a very difficult time there. It’s just a very weird family. They all have at least a little bang. Gundula perhaps least of all. In this respect, it is not easy for the Bundschuhs to catch up. They also live so remote in the wilderness that they don’t even have neighbors. In the film, at least one monument protection officer takes care of them – but not in a good sense.
Could you imagine living in such a remote place?
Sawatzki: Yes! I prefer to be in the country and not the city dweller. I love the outdoors and animals. I don’t really need much more. So I would like a three-sided farm. But I don’t think my husband would go along with it. I would surely have sheep, chickens, pigs and even more dogs. I think I need a few more rounds of persuasion …
Have your husband and sons found each other in the “Bundschuh” stories?
Sawatzki: No. The Bundschuhs are very different from my family. There are no parallels. As much as Gundula resembles me in some respects, my family members are so far removed from the Bundschuhs. The two dogs that appear in the books, Gulliver, the mastiff and Othello, the dachshund, are actually autobiographical. They are important for the stories because the dogs often do what they are not supposed to do. And some events have flowed in that I have observed or been told. I keep finding that people like the Bundschuhs really do exist. It is the best compliment when people come to me and say that they feel at home with the Bundschuhs because they also have a Bundschuh in the family.
Could you imagine turning the “Bundschuhs” into a TV series?
Sawatzki: Yes, that was actually our aim. However, it is currently difficult with the slots. A series would really be an option for this family. Then you would have a lot more opportunities to illuminate each family member even more in the individual episodes. In a film over 90 minutes with eleven people, it is difficult to do everyone justice. At the moment, however, the plan is to do two 90-minute films a year.
A top ensemble comes together for the films. How familiar is it on set?
Sawatzki: The nice thing is that my colleagues have taken their characters very much to their hearts and have a great desire to shape them again and again or to give them something new. Or they develop their own ideas about where they would like to see their characters. It’s a kind of teamwork. It’s nice and exciting to see how the characters that I invented have become independent.
For many, the “Bundschuh” films are part of the Christmas season. Do you have fixed Christmas rituals in your family?
Sawatzki: I decorate the house and – now with the help of the boys – I get the Christmas tree. I really enjoy doing all of this. I make the house festive and surprise my family with it – whether they see it or not. And then we always cook together. We have a very small family, four of us celebrate. Christmas Eve is very important to us. And that will certainly not change in the near future. There are even gifts for the dogs: special treats that they then have to unpack themselves.
In other words, you don’t even know the Christmas stress that many families experience?
Sawatzki: Christmas has always been very harmonious with us. But we’ve never been as big a family as the Bundschuhs. Our mothers used to be there and they were both very cute. It was and is absolutely beautiful every time.
In December you will also celebrate your tenth wedding anniversary. Is that big for you?
Sawatzki: Yes, we made a promise at our wedding that we would have a huge party every ten years. There were 150 friends at our wedding and we plan to invite all 150 friends every ten years. The planning is delayed due to Corona. But we can also celebrate the eleventh year.