Christoph Maria Herbst
So he turned into ex-Wirecard boss Markus Braun
Christophh Maria Herbst as Markus Braun
© TVNOW / Gordon Muehle
Christoph Maria Herbst plays Markus Braun in the documentary thriller “The Wirecard Story”. In an interview, he reveals how he approached him.
The Wirecard scandal has shaken the financial world. The documentary thriller “The Big Fake – The Wirecard Story” (from March 31, 2021 via TVNow, on April 22nd at 8:15 p.m. on RTL) shows a complex picture and the deepest abysses of Wirecard AG in a mixture of documentation, partly exclusive interviews and fictional thriller. In the fictional part, Christoph Maria Herbst (55, “Stromberg”) plays Wirecard boss Markus Braun (52), who is now in custody. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the actor tells how he prepared for the challenging role, to what extent his training as a banker helped him and what advantages the “docu-fiction” genre brings with it.
How did you personally experience the emergence of the Wirecard scandal?
Christoph Maria Herbst: With an open mouth and big eyes. To be honest, I didn’t trust this roast right from the start. When something is so hyped and a stock price grows so exponentially, something is wrong. Exponential is always sick. I don’t want to be more visionary here than I am, but I never bought their shares.
Did you have a queasy feeling about accepting the role or were you immediately fascinated by it?
Herbst: I had two souls in my chest. The fearful rabbit in me had a queasy feeling because the figure is based on a real, living person, and who harbors certain dangers. The playful child in me just found it fascinating to try to approach someone like that.
How did you prepare for the role of a man with such media presence, but also a mysterious man?
Herbst: I was able to draw on the full. Much has been written, the internet is full of reports about Wirecard, Braun and Marsalek. These are all pieces of the puzzle that I have tried to put together. The outside helped me a lot. Our costume designer put me in the most expensive cloth and gave me a Rolex, frameless glasses and Steve Jobs turtlenecks make a difference. All that triggers something in you and with that I went on the journey. I think I was similarly unbearable during filming. A figure cannot simply be switched on and off.
You have completed an apprenticeship as a banker yourself. Did that help you prepare?
Herbst: It would be bad if I said now that my banking apprenticeship had prepared me well for the role of Markus Braun. No, but what actually helped was that I didn’t have too much trouble with this business Chinese. Sometimes you have to memorize the incomprehensible phonetically and then claim while playing that you know what you are saying. This was not necessary here. I knew what I was talking about when I talked about algorithms, cash flow and volatilities.
What was important to you in portraying the imprisoned Markus Braun?
Herbst: I always thought there was something aloof and exotic about him, but in the few interviews that exist he came across as awkward and sweaty. In any case, it helped to give him an Austrian linguistic touch, and I had a Swiss artist make blue lenses for me, which perfectly covered my brown eyes. Often some apparent externality helps to reveal something.
“‘Stromberg’ plays the Wirecard boss” headlined the media. Concerned that your comedy presence might get in the way for your role?
Herbst: First of all, I was amused that some people still have the Stromberg so present six years after his funeral. I guess the series and the film are still looked up and down. Personally, I ticked that off a long time ago, and apparently so did our director Raymond Ley: He did a casting. It looks like he, the casting studio and the UFA didn’t have any concerns afterwards.
How was the collaboration with Franz Hartwig and how do you like his portrayal of Marsalek?
Herbst: Franz has a good sense of humor and comes from the theater. Those are two good prerequisites for getting along with someone. We were able to coordinate well and develop things. I think that’s important. Because film is also an appointment.
Why is it important to also see a fictional part in the documentary?
Herbst: The genre is documentary fiction or documentary thriller. You can’t do it justice with interviews alone. It takes actors who condense and illustrate at the same time. Since you can then work with your own dramaturgical means, the thriller is much easier to produce.
What do you wish for the viewer to stay behind after the documentary thriller?
Herbst: I guess for the end user that what was going on is pretty opaque and stressful. I hope the film can bring some entertaining light into the darkness. The “docu-fiction” genre is incredibly exciting: people involved come to the fore in interviews and actors help the background to foreground and transparency. Personally, I always enjoy watching films in this genre because they almost always offer me the best infotainment. I find this mixture of “so could” and “so has” appealing and hopefully the audience too.