Doris Golpashin and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf have been a couple for over ten years, but they don’t reveal much about their relationship. In an interview with GALA, Doris Golpashin reveals what surprised her recently about her partner – and what Klaas’ quality is “a bottomless impertinence”.
In “Check Check” Doris Golpashin, 41, and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, 38, slip into the roles of Sabine and Jan, who have had a turbulent on-off relationship over the three seasons of the popular series. The 41-year-old reveals in the GALA interview that her series characters are very different from her real partnership.
Doris Golpashin: Open words about working with Klaas
The couple stood in front of the camera together for three seasons – now it’s over. A completely new experience, as the actress explains. The two “couldn’t appreciate at all what it’s like for us to be in front of the camera and work together on something,” admits Golpashin, but also emphasizes: “But then we really enjoyed knowing exactly what the other one was doing thinks and feels, you don’t usually have that on the set.” You can read here how the two prepared before shooting together and why they rarely show up at public events.
In the third season “Check Check” Sabine is surprised one morning by her ex-boyfriend Elmar with flowers, balloons and the like in her office, but is not particularly enthusiastic about the romantic gesture. How romantic are you?
Doris Golpashin: I definitely have a strong romantic side, but it’s private and should stay that way. Sabine, on the other hand, discovers a new romantic side to herself in the course of the series, which you as a viewer can really only begrudge her. What I found particularly nice in the third season was being able to pass this side of me on to the character, to loosen it up a bit and let it do things that you wouldn’t have thought it capable of before. It’s a form of romance that I personally find incredibly beautiful.
Doris Golpashin
© Hilde van Mars
In the series you and Klaas play a loving couple, in real life you keep your relationship out of the public eye as much as possible. How does it feel to pose like that on camera when you’re trying to avoid it in private?
This whole collaboration was a completely new story for us, because of course we couldn’t estimate at all what it was like for us to stand in front of the camera and work together on something. Klaas used to visit me often during my shows in Vienna for ORF and it was somehow normal that I work and he watches, but definitely not together or even in front of the camera. But then we really enjoyed knowing exactly what the other person was thinking and feeling, you don’t usually have that on the set. And also to slip into the roles of Sabine and Jan, although they are very different from us with their constant on-off relationship.
Who can remember texts faster – Klaas or you?
Definitely Klaas. This is actually a bottomless cheek. (laughs)
Why?
I like to prepare meticulously in order to have absolute text security. I also need that later on the set to feel more prepared. Klaas, on the other hand, is sitting in the hotel the night before and asking me what we’re actually shooting tomorrow. When I go back and explain the scenes to him, all I get is “Ah ok” – but even then he doesn’t start to learn his lines. He then looks in two minutes before shooting starts and then suddenly he knows everything and plays really, really well – really amazing! (laughs) That’s actually one of the few things that really sets us apart, and I didn’t know that about him before “Check Check”.
Klaas Heufer-Umlauf and Doris Golpashin slip into the roles of Jan and Sabine in “Check Check”. The third season of the series will run on ProSieben every Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. from August 9, 2022.
© Joyn / ProSieben / Georg Wendt
That almost sounds like a photographic memory.
Yes! And these are mostly long passages. He looks at it once and bang, he’s got it. I really envy him for that.
This is how the couple prepares for filming
Are you preparing for upcoming filming together?
For the first season we played together at home a couple of times, but honestly we found it a bit bizarre but also funny at the same time, and then we stopped. It was better that way, so that a nice spontaneous chemistry could develop on the set.
“Check Check” will soon be on TV on ProSieben. Do you then sit at home with your family in front of the television and watch the episodes together?
No, we don’t do that.
Was Filming Season 3 “Check Check” Sentimental?
Yes, very sentimental. Mainly because we actually shot the last scene on the very last day of shooting. I will actually miss this barren and always very empty airport, where we have been able to spend so much time in the last three years. In the end, as the sun went down over Kassel Airport, I thought: It’s awesome that we shot this series for three years during the pandemic – and that everything went so well.
The third season of “Check Check” will run on ProSieben every Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. from August 9, 2022.
© Joyn / ProSieben / Georg Wendt
Do you now also prefer provincial airports privately?
That always depends on where you want to go, doesn’t it? (laughs) I think I can’t avoid flying to the big airports. But I also have to admit that I have an incredible passion for airplanes and that getting a pilot’s license is at the top of my agenda. This is really a big dream. I love planes, I love being in the air, although there’s no way I want to retrain to be a pilot! That would be more for personal use.
Doris Golpashin and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf rarely appear on the red carpet
They rarely appear together at public events, most recently at the racecourse in Munich and the Federal Press Ball. Not comfortable on the red carpet?
We are happy to do this for very special occasions. But basically we would neither have the time nor the desire to attend four events a week – we’re just not like that. Although it is of course great fun to go out again after the long Corona break. But you can do that privately too.
Do you like to dress up, have your make-up and hair done professionally?
Of course! Already a woman through and through, I’m a big fan of beautiful dresses, great make-up and also really enjoy getting ready for special occasions.
Doris Golpashin and Klaas Heufer-Umlauf at the Federal Press Ball in the Hotel Adlon in Berlin on April 29, 2022.
© Eventpress / imago images
In an interview with News.at you said that you are “perfectly happy professionally.” Are there any projects that would appeal to you – apart from the pilot’s license?
So the pilot’s license would be a purely private hobby, I don’t want to do that to anyone. (laughs) I’ve just finished a nice project for Netflix, it’s coming next year, unfortunately I can’t say more about it. And I’ll be shooting again in the fall, but I’m not allowed to talk about it then either. Just this much: They are completely different roles than Sabine and I am now looking forward to new challenges.
And what about musicals?
Oh no, it’s been 20 years since my training as a musical. Unfortunately, today I’m an absolute disaster when it comes to singing. (laughs) But I have tremendous respect for the whole industry.