Florian David Fitz can be seen in the cinema again in “Wochenendrebellen” and reveals in an interview how life changes with children.
The new film “Wochenendrebellen” can currently be seen in cinemas across Germany. Florian David Fitz (48) plays Mirco, the father of an autistic boy. The story, which is based on a true event, tells of ten-year-old Jason, who is encouraged to switch to a special school. But his parents want to do everything they can to keep him at school.
The result is a film that tells the story of a moving family story in a humorous way. And for Florian David Fitz, this role was also associated with completely new impressions: In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the actor reveals how he decides on a role, why people often become more traditional with children and why he describes himself as ” “Soccer Alien”.
Mirco, the father in the film, is reminiscent of a typical family man. What parallels do you see with yourself?
Florian David Fitz: The most important parallel to Mirco is that he also exists in the real world. When I read the script, I first thought about the differences from us. Because I kept thinking, ‘I couldn’t do this.’ With every page I turned, I thought ‘I’m out of my depth here’ or ‘I wouldn’t be able to do this’ given the challenges of being a father of an autistic child. In this respect, they were almost more differences than real parallels. But I think there is a great similarity in humor. In the end, that’s what saves Mirko, it makes everything possible. And everyone I know – whether they are parents or not – has a very strong feeling about the situations shown in the film.
How was the exchange with the real family team? Have you also spoken to Mirco and his son Jason?
Fitz: I actually met Jason a little later than his father. Richard Kropf, the author, definitely had the most contact with the two of them. The two were welded together until the cut. Because there are scenes in the film where, for example, Jason’s inside view is illustrated. Discussions about the sound alone sometimes took hours before they could really convey his feelings. Jason then also said: ‘That’s how it feels to me.’ That really touched me.
I think it’s important that they both feel like their story has been met. Of course it’s different than life because it’s sometimes exaggerated in the film, but it’s also interesting for the audience because you briefly get into the head of an autistic boy.
Mirco and Jason travel to find a favorite football club: Are you also a fan in your personal life?
Fitz: I’m a soccer alien. I was even surprised at the amount of love and affection that was shown everywhere. These are emotions in such force: this huge crowd of people and the wall of people, with flags and chants. It’s all so emotional. I think you can feel this particularly well in the cinema.
And the two of them (Mirco and Jason) are like aliens in their own way, entering this football world.
You have said several times that one scene, a kind of “outburst of anger” by the father, is particularly important to you. Why is this so important?
Fitz: That brings us to the differences between film and life. This exact scene didn’t exist in either of their lives, but there were endless similar moments. Because the film is about change and the child, as an autistic person, will not experience any change per se because he cannot be cured, it is about the change in the father. It shows that this character goes far beyond his limitations. And most of the audience also feels like they’re already way past my limits. However, the fact that you are overwhelmed and still love your child does not have to be mutually exclusive. That’s why this scene is so important.
In “Weekend Rebels” you see a classic family situation with a rather typical distribution of roles. What is it like for you as an actor who otherwise likes to play with role clichés in order to break them?
Fitz: First of all, the situation was what it was, we couldn’t just tell it differently. But clichés interest me the moment they also have a truth. Because I’m sometimes surprised at how traditional everything becomes once people have children. You suddenly slip back into things like that. I think people often cling to clichés because they’re tired of constantly redefining themselves… while having kids, having a job and all the demands you place on yourself.
And what is it like for you: How do you organize yourself to get everything under one roof?
Fitz: As soon as there are children, a huge part of your life that you had freely at your disposal falls away. And if you have already filled this part mainly with work, then the work is pushed to the side and takes place somewhere else. This is also called the ‘traffic jam’ of life – for me it’s just a little later than for others. It’s a lot, but I console myself with the fact that it’s just a phase. And on the other hand, I want to take everything with me. I consciously decided to do this.
How do you decide on a material or a role, and what was it like for the current film?
Fitz: Choosing a role is probably more random than you think. At the beginning I said I wasn’t the right person for the role in “Weekend Rebels” because I didn’t know anything about football. And at some point I read the book and thought it made a big difference for me that the story told was completely real.
But of course: When I’m looking for material to write, I go through the world with my eyes and ears open and look at what’s going on and what concerns or interests me. Because when I make a film, I want the audience to be entertained, to laugh or perhaps to shed a tear. And in the end you might also take something with you that affects you personally.
Are there any future projects that you are involved in?
Fitz: I wrote a Netflix series that will be released next year. In the first half of this year I also wrote a script for a feature film that we will shoot next year. It’s about singing, namely how happy singing makes you – or whether it does. It’s also a comedy and I’ll be one of several singing in the choir of a psychiatric facility.