Olivia Marei has played the determined police commissioner Toni Ahrens at GZSZ since 2018. Above all, the love story about her and the criminal Eric has done it to the fans. In an interview with GALA, she explained how well the actress gets along with actor Patrick Heinrich off the set.
Olivia Marei, 31, has been part of the GZSZ cast for three years now. A time in which her role “Toni Ahrens” had to go through many ups and downs: from a covert investigation to a newfound love to working with a mass murderer.
In an interview with GALA, the likeable actress looks back on her most exciting scenes and explains why working with colleague Patrick Heinrich, 36, also brings with it some obstacles.
GZSZ star Olivia Marei on her most difficult scenes, the collaboration with Patrick Heinrich and private wishes for 2022
Gala: You and your colleague Patrick Heinrich are a real dream team – at least that’s what the scenes and short excerpts on your Instagram account show. Do you find the scenes with Patrick particularly easy – or does it actually make it more difficult?
Olivia Marei: Patrick and I are really good friends in private and that’s why we’re always happy when we shoot together. Apart from our friendship, we have a similar work ethic, love to be on the set, to be able to pursue our dream job and really put our heart and soul into the stories that we are allowed to tell. The scenes with him are easy for me because I know that we can give each other honest, constructive criticism and therefore improve.
We are of course a well-rehearsed team by now, but it would be a fallacy to believe that the scenes are then easier. In acting, you want to surprise and challenge your play partners – that becomes more difficult the better you know each other and we would like to continue practicing with it. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the ‘Erni’ couple got predictable and boring.
Sometimes Patrick and I daydream about whether we will meet in a different format and in different roles as the end of the game. That would be really exciting – at least for us. (laughs)
This scene challenged Olivia the most
Which scene has been the most difficult for you so far at GZSZ and why?
I shot one of the most difficult scenes in 2018 when my role Toni confronted her mother Nina with the fact that she (Nina) had not adequately protected her children from the violent father. I was relatively new to GZSZ, not yet sure about the daily shooting process, but I really wanted to do justice to this storyline. With the help of our acting coach Henning Kober at the time, I finally managed to get involved in the situation:
That was a personal breakthrough for me and I am still grateful to him for that.
Which scenes do you like to think back on?
My absolute favorite scenes are those in which Erik and Toni get to know each other. Erik as a criminal undercover agent and Toni as the eager inspector – an unequal match that their love can still not hold back. This story was well written, a mix of action, crime and of course love. There was, for example, the scene in which Toni and Erik run into the lake and then really kiss for the first time, or the scene in which Toni shoots Erik’s brother in order to save Erik.
Patrick and I often sat together after the shoot and made sure how often in our lives we will look back on this time and say how special it was and that’s exactly how it is.
In addition to the story we were allowed to shoot, I also got to know Patrick better privately during this time and found a best friend in him.
Your social media is almost overflowing with good humor, but also images of nature and travel. However, you live in Potsdam, studied in London and grew up in Vienna. Would you rather describe yourself as a nature lover or a city dweller?
In fact, I mostly lived in big cities, whether in Vienna, London, Singapore or Berlin. The only time I’ve really lived in the country was actually during my exchange year when I was 16 living in a village in Missouri, USA. At that time I didn’t have much love for the landscape and missed the ‘Big City Life’. But now I and we as a family are always drawn out into solitude and nature. Maybe I just need that to compensate for the daily routine of shooting. For me, time passes more slowly in nature. Everything is more unpredictable, more exciting and I can remember what is important in life. Nothing beats the feeling of standing under a rushing waterfall or on a mountain peak. Only in these moments do I notice the nullity of our ‘manmade problems’ again.
Other than that, there is nothing better than showing our child the natural wonders of our world. But I also love the many different people you can get to know in a city and the art and cultural offerings, the good restaurants with different international cuisines, the clubs and bars, but also everything that I have described above about nature. What I definitely don’t like is thinking in drawers and that’s why I answer this question, whether natural or urban person, simply with: human!
Olivia’s wish for 2022? That the daughter of a good friend is doing better
2022 is just around the corner: What are your wishes and hopes for the new year?
In general, I would especially like more solidarity and unity among us. Nobody wanted this pandemic, everyone suffers from it and only through solidarity will we be able to overcome this difficult time in the best way.
Personally, many of my thoughts are with Anni, my good friend’s daughter. She has a rare genetic defect and can finally start her therapy shortly before Christmas.
This was made possible by a fundraising campaign this year, for which I am very grateful to everyone involved.
What do you hope for your role Toni in the coming months? What can fans look forward to?
Toni had a difficult time after she accidentally got involved with the mass murderer Bastian and got herself in danger. Professionally, she’s not up to date again and has to do a lot of office work instead of being allowed to be on active duty, which she doesn’t like at all. In the next few months she will try to work her way up again and take on an exciting case. Maybe the main suspect in the case is even someone from the Kolle-Kiez?
In general, it will definitely be very exciting again: handcuffs are put on, hearts are broken and before that they play a violin. (laughs)
Sources used: own interview, instagram.com