“Hotel Barcelona” star Manuel Cortez
He feels “really powerless” when it comes to climate change
© ZDF/Lucía Faraig
“Hotel Barcelona” is also about climate change. A topic that makes Manuel Cortez feel “really powerless sometimes.”
On Sunday (September 17th, 8:15 p.m., ZDF) the second part of “Hotel Barcelona” will be shown, in which Manuel Cortez (44) celebrated his acting comeback as the lively chef last Sunday. Among other things, the two-part TV series is about a historic building that is being severely affected by climate change. The German-Portuguese actor sometimes feels “really powerless” when it comes to this topic, as he admits in an interview with spot on news.
“This is an important and big topic,” he said of the unifying element in the two films. “It’s just been really bothering me again because we recently drove back from Lake Garda and got caught in an extreme storm,” says the Munich resident and adds. “It’s really scary how bad the storms and floods are now. In Munich alone this summer we’ve had seven or eight storms where it rained and hailed so much.” And he gives further examples: “Frankfurt was just under water, Italy was already under water several times, in Milan it looked like there was a war, half of Mallorca recently flew away,” says Cortez.
“Yes, that used to happen, but now it goes on non-stop. Anyone who denies it simply doesn’t want to see it,” says the artist, who also deals intensively with psychological and philosophical topics.
Road glue vs. mallet
“To be honest, I sometimes feel really powerless when it comes to this topic,” admits the actor. A lot is being done on many levels, but one also realizes how pointless it is.
“There is the desperate side that sticks to the streets to attract attention. Then there is the politics that ultimately only represents their electoral interests. Then climate policy is made with a wooden hammer, which drives people away from the climate issue in large numbers “, Cortez summarizes the dilemma and adds with concern: “Instead, it actually promotes the currents that we don’t actually want. That’s so frustrating.”
With “own consumption” against climate change
And what helps against this frustration? “The only thing left is your own consumption, which for me means breaking away from your own habits,” explains Manuel Cortez. “I haven’t flown for a long time, I travel a lot by train and bike. I try to buy packaging-free and regionally,” he says about his own lifestyle, which has been adapted to the circumstances.
But consumers can also do a lot when it comes to clothing, he explains: “We have power with our consumption. That also puts pressure on companies. But that also means that you should start to think differently. In times like these “With inflation and war it is of course an even greater challenge. But otherwise the individual’s hands are tied,” is his rather euphoric conclusion.