The "Lindenstrasse" ends on Sunday (6:50 pm, the first) with the episode "Goodbye" – after more than 34 years. Moritz A. Sachs (41) was there from start to finish. With his book "I was Klaus Beimer: My life in Lindenstrasse" (EMF Verlag) the actor looks back on this time. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, the 41-year-old explains why his character should die as a child and what he plans for his future.
You have spent most of your life on "Lindenstrasse". How was it for you to write all of this down for your book?
Moritz A. Sachs: It was very good for me. I started shortly after the news that we would stop on "Lindenstrasse". That helped me say goodbye. In our industry, it is normal to come and go – only we didn't know that. I was in front of the camera in the same production for 34 years, mostly with the same people. I was very emotionally bound.
How have you experienced the time since the last day of shooting in December?
Sachs: I don't really notice that I'm missing anything right now. This is due to various things: First of all, we had a year to say goodbye – I'm a little exhausted when it comes to that. In addition, we have had summer and winter breaks in recent years, and I always had a few months off. That means it will take longer to get this feeling that I will never go there again. Now I am glad that the farewell is over and that I have gone through this difficult time.
Which colleagues will you keep in private with?
Sachs: I have a lot of contact with colleagues who live in Cologne like me. I am very close to my former flatmates from "Lindenstrasse", Moritz Zielke and Joris Gratwohl, and also to my former film wife Jacqueline Svilarov and to Cosima Viola. The fact that the workplace was a second home for many from an early age connects us all. And this creates a very intimate relationship.
You tell in the book that you knew Willi Herren before he played on "Lindenstrasse". You took him as a friend to the shoot where he introduced himself. Are you still friends with him today?
Sachs: We see each other from time to time, but of course he's mainly in Mallorca. The contact is therefore not that close anymore, especially in our teenage years when we were shooting together.
Her serial father Joachim Luger said in a "picture" interview that Willi "never played, but embodied himself". Would you agree with that?
Sachs: No, I don't see it that way. Basically, you could say that about all of us. We have fused with our characters over the years. Not in character, but we didn't have to pretend to be big. But that doesn't make acting smaller. I think it is a very big challenge to stay as close to his figure as possible. And that is really only possible if you bring in a part of yourself. Willi is not a trained actor. This also applies to many of us who started early. Olli Klatt and Willi are very different. Willi was never a bad guy. He may be a mess sometimes, but he is a loving person.
Til Schweiger explained about the "Lindenstrasse" that he did not like going to work these two years. How did you experience him?
Sachs: Back then I was very small. Til Schweiger also only had a small role … But it is also a very personal feeling. He was in a completely different phase of life than I was when I started. I never felt that he had a grudge against the local people. In the end, it was probably just not what he wanted to do, not his goal or dream. The same went for others who were only on "Lindenstrasse" for a short time. And Til was right about it for himself, it went well with him.
At the beginning it was not foreseeable that you would be there for so long. Klaus Beimer was supposed to drown as a child on a beach holiday …
Sachs: That's right. I only found out about it years later when I was in my mid-20s. But I did talk to Hans W. Geißendörfer about why Klaus Beimer should die as a child. The point was that something just had to happen. There have been many complaints over decades that the Beimer family has broken up. But of course it was a decision that was imperative to build an arc. Funnily enough, the separation of Helga and Hans Beimer basically accompanied "Lindenstrasse" to the very last episode. That would certainly not have been the case with the alternative, Klaus' death. We also put Benny's death aside at some point.
At what points did you think of quitting yourself?
Sachs: The thought came up in all phases of life change, after school, when I developed myself behind the camera, there were nice job offers. In between, I also asked myself whether the "Lindenstrasse" should be my purpose in life. On the other hand, it was of course a nice, pleasant job to be an actor in a series. For me it has always predominated that I feel comfortable there. I also had the freedom to develop myself on the side. Apart from that, the "Lindenstrasse" was also a nice format.
Her physical changes over the years have always been an issue. You were even told that you were too fat for television, you write.
Sachs: Yes. That was not nice and of course it makes no sense at all. But it limits the roles and the narrative possibilities to a certain type. Whether it's a play, a movie or television: In a way, the visual has to tell the viewer a little something about the character. Klaus Beimer should be positive, find a new woman. So my weight was up for debate. But of course it's not particularly happy when you're exposed to this pressure. Many people who are fatter than the norm are struggling with the topic anyway. You can't really use good advice there. Especially if you have an eating disorder that leads to eating even more in pressure situations.
How did you lose weight?
Sachs: I did this under medical supervision, with a powder diet that ran for three months. There was group therapy and also sports therapy. I was really fed up before, but I realized that losing weight wasn't going to work for me alone. The medical and psychological care then ran over a year. In principle, losing weight quickly is not healthy, you have to get professional help. The problem for me is, of course, that I keep the weight. There are always setbacks: I broke my leg last year, now the job is gone. Everyday struggle is always there.
At the same time as your character Klaus Beimer, you also had to cope with the fact that your partner had a miscarriage. Was playing the hardest thing you've done in your career?
Sachs: Yes, for sure. It was also very difficult for me to write this down. This loss of life perspective that results from this, especially if it happens several times like ours, is bad. You realize that there are worse things in life than losing a television series.
How is your career going? You have also developed behind the camera, working as an assistant director and production manager …
Sachs: Also as production manager, event manager and producer. I haven't decided 100% which way I want to go. I've done so many different things over the years and I don't want to miss any of the areas. I enjoy working behind the camera, I like to organize things. I suspect that I will continue in all areas. I also like to work. At the moment, however, cultural life was discontinued due to the Corona crisis, which affects me like most of my colleagues right now and now. Freelancers, freelancers, theater, small productions and events. I'm afraid without quick help, we will experience a massive long-term slump in our industry that will affect almost everyone.