Thomas Heinze celebrates his 60th birthday
“You only celebrate each birthday once”
Thomas Heinze celebrates his 60th birthday – and his role in the crime series “Der Alte”.
© ZDF/Jürgen Olczyk
Thomas Heinze celebrates his 60th birthday with his family. “That’s the most important thing to me,” says the actor in an interview.
How do you spend your special day: in a small circle with the family or with a big party?
Thomas Heinze: We filmed the second season at the end of December and are now continuing with filming the third season. March 30th is in the middle of our first block of filming, which means we’re filming before and after. But luckily my birthday falls during the Easter holidays. So I can drive from Munich to Berlin and celebrate there with my family. That is the most important thing to me. I don’t necessarily have to have the big party on March 30th. We celebrate it together with all our friends. Personally, I don’t need a big celebration. Those around me put a little more pressure on themselves than I do. For me it’s just another birthday and another number. Whether it’s round or not doesn’t really matter because every birthday is only celebrated once.
Are you not worried about the number 60?
Heinze: Of course, that was already the case when I was 50. At that time I thought to myself: If I lived to be 100 years old, I would have achieved half of my life by now. Of course, assuming that I will live to be 100 is quite ambitious – but not impossible. Now that I’m 60, one thing is very clear: I’m already over half of my life. The time ahead of me will be shorter than the time behind me because 120 is not a realistic age expectation for me – and I don’t even know if I really wanted that.
And how do you deal with it?
Heinze: I can’t change anything about it. Arguing about this wouldn’t do me any good. To quote Katharina Thalbach: “The alternative to getting older would be to die young.” But no one is seriously up for it.
How to make you happy on your birthday, what kind of gift do you like best?
Heinze: I don’t even want to say it because it sounds so corny, but it’s just like that: When my children are around me, I’m very happy. To be honest, I don’t want or need anything more. Apart from that, what I always enjoy are new technical gadgets like the new Apple Vision Pro. Of course my family shouldn’t give it to me, it’s far too expensive (laughs).
They laugh a lot. What other beauty or anti-aging tip for men can you share?
Heinze: I don’t have any general anti-aging tips. I can only say what I personally feel comfortable with and have been for a while: fasting – regardless of Lent. I do intermittent fasting. Twelve hours is the minimum for me, but I prefer 16 to 8, i.e. a 16 hour break between the last and first meal of the next day. This is absolutely doable if you organize your meals a bit. This gave me a big boost in energy. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of cheat days.
And what sport do you like to do the most?
Heinze: I did kickboxing for a while. In addition, my children still keep me busy because they are very active people. Apart from that, I also constantly have bumblebees in my butt. And last but not least, I just go to the fitness center regularly. But for me it is also part of my job. This doesn’t apply to all actors, but for me it’s important to stay in shape to some extent.
What are you particularly looking forward to in the coming year?
Heinze: My son’s birthday is two weeks after me. I’m really looking forward to that too. And then I can’t get a thought out of my head: Jackie recently said that she would like to drive through America with me in a motorhome. I think we should and will do that, especially since I have family there that I would like to see again. Otherwise, I really hope that the “old one” continues to be successful because I really enjoy the role.