Now aged 45, the German actor first rose to fame by playing the “likeable” teacher of Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winning The White Ribbon (2019), a bleak allegory of the roots of authoritarianism and dehumanisation (which eventually led to to ascension of Nazism) in Germany. More recently, he received virtually universal praise for his naturalistic portrayal of SS officer and commandant of Auschwitz Rudolf Höss, in Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar and Cannes Grand Prix winner The Zone of Interest, a disturbingly humanistic representation of Nazi family life.

He comes to London (the city where he first met Glazer, he tells us) for the 32nd edition of Raindance. He is running a masterclass, in which he will take film professionals and film lovers alike on a journey through his acting career. The event is part of the German Film’s 70th Anniversary celebration, and it will be followed by a screening of Michael Haneke’s potent masterpiece.

The UK’s favourite indie film festival takes place between June 19th and 28th. Click here in order to find out more, and book your tickets now.

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Victor Fraga – Welcome to the UK! How often have you presented your work in person here?

Christian Friedel – Unfortunately, not very often. The first time I worked in London was for Jessica Hausner’s film Amour Fou [2014], as there is a very beautiful, old costume (fundus?) collection here. And the work for The Zone of Interest also started for me in London, as it was here that I met Jonathan Glazer and the producer Jim Wilson for the first time in a pub.

VF – Your first role of international recognition was the teacher of Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon. What were the biggest learning lessons from that experience?

CF – It was also my first film as an actor and Michael Haneke was like a mentor to me. He taught me basic things that are important for actors in front of the camera. He basically took me by the hand and even asked me to sit down during the breaks on the first few days of filming to save energy for the day. I was very excited and walked nervously around the set, wanting to soak up everything. For me, this work was absolutely inspiring, and I also learned a lot from watching and, above all, listening. Haneke closed his eyes during every take, sat right next to the camera, breathed with us and listened. He says that your eyes can deceive you.

VF – Michael Haneke’s style is often described as “staged realism”. How much of the teacher was “staged” and how much was “real”? For example, did you conduct any background research into teachers at the time?

CF – I think that the teacher in The White Ribbon was ahead of his time. He was quite moderate and not particularly strict. I read a lot about schools and internships of that time in preparation, but after reading the script I realised that Haneke wanted to portray a likeable person who is interested in music and is looking for a woman to start a family with. His calm nature also makes him a particularly good observer and clever enough to put things into context. When dealing with the children, he finds a very understanding tone and when he has the discussion with the priest at the end of the film, we see that he cannot really keep up with the strictness of other people, or perhaps is not interested in unfair arguments.

VF – You played the role of an educator in an environment where extreme doctrine and violence were the main currencies. Did you experience any of that in your life, or has Germany resolutely changed since the end of WW2?

CF – Luckily, I grew up in a time when other methods of education were being tried. But you could still feel how children were raised in the past. I also have stories from friends and family about very harsh, strict methods of education. I went to school in the former GDR and we had to fold our arms behind our chairs when we had finished our homework. You could still feel some of the spirit of the old days. But I was a very naughty child and when I was naughty I had to leave the classroom and luckily I wasn’t hit.

VF – Except perhaps for Jessica Hausner’s Amour Fou, the films for which you are best remembered internationally – The White Ribbon, 13 Minutes, [Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2015], The Zone of Interest – are related to Nazism and its origins. Does that bother you? And can/should German cinema extricate itself from such representations? 

CF – Luckily, I have also made other films, most recently in Thailand for the new season of The White Lotus in the here and now. But films about the origins and consequences of National Socialism are very important, because we should never forget the unbelievable crimes and acts of violence that resulted. It is particularly interesting when you look at it from the outside, for example from filmmakers from abroad. And as an actor, I really enjoy exploring the different perspectives. I have always learned something new, both as an actor and as a person. But for my future projects, I am trying to put this historical period on hold for now, but I am glad that there are still films on this topic from Germany and around the world.

VF – Jonathan Glazer directed you in The Zone of Interest. Glazer is not German, and he doesn’t even speak the language. Was that a barrier?

CF – Art is a universal language. That means you can understand each other even if you speak a different language. Jonathan understood us exactly and sensed whether something was right or not, even though he doesn’t speak German. I trusted him completely and found his view of the story and our characters very inspiring.

VF – Glazer’s multicam approach has been described as groundbreaking. Is it correct that actors (yourself included) did not know how many cameras were being used in each scene, and where they were positioned? Do you think that this approach helped to achieve spontaneity? Incidentally, I count The Zone of Interest amongst the greatest films of all time.

CF – Thank you very much. Sometimes you could see the camera and sometimes you couldn’t. Since we didn’t know which camera was important or not, or which angle would be used in the end, we were able to move around completely freely. There were no technical restrictions in our heads or the fear of connection errors. And we had all the time in the world to find our way into the respective situations and to improvise in some cases. An absolute luxury situation for actors and a brilliant way to observe these people.

VF – How much of the film was scripted? Were some lines and interactions spontaneous? Where possible, please give us some examples.

CF – What we see in the final cut is almost all based on the script. However, some situations were loosely described in the script, such as the opening scene by the lake. We basically just had a picnic by the lake for several hours, without breaks. Sometimes I went into the water with the children, sometimes we ate biscuits, talked – we simply forgot that we were shooting a film. The children immediately forgot about the cameras and in the end we hardly acted at all. There were several moments of these situations during filming. The lines that we sometimes improvise are not important, loose material to strengthen the authenticity. In general, the dialogue in the film is subordinate to the sound design and the visuals.

VF – For you, what was the most difficult scene of The Zone of Interest?

CF – Personally, I was most afraid of the final scene in the stairwell, as the last time I threw up was over 20 years ago and I knew I couldn’t pretend with a director like Jonathan Glazer. It was also one of the most stressful and intense scenes for me, a night shoot that I will never forget, as I was drained of energy, hoarse and tired. But it was also an experience that inspired me, even though I was able to avoid actually throwing up, as we had chosen a battle of body against soul.

VF – In his Oscar acceptance speech, Glazer said: ‘“Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation”. His words have delighted and infuriated people in equal measure, and made comparisons between the Holocaust and the murder of Palestinians inevitable. What would Rudolf Höss say about this? What about Christian Friedel?

CF – I don’t really want to answer this question or refer to it or even consider what Rudolf Höss might think about it. Perhaps just briefly: I believe the key to finding solutions in our time is communication. Our time is too complex and there are more than just one answer or two sides to some questions, such as good or evil, black or white. The fronts are hardened, everything is weighed up and you have to be on one side straight away – left or right. But the truth often lies in the middle. Art asks questions and we have to find the answers. Everyone has their own answer and the exchange creates an enriching dialogue. Isn’t that great?

VF – You are also a musician. How do you find the time? And have you ever considered combining both of your passions?

CF – I always find time for music, in fact it accompanies me every day, no matter what I’m doing. With my band Woods of Birnam I have already been able to combine both my passions, music and acting. And we are already working with the director Markus Schleinzer on a film in which I will combine both passions. And luckily it is not set during the Second World War.

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Christian Friedel is pictured at the top of this article. The other image is a still of the picnic scene in The Zone of Interest.