29/01/2008

After two years in a local TV series and a dazzling debut on the silver screen in Chris Kraus' Four Minutes [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (2005), which earned her a Bavarian Film Award as Best Newcomer Actress 2007, 26-year-old German actress Hannah Herzsprung has made equally impressive progress.
Her willfulness has indeed been manifest since her role in Kraus' film. A role she was set on getting amongst 1,200 contenders and for which she confesses to having pretended, after presenting two scenes to the casting team, to be able to play the piano. She made up for the lie by practicing for five months after being chosen.

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Since that first feature, she has worked on several film projects, such as Alain Gsponer's Life Actually [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Stephen Daldry's The Reader, shot in English and also starring Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes.

As she herself emphasised, Herzsprung is not the aggressive prisoner depicted in Four Minutes, but a humble young woman who undoubtedly backs up her talent with hard-work. Two weeks away from the Shooting Star event at the Berlinale, she has no less than two titles shooting: Pink by Rudolf Thome and the TV drama Werther by Uwe Janson. She answered our questions from the set.

Cineuropa: The movie that launched your career was also your debut movie. What did you learn from Four Minutes?
H.H.: If you want to achieve something in your life, both personally and artistically, you have to believe in yourself and, of course, in the project you’re working on.

Since then, your career has been progressing rapidly. How would you describe 2006 and 2007?
Well, 2006 and 2007 were two very exciting years for me. The whole team wanted Four Minutes to do well at the box office but no one ever expected it to be such a huge success. It was a surprise for all of us.

What kind of project attracts you? Is there a specific genre or type of role you feel like exploring?
To be honest, I do not want to be linked to any genre. It is very important to me that the whole package attract me, from the script, to playing an interesting part, to a profound relationship with the director. That said, being in a position to work is already a true blessing.

Which actors or actresses have inspired you? Who are your favourite directors and is there one with whom you would like to work?
There are so many actors whom I adore and love to watch time after time. However, it is the character I am playing who inspires me. As soon as I get the script, I start developing a fictional life story for my part. This really helps me to get inspired and to know my character.

How do you feel about being selected as a Shooting Star?
I feel very honoured by the nomination. I did not expect this at all. Also, I am very excited to meet all the other Shooting Stars.