A lot of directors idealize their leading ladies or turn them into these objects of sexuality and beauty.
I come from a very small rural village in northern Germany, and being an actor never even seemed like a possibility. I thought you would have to live in a big city, or be discovered somewhere, or be born into an artistic family, which I certainly wasn’t.
Orlando’s a really cool guy. They hired him for ‘Lord of the Rings’ out of drama school. He’s very new at this still and doesn’t have a lot of experience. So we were in this together and we’ve tried to help each other out. We felt very equal which was good.
Looking back at it now, I really feel like it was a gift because I don’t know if I have the talent to become a prima ballerina. It’s such a hard job to have. I don’t have any regrets about it.
Sometimes you can write a great scene, but when you’re actually in a situation and it doesn’t work, you have to be flexible enough to make it work for you.
I’m not a very good impersonator, my friends maybe, but not famous people.
I get offered a World War II movie at least once a week just because I speak German and was born there. I have always stayed away from it because I didn’t want to be put into that box.
It’s fun being one of the boys. It’s fun to have a character that’s rough and gets down and dirty and not to be this precious girl who just sits in the corner and just sort of stands by the action.
You have to have the passion. I could not live if I wasn’t an actor. If you’re just in it for beautiful dresses and movie stars, then I think you should not be an actor.
The ultimate art form of fashion is couture. I completely geek out when it comes to couture. It shows fashion as it used to be. I don’t know how many people can actually afford the clothes, but in a way, that’s beside the point.
What counts in Hollywood is box office. It doesn’t really matter what people think of you as an actor because, as long as you have been in a movie that has made money, you will always get another job.
It’s quite a famous story that takes place on Christmas Eve, and the Germans, French, and Scottish are trying to make peace one night and they bury their dead and they play football. I play a German opera singer, in German, which I never have so I am really excited about that.
I never thought I would have an opportunity to act in the United States, and continue to expand my career outside of Europe. To be honest, my reality is bigger than I would have ever dared to dream.
But quite honestly, personally, I was much more concerned – I mean, there’s not much I can do about my appearance obviously other than spending four hours in hair and makeup.
I’m not one of those women who thinks beauty is a curse.
I really feel like the first day I went to drama school and I went up on stage, that I found my vocation. It’s kind of a cliched thing to say but I really feel like it was what I was meant to do.
I like the idea of accessibility, coming from a lower-middle-class background myself, I feel like beauty and products should be accessible to all women over the world.
I made a French film called ‘Merry Christmas’ which is a very European film. It’s a World War I piece.
I grew up loving actresses or actors who were very classy but who seemed a little bit mysterious because you couldn’t grasp what they’re really thinking. I mean, Grace Kelly always looked impossibly glamorous, yet you could always see there was something behind her eyes.
What I really tried to do with Helen was make her show this sad side of her. She was married off at 16, was so young and living in this castle that can’t leave because of how she looks, and married to a man she hates and three times her age.
I grew up with classical music when I was a ballet dancer. Now when I have to prepare an emotional scene, to cry or whatever, I listen to sonatas. Vivaldi and stuff. It’s just beautiful to me.