Daniel Bruhl – FAULT Issue 28

 

Words: Alex Bee

You might call Brühl an Actor-demic: his performances as an actor are always backed up by extensive, academic-level research. For his role in American period drama ‘The Alienist’, Brühl studied. Hard. The intelligent star, known for his credits in Good Bye Lenin!, Rush and Inglorious Basterds, embodies pioneering criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler in the eight-part series.

FAULT: How did you prepare for your role in ‘The Alienist’?
Daniel Bruhl: I didn’t know the book before but it’s one of those that you cannot put away. I felt like a 12 year old with a book and a torch under the blanket. I read it very quickly and was immediately fascinated by the world that Caleb Carr [the author] created, about each of the characters and the fact that it’s the beginning of so many things at the time that are so important now. My wife [psychologist Felicitas Rombold] put me in touch with criminal psychologists and I’d read a lot about these famous psychologists at the time the story is set. I also read books about New York in the late 1800s just to get an idea of how that place was back in the day.

What do you think makes the series so successful in telling the story of the time?
Daniel Bruhl: What helped tremendously was the passion that was put into that show in recreating the time because its so real and so authentic. When we were working on it we didn’t feel that it was fake, which sometimes can happen if there’s not enough energy and money and passion on a project. I come from movies, and when I was young when I would read a script for a period film and it would say there will be 500 extras and 50 characters and on the day you have one carriage, an old donkey and three extras and then you are supposed to recreate the magic – it just doesn’t work! What was very nice was the chemistry and the friendship we had. Dakota, Luke and I even spent most of our downtime together. Almost every weekend we met and I think that chemistry is something you cannot take for granted.

What series have you been watching at the moment?
Daniel Bruhl: ‘Mindhunter’ [a Netflix series that explores similar developments in criminal psychology] is amazing. I was absolutely blown away by ‘The Handsmaid’s Tale’, it’s a masterpiece! I was very pleased to meet Elizabeth Moss at The SAG Awards, who I think is one of the best actresses around, and I was happy to be able to tell her how magnificent she is. I also spent some time with Matt Smith who is such a great guy and interesting in ‘The Crown’ portraying Phillip – I’m hooked on that show!

How do you find the time to keep up to date with the latest programmes?
Daniel Bruhl: I always find the time! I have a couple of days where I can watch shows in my downtime or I’ll watch them when I’m travelling on the plane.

What was it like working on the third installment in the ‘Cloverfield’ series, which unexpectedly hit devices all over the world after a surprise announcement during a Superbowl ad break?
Daniel Bruhl: It was such a great ensemble. It was interesting because you have astronauts from all over the world and they managed to get all these wonderful actors from different countries, so the opportunity to work with them all was really great. Also, it was something really different for me as I am usually always travelling back in time and this was the first time that I’d actually explored the future.

How does working on an – equally cinematic – series compare to a film?
Daniel Bruhl: It’s the luxury of time that you have. You don’t feel so restricted as you do when working on a movie when sometimes you feel that pressure. To have that privilege of 10 hours a day and 100 shooting days with one character and the ability to explore the character to the core is very rewarding.

As a pacifist, how do you find taking on roles that are often borne from a conflict?
Daniel Bruhl: That’s whats fascinating about our job as actors: to try and get into the skin and the head of somebody who is different.

What bands or artists are you listening to at the moment?
Daniel Bruhl: There’s a band called War on Drugs that I’m listening to lately and someone from the US called Francis and The Lights. Also Roosevelt, Sigur Ros and Alt-J. There is a lot of great music here in Berlin too with artists and DJs like Frank Wiedemann, Henrik Schwarz and David August – I can highly recommend coming to Berlin for clubbing.

 

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