The actress Nina Gummich on the challenge of impersonating Alice Schwarzer, assaults in the film business and her own quick wit
In honor of the German women’s rights activist, journalist and publicist Alice Schwarzer, who celebrates her 80th birthday on December 3, the first shows the two-part TV film “Alice”. Nina Gummich (31, “The Passport Forger”) slipped into the title role. André Wesche spoke to the actress about her preparations and meetings with the German icon of feminism and the inspiration she received from them.
Free Press: Ms. Gummich, do you sing along loudly when “Men are pigs” from “Die Ärzte” is playing on the radio?
Nina Gummich: (laughs) I used to hear that on a class trip, it was on the bus radio somehow. I sing it out loud, but only because I like to sing along out loud.
Free Press: Does a role offer like this inspire you with particular respect?
Nina Gummich: Yes, it’s a different challenge to play someone who is so polarizing, who so many people know and have an image of. Someone who is still alive and has their own image of themselves. Then the director has an idea. The more someone polarizes, the more different the perspectives are. Playing someone you have an exact template from was actually a challenge.
Free Press: When playing a real life character, you have to choose between imitation and interpretation. They are very close to the original.
Nina Gummich: Before the casting, we were sent Alice Schwarzer interviews from earlier. I knew that many candidates would come to the casting and that they were really looking for this one. Applicants had to create the effect of seeing them and thinking, “Oh god, that was really like Alice!” I wrote things out of the interviews. How she holds her hands, how she looks, how she laughs. Sometimes I also wrote down smaller sentences that fit into the casting text. I then imitated the original sound and incorporated it into the scene. Sometimes it was just a little “Yes”, a “No” or the beginning of a sentence. That caused this aha effect in the casting. It was a bigger task for the film, but that’s how it started.
Free Press: To what extent did you work together with Ms. Schwarzer?
Nina Gummich: Alice Schwarzer had a say in the three main roles, i.e. Alice, Bruno and Ursula. And she didn’t just give her blessing either. She wanted to meet me for dinner and get to know me before making a final decision. Alice had already given me a stack of books when we first met, all of which I should read in order to prepare well for the shoot. So I thought, “Do I look at them now, or do I leave them? I don’t want to get too into it if I don’t get the role.” She quickly decided in favor of me, but it was discussed and weighed up for quite a while by other parties. Those weren’t easy weeks for me, but then I decided: I’ll get on with the stack of books now, otherwise we’ll lose preparation time unnecessarily and I’ll pretend internally that I’m already occupied.
Free Press: She and Ms. Schwarzer then spent a week together in Paris.
Nina Gummich: Yes. I walked through the places where she lived then, where Bruno lived and where her language school was. We walked through the city and breathed in the Parisian way of life. I could ask her questions at any time and I could also write her emails during the shoot itself. When I wrote “urgent” in the subject, a reply came back within two seconds. That was insanely reliable. But she stayed out of the filming. She was there for a day or two and was able to watch, but she didn’t see anything else. Alice has given me great confidence that I will do it.
Free Press: Have you ever experienced abuse or disrespect in the film business?
Nina Gummich: I got through it quite well. First of all, I grew up in an acting family. This means that I feel at home wherever I work. I never had the feeling that a director was insanely superior to me and that I always consciously treat myself as an equal when working together. However, there was a case at the drama school with a guest lecturer. I didn’t even realize his behavior was abusive until I told people. This is a common problem in this context: Often you only realize afterwards that something went beyond your own limits and you didn’t realize it at the moment. Of course, what I’ve also experienced in addition to such attacks is that I’ve been playing leading roles since I was blonde and did a lot of sports. Of course I’ve seen people say to me at dinner in a professional context: “But if you gain three kilos now, it’s going to be difficult. In the last film I thought you were a bit plump.” Half the lettuce gets stuck in your throat. You’re so shocked that you can’t manage to say: “Excuse me, are you still okay?”, but catch yourself saying: “Yes, that’s right. But then I also did a lot of sport.” I talked my head and neck. I hope I’m ready today to say at a moment like this: “Sorry, that’s not possible!” This is also a crossing of boundaries that many women in this profession have to struggle with.
Free Press: The film shows how Ms. Schwarzer repeatedly experiences rejection and still remains stubborn. Do you act similarly in your professional field?
Nina Gummich: Yes, but there was still plenty of room for improvement. Playing this role pushed me even more to stand up for myself and to say: “I will go my way, even if there are obstacles in my way.” I will not lose this courage.
Free Press: How has Alice Schwarzer endured the hostilities over the years?
Nina Gummich: She was repeatedly dragged through the mud by individuals with supposedly great power in the press. But at the same time there were always thousands of people behind her who she freed. Women and men from whom she gets letters and who write: “You speak to my heart! You saved me. I finally have the courage to do this and that.”
Free Press: With what feelings do you observe the development that people in Germany have to be more and more politically correct and gender-neutral and can recently easily be accused of “cultural appropriation”?
Nina Gummich: I understand the approaches and I like the idea that we are all equal and that everyone can be, feel and love as they want. However, if regulations and guidelines mean that we tend to fly further apart and not come together, then something goes wrong.
Free Press: Ms. Schwarzer is extremely quick-witted. Do you share this characteristic or do you only come up with the right answer to a stupid come-on at home in the evening like a normal citizen?
Nina Gummich: no I’d say my middle or third name is “quick wit.” But there’s always that moment when you go home and think: “Ah, if I had said that.” Even the most quick-witted person probably knows him. But I’m very glad that in most situations I didn’t fall flat on my tongue.
Free Press: Can you also understand Alice Schwarzer’s critic?
Nina Gummich: Yes, absolutely. It triggers extreme emotions. It is also a projection screen for those who do not dare to say what they think. If you then see someone talking freely all day long as it suits them, that also makes you aggressive. I can understand that. But I also find it very exciting. Nothing is more boring than when everyone gets along. (laughs)
Free Press: Has this role done anything to you?
Nina Gummich: Yes. I find it extremely inspiring to see someone who, after so much hate and destruction, is still standing and encountering life with such joy and openness. I now also know Alice privately, which is much more exciting for me than anything public that I have seen of her. I am more free in my own way. I am inspired to stand by myself and stand up for my truth without fear. In that she inspired me and hopefully some other women and men who see the film as well.
Free Press: Have you ever had a chance not to stray into acting?
Nina Gummich: I wanted to be a journalist for a while! I was in Leipzig at the “Kreuzer” for an internship, I was incredibly committed, wrote a lot and worked a lot. After three weeks, the boss said goodbye to me and said: “Yes, eh, bye, Nicole.” So I was like, “Okay, fine. I don’t seem to have made such a lasting impression on that.” (laughs) But the passion for acting was also very clear. |aws
The TV Movie Alice shows the first on Wednesday, November 30th, in two parts at 8:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. The film can be accessed via the ARD media library until May 30, 2023.