Armin Rohde: "For me, Christmas is a memory"

Created: 2022-12-07 13:22

By: Stefanie Thyssen

Armin Rohde (right) and Ludger Pistor as Santa Clauses in the new film in the ARD "Schnitzel" series.

© WDR

Armin Rohde and Ludger Pistor have been together in front of the camera for the ARD “Schnitzel” series since 2010, which tells of friendship, family, great frustration (the two were once unemployed) and the little happiness ( they opened their Schnitzelbude).

The new episode today (December 7th, 8:15 p.m., ARD) plays at Christmas time.

In an interview with our newspaper, Armin Rohde remembers his childhood Christmas, explains why he struggles with the celebration today, and tells what it was like as "Goldi".

The 67-year-old recently made it to the semi-finals on the Pro-Sieben show “The Masked Singer”.

Mr. Rohde, in "The Masked Singer" you sweated a lot as "Goldi" in heavy costumes.

How was the shooting now as Santa Claus - similarly exhausting?

Armin Rohde:

Well, "Goldi" was tough, yes (laughs).

You can hardly see anything through these costumes, you can hardly breathe, and your body heats up to around a fever temperature.

I mean, I'll be 68 soon and I'm not exactly petite... That was something!

Santa Claus in comparison was a walk in the park.

A very nice one, I think, Ludger Pistor and I thought the idea of ​​this Christmas episode was really great.

The Günther you play says at one point: "I'm not the Christmas type.

I'll have a glass of mulled wine and then everyone kisses my ass.” Is that the attitude with which you also go through the Advent season?

Rohde:

Not quite (laughs).

But my best Christmas was a long time ago, I carry it in my heart as a memory from my childhood.

How was Christmas at Rohdes' home?

Rohde:

We children – I have three siblings – were put in the bathtub one after the other on Christmas Eve.

Then we got dressed in our newly bought clothes.

At the end of the year we always got new clothes because the ones we'd been wearing that year were getting too small.

In the early evening we waited in the kitchen and in the hallway until we were allowed to go into the gift giving room, which of course was the living room.

Someday bells.

It smelled of apples and nuts.

And finally the door opened.

Very slowly.

And my mom stood there and said: "Just at that moment, the Santa Claus flew out the window."

That sounds nice!

Rohde:

Yes.

And every year we just missed the Christ Child (laughs).

My parents organized this for us children in such an inspiring and happy way that I will never forget it.

As an adult, I no longer have to create any new Christmas moments, so to speak.

Does that mean you ended Christmas earlier today?

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Rohde:

It kind of makes me sad when I see people putting a beautiful, chopped-off tree in their home, decorating it and then watching it dry up.

And why do you have to kill small animals to celebrate a Christmas dinner?

It's about being there for each other, helping each other to settle down, not rushing through department stores to buy useless stuff with money you might not have to impress relatives who you might not like it at all.

phew

Rohde:

I also like to celebrate, and I also like to give presents.

Just rather on occasions that I choose.

Of course it's different with children.

You should give your child something for Christmas, because the mouse won't bite off a thread.

Let's get back to the film.

Günther talks about traveling to Canada – and not coming back.

We're not revealing how things are going to end, but there's an air of goodbye to this episode.

Rohde:

That's right, it's something of a farewell episode.

But I think one could go on telling how these two characters, who we and I think many viewers have grown fond of over the years, now go through retirement.

Does that mean it continues?

Rohde:

I can't promise that.

Ludger and I always made that dependent on the scripts.

How good is the idea?

If that Christmas episode was just cheesy, we wouldn't have done it.

But the book was good and we made something nice out of it.

So let's wait and see what comes next.

Broadcast note:

"The Christmas Schnitzel" will be broadcast on December 7th at 8:15 p.m. on the first.