Corinna Harfouch wants to bring "nothing but the truth" to light in her new role as Berlin commissioner - in an interview she talks about her debut.
Berlin has a new "crime scene" commissioner: star actor Corinna Harfouch (68) celebrates her debut in the ARD crime series alongside colleague Mark Waschke with the two-parter "Nothing but the Truth".
In the case of the same name, which can be seen on Easter Sunday and Easter Monday at 8:15 p.m., she returns to active criminal service as a respected lecturer at the police academy.
A role that causes a stir.
Interviews, cinema premieres, red carpet - "that's not really my talent," says Corinna Harfouch in an interview with our newspaper.
But she has an ingenious trick with which she can easily manage appointments like this.
Ms. Harfouch, how many times have you been offered the role of TV inspector?
Corinna Harfouch:
I can't remember how often, but a few times.
Also the "crime scene"?
Harfouch:
Yes, but I used to think: No, I don't want to do it, because then you are very tied and committed.
But the danger is no longer there.
I've played so many different things that I'm not scared of it anymore.
Nevertheless, you will probably be announced as "Tatort" star Corinna Harfouch in the future...
Harfouch:
Yes, it does - and surprises me because I naively didn't expect this role to draw such attention.
And that after almost 45 years of honest work... (Laughs.)
You play Susanne Bonard, a luminary at the police academy who has an almost soothing effect on Inspector Karow. Mark Waschke and you - was it love at first sight?
Harfouch:
Yes!
I have to say that.
I only knew Mark remotely from the theater and after I was offered the role, I went to see some of Berlin's crime scenes with him.
It is a great pleasure to work with him: he is very collegial, inspirational, free and fun.
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Corinna Harfouch waited a long time before accepting the role of TV commissioner
© dpa
In the thriller you announce that you will return to the police service "just for this one case", your film husband is pushing for more time together - that sounds like a temporary guest appearance in the "crime scene"...
Harfouch:
...and it's obvious.
I can't be a crime scene detective until I'm 80.
In real life, you are sent into retirement in your mid-60s.
And that will also, in the not too distant future, be my natural course of events.
To start with, it's about right-wing networks and racial profiling - how much does this topic concern you privately?
Harfouch:
It's really bothering me and I'm glad it was picked up by the crime scene.
Because it's an issue that should worry us.
We have a development in our society in which the fronts are hardening more and more.
When I think of New Year's Eve in Berlin, where the fire brigade was attacked while putting out the fire, I do wonder where this is leading to.
Respect for one another is being lost more and more.
Police officers begin to give up, fight back and, in the worst case, become violent themselves.
But there are other areas where I sometimes have the feeling of a system collapse.
For example?
Harfouch:
I travel a lot with Deutsche Bahn and because of my 99-year-old father I often have to do with the healthcare system.
I really rarely get from A to B on time and regularly struggle with a healthcare system that is so bureaucratically bloated it can drive you insane.
Where is this supposed to lead?
Good material for the next TV thriller. Are you privately a detective fanatic?
Harfouch:
Actually not at all.
Any genre irritates me – whether in literature or in film.
Because every genre has its own laws and often leaves out things that actually interest me and that I think are worth telling.
You once said that you actually always play: on stage, in front of the camera and also in everyday life. Can you explain that?
Harfouch:
Playing is something very sacred for me.
A lot of people confuse that with lying.
But I can perhaps explain it like this: I once bought a house in Brandenburg that needed renovation and really had no idea about anything.
Then I just started playing that I'm remodeling this house - and strangely enough, at some point it was actually finished.
(Laughs) There is still no distance between what I do, just as I have no distance to the characters in my roles.
In this respect, playing in everyday life helps me to cope with various tasks.
Sometimes a pair of rubber boots is enough to make me feel like a farmer.
Believe me, this makes things a lot easier.
(Laughs.)