Berlin. Fritsch plays an inspector on ZDF and is also currently writing a book. What it’s about and why she’s so fascinated by the underworld.
Alina Fritsch can be seen again on March 4th as Inspector Luisa Hoffmann in “The Dead from Lake Constance” on ZDF (8:15 p.m.). But acting is only a partial aspect in the life of the 34-year-old Austrian, who has also played in series such as “SOKO Vienna” and “Lena Lorenz”. In the interview, Fritsch gives an insight into the thinking behind the novel she is currently working on. The actress also explains why she is so drawn to darkness and what trick she uses for her quiz show appearances.
You had to learn sign language for your detective role in “The Dead from Lake Constance”. How heavy is this?
Alina Fritsch: Difficult, but at the same time very fulfilling because it opens up a new world. You think differently and have different images in your head. And it was very important to me that the deaf community felt represented by properly depicting sign language. Unfortunately, this is not a given. That’s why I worked closely with great deaf and hearing teachers
On March 4th, Alina Fritsch is investigating again on ZDF. © ZDF and manuelpaul | Manuel Paul
To what extent do you think differently?
Fritsch: When having conversations, it is very important to be awake and attentive to the person you are talking to. The grammar is completely different, so you can’t translate one to one. You have to get involved in expressing yourself in a new way and show yourself differently than usual. Personally, I find the communication process to be more genuine and direct.
Alina Fritsch: You have to have experienced the dark
You are a woman of words. You studied literature and are currently writing a novel. When will it be finished?
Fritsch: I try to find a writing routine to keep him going, which isn’t always easy for me to find in my job.
What is the novel about?
Fritsch: He deals with and negotiates the mythology of my underworld.
The underworld is threatening and dark…
Fritsch: In indigenous teachings and myths, the underworld is also fertile. You have to have experienced the dark, juicy and nourishing in order to be able to rise into the light. And vice versa. This is a mutually dependent law: above and below, dark and light.
“I personally can’t do anything with horror alone”
Do you have a soft spot for myths?
Fritsch: I absorbed Greek mythology as a child. I love Medea, Medusa and Persephone – characters thrown into the darkness. The African and Indian mythology is also impressive.
Are there any stories about the darkness that you don’t particularly like?
Fritsch: Personally, I can’t do anything with horror just for the shock effect. What I find exciting in the film are psychological abysses that are portrayed insidiously and frighteningly – for example, magnificently in “Shutter Island”. But I also find the impressive visual world of artists like HR Giger in “Alien” attractive in its repulsion.
How did your interest in literature develop?
Fritsch: I read and wrote a lot as a child, then studied English literature and writing in England until acting caught me.
Alina Fritsch: “Don’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself”
But you don’t just like the “dark and juicy” but also the light and loose?
Fritsch: Naturally. For example, I enjoy sitting in nature and watching the sun rays. Good food is wonderful too.
The light and relaxed things should also include appearances on advice shows like “Who knows something like that?” What is important to have fun while doing it?
Fritsch: You can’t be afraid to make a fool of yourself, then you can enjoy it.
What if you were successful as a writer – would you give up acting?
Fritsch: I would like to do both.
Do you have any favorite books?
Fritsch: Novels that spontaneously come to mind include Ayòbámi Adébáyò’s “Stay With Me,” Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi’s “The First Woman,” Abi Daré’s “The Girl with the Louding Voice,” Charmaine Wilkerson’s “Black Cake,” or Otessa Moshfegh’s “My Year of Rest and Relaxation.” ” a. Or the family epic “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee. Oh, there are so many!
Alina Fritsch: “That would be complaining on a high level”
These are novels from countries like Nigeria, Uganda or South Korea. Where does the interest in the big, wide world come from?
Fritsch: I went to the American International School. Most of the students were children of diplomats who changed every two or three years because their parents moved. I also learned completely in the American school system. Even coming from Vienna, I felt like I was at home anywhere in the world. We read literature from all kinds of countries, and I was immediately drawn to it.
Micha Oberländer (Matthias Koeberlin, left) and Luisa Hoffmann (Alina Fritsch, M.) talk to Sandro Altstätten (Stefan Gorski, right) about the diving school. © ZDF and manuelpaul | Manuel Paul
After your studies in England you went back to Austria because the Burgtheater hired you. Do you feel constrained in this smaller universe?
Fritsch: It always depends on how much freedom you can create. Since we live in a democracy, it would be complaining on a high level to feel restricted here. The big, wide world is in my head, that’s why I love literature and that’s why I love acting.
Given your diverse interests, does it annoy you when headlines about you read: “Your boyfriend only noticed her blue eyes”?
Fritsch: Not at all, because that evening I was wearing a dress whose focus was definitely not my big, blue eyes. When he told me that he only saw my eyes, it was actually something very nice.