In his “Polizeiruf” debut, actor André Kaczmarczyk wears a tartan skirt and has make-up on. In the interview he talks about identity-political debates, gender and his new role.
Mr. Kaczmarczyk. You were born in 1986, so you didn’t consciously experience the GDR at all. Nevertheless, you describe yourself as Ossi. How so?
There is the term third generation East. People who were born just before the Wall came down. My family, my teachers, my entire environment was socialized by the GDR. Of course I went to school in Germany. But everything was still shaped by the GDR state. I notice when I talk to people who come from there that there is a feeling of belonging. And there is a certain fragmentation.
This is often difficult for Wessis to understand because a lot of things happen on an emotional level.
Yes absolutely. But at the same time not: The fact that the East is in this position also has to do with the fact that a large part of my generation no longer lives there. Many have looked for jobs in the West because the wages are better there and you can live differently. This then leads, among other things, to the problems that we have in the East today.
You yourself did not take part in this move west. The first stages you played on were all in the East. Why did you go to the Ernst Busch drama school in 2006, despite several years of theater experience?
It was a childhood fantasy of mine to study at this school. You have a foundation from an education that you can fall back on in your work. The possibilities are also very different. My engagements before were in the lay sector.
Your TV appearances have so far kept within manageable limits. With a permanent role in the “Polizeiruf 110” you dare a big step into celebrity. Why?
When I went to the casting, I didn’t expect that a no-name would be cast. It’s a huge opportunity that I didn’t want to let pass. And it’s also a great career opportunity. It doesn’t come your way every day.
Do you have concerns about not being able to drink a coffee undisturbed in the future?
Everyone warns me about that. I’m still pretty naïve and I think it’ll work out. So let’s praise the masks.
Your role is unusual in German crime thrillers: you play a gender-fluid investigator. Did I describe your character correctly?
This is what the editors have defined as a term. I don’t know exactly what that means in all the details. First of all, this is someone who simply wears a tartan skirt and Kayal-made eyes. And I don’t think it says that much about a person’s personality.
Does it bother you when people try to summarize a character like that?
The fact that one wishes for a headline under which this runs is probably a human process. Personally, I don’t find that very interesting. That doesn’t just describe the character. I find much more important: What kind of person is that? What kind of clothes he has or what his self-image is, I think is secondary. But that’s also the theme of the first film.
Was Vincent Ross, the character you played, designed to be gender fluid from the start, or did it evolve into that over the course of the game?
No, there were considerations on the part of the production and editorial staff, and there were preliminary talks about what kind of character you want to invent. It mainly came from the idea of creating the greatest possible contrast to Adam Raczek played by Lucas Gregorowicz.
Vincent Ross is a person you don’t necessarily have to like immediately: he is what can be described as maliciously politically correct: he corrects his colleague and always seems to do everything right. Do you find your character likeable?
Sure, it might not be sympathetic at first when a young know-it-all comes along. Of course you can find Vincent stupid because he changed things, because he questions certain terms, because he presents himself differently and deliberately provokes. But that reflects society: there is a large part that rejects gender and thinks it’s nonsense. And then there is a large proportion of people who say: It has to be. You have to deal with this field.
A new image of men in “Polizeiruf 110” could startle many traditional viewers. Do you know what could be in store for you?
I’m used to the way of thinking from the theater: not everyone likes artistic work and you can also reject it. You can find it totally stupid that Adam Raczek is not given a second derrick. But a democratic society must be able to endure that something changes and that things are shown that one might reject. And if you don’t want to continue watching, just turn it off.
There is a complex identity-political discussion about whether actors are allowed to impersonate someone they are not. Are you expecting a shitstorm?
I’ll let that come to me. I’m not on social media. If there’s a storm, I won’t even notice.
What is your stance on this identity-political debate?
Basically, I don’t find it a problem at all to ask: Who is allowed to represent what? I just don’t know what the answer to that is. It’s only good that we are discussing this with different people with a heightened awareness.
So you see the discussion positively?
Yes of course. But the character I’m playing isn’t a trans person either. But someone who, like Prince, plays with gender roles. And that’s very close to me, or not wrong at all.
You like to do recitals at the theater. Can we expect that you will revive the tradition of the singing investigators like Manfred Krug did in “Tatort”?
That’s actually a good suggestion. I’ll pass that on.
“Police call 110: Hilde’s legacy”, Sunday, January 30, 8:15 p.m. in the first