Nora von Waldstätten
“Essentrics” is your favorite fit maker
Actress Nora von Waldstätten at the Berlinale 2020.
© imago / Eventpress
“Bodensee” crime storyteller Nora von Waldstätten keeps herself fit with “Essentrics”, as she explains in the interview – which also benefits “Thin Lizzy”.
The Viennese actress Nora von Waldstätten (39, “Wild Mouse”) can be seen again on Monday in one of her two very different investigative roles. As Commissioner Hannah Zeiler, she and her colleague Micha Oberländer – played by Matthias Koeberlin (47, “Children, Children”) – in “Die Toten vom Bodensee – Der Seelenkreis” (November 1st, 8:15 pm, ZDF) have the case a newborn baby abandoned in a basket on Lake Constance.
In the past seven years, 13 “Die Toten vom Bodensee” thrillers have been created, and two more are in the works. In an interview with spot on news, she tells us where the Austrian actress now particularly likes it in the Lake Constance region.
You have been shooting regularly at Lake Constance since 2014. Where do you particularly like it there?
Nora von Waldstätten: I really enjoy going to the Pfänder [Hausberg von Bregenz, Red.] hike with a view of Lake Constance. As soon as I’m in the forest, I notice how I immediately breathe a sigh of relief and slow down. The Bregenzerwald is also an incredibly beautiful piece of earth, really enchanting.
The “Bodensee” crime series is popular with the public. What makes it so attractive?
von Waldstätten: I think that the very different characters of Micha Oberländer and Hannah Zeiler are what make the series so appealing. Because this creates an interesting area of tension and of course a very good basis for humor. What I also like about this constellation is that the two respect and appreciate each other’s differences. And notice what kind of profit that means for one another. Professionally as well as amicably.
What kind of feedback has you been most pleased with so far?
von Waldstätten: That the audience saw that Hannah is strong and vulnerable at the same time. And that it sensitizes people to the fact that behind a supposed distance or coolness there can be a great vulnerability.
Hannah Zeiler is very different in essence from your other ongoing role, Elisabeth Mayerhofer aka “Thin Lizzy”, which you have played in Eberhofer’s thrillers since 2017. What do you appreciate about the respective roles?
von Waldstätten: Elisabeth Mayerhofer has a certain exuberance that is incredibly fun to play. The entire Eberhofer series also brings with it a very special sense of humor and so you can go a little over the top when it comes to the comedy in the game, and that’s just great acting. With Hannah Zeiler, I find the character development process very exciting. In the beginning it was more of a hermetically sealed room due to her injuries and trauma. But little by little she confides in life more and more and opens up, also through her friendship with Oberländer.
“Thin Lizzy” is, as the name suggests, very slim. What kind of sport do you keep fit?
von Waldstätten: While filming “Die Tore der Welt”, my colleague Sarah Gadon introduced me to “Essentrics”. It’s a mix of ballet, yoga and pilates. The units usually only last about 30 minutes and the courses have also been available completely online for some time. Very practical and a great workout, I think.
And which calorie bomb do you treat yourself to sometimes?
von Waldstätten: A large portion of French fries with ketchup and mayonnaise.
What they have in common as investigators is that they laugh little. What can you really laugh about in private?
von Waldstätten: Oh, I like to laugh and often. And since I have a good deal of self-irony, often about myself. You can also have a wonderful laugh with my colleague Matthias Koeberlin.
Unlike the two investigators – one sporty and casual (Lake Constance), the other stuffy and buttoned up (Eberhofer) – you always wear particularly pretty clothes on red carpets and you are well-styled. Do you enjoy that?
von Waldstätten: I think it’s nice to show respect with a special outfit, an occasion and the work of the artists.
Speaking of partying, your 40th birthday is coming up at the beginning of December. What does this number mean to you and how will you spend the day?
von Waldstätten: I’m surprised how quickly that went (laughs). I’m looking forward to my birthday, but I don’t know how I will spend it yet.