Benno Fürmann : ... on "Speed Racer" and "Nordwand", his new feature film

Berlin, Cologne, Paris, San Diego, Hong Kong: if you want to catch Benno Fürmann, you have take more than one time zone into account. Nightshift? Who cares! You have to be ready for anything at any time. During the ride to the hotel, on his way to the airport or during a break in shooting, Benno Fürmann might just find the odd minute to chat. Twice before, t’was not to be: once because heavy rainfall disrupted the shooting and everything had to be pushed back, the other time because he just needed some time to himself, after twelve hours of work. The pleasure was doubled when I was awoken the next morning by the ringing of my mobile instead of an alarm clock, only to hear a warm, breathy voice asking: “Good Morning, this is Benno speaking. Are you busy?“ I say! (Interview: Bettina Hennig)

Speed Races, Mutant Chronicles – recently, we’re seeing more and more international productions on your CV. How do you ...
Hold it, hold it! This year I shot with Christian Petzold, followed by a German children’s project, right now I am flying around the world with German director Tom Tykwer for a German project. So, that comes to three German productions in a row, and the international projects were just jaunts. There are many stories that cannot be limited to a specific culture; a result of globalization in my view. But as an actor I feel confined to the western world – and being a German, I find so much more pops into my mind when it comes to Germany than it does with other countries. It is here that I grew up, where my character was shaped. However, I very much enjoy those international oddities, because I don’t like to be confined to a specific country. The decision to go with a project comes from a gut instinct. Where the project originates from does not matter.

Even with Speed Races? It was directed by the Wachowski Brothers (“Matrix”) after all!
Well, it would have been a wacko stunt not to accept that. If you get the chance to shoot with folks like that, you don’t think twice. It was an opportunity I didn’t want to miss. To be part of such a sophisticated vision, what else could I ask for as an actor? That is our aspiration after all. Collaborating with people who re-imagine the phenomenon of film over and over again is lots of fun. It is very easy to get enthusiastic about working on a movie if the people involved are burning with the same fire for it.

German film funds continue to pump increasing amounts of money into international productions. For Speed Races alone, the local funding office threw another 9 million on the pile. What is your opinion of this? Find out how Benno tackles this question and many others in BOOKLET  #9.