Heike Makatsch is not only one of the most popular actresses in Germany, but also one of the best dressed. Whether her fashion choices span Hildegard Knef or Commissioner, Makatsch’s style is always intense. Even so, Makatsch, who recently celebrated her 50th birthday, is in an especially cheerful mood on a Friday morning shortly before our photo shoot in a Berlin studio overlooking the Spree River. She politely declines coffee and water, instead popping quickly into the restroom before settling into our conversation about the importance of truth, answering every question openly and attentively.
How are you doing today?
I’m actually doing well. I say “actually” because, given the state of the world, you can’t really be perfectly fine. It’s such a strange balancing act between happiness in your private life and a lack of future prospects on this planet.
An honest answer, yet “How are you?” is perhaps the question that is most often answered untrue.
It probably depends on who asks it. You don’t always want to open a can of worms with everyone. But I think the question is asked more and more to basically check out the status quo: Can we deal with each other normally or did someone just die?
Isn’t truth also overrated?
No, I don’t think so. Truth has an important value: It guides us like a compass through this world and makes encounters valuable in the first place. Anything else would be just a lot of bumbling around, trying to cover up and hide, which does not allow any really intimate encounters.
But doesn’t fibbing in children also have an important function?
Children telling fibs is often an expression of their fear, of punishment or of not being loved or accepted for who they are. They have to cover up what they couldn’t do. It is, of course, a crutch or makeshift strategy that every child should be allowed to use. Adults, too. If a person thinks he has to lie or tell a fib, then that is actually more of a reason to take him in your arms and say something like: Hey, I understand that you’re afraid.
Is there a stage in life when the truth becomes especially important?
Even a small child senses when a lie is in the room. The signals and actions of the environment don’t match up. The discrepancy between the assertion ‘everything is okay’ and the feeling that something is wrong can mean that the child ends up not being able to trust his or her own intuition. And I think that has long-term effects on the psyche.
Let’s jump back to your youth. What did you choose at that time? Truth or duty?
I thought duty was better somehow. You had to kiss someone, for example. I liked the fact that I was forced to do something that I could then pretend I thought was stupid. But maybe I didn’t think it was so stupid.
Do you actually have to be constantly searching for the truth in order to act?
In acting, truth and duty come together. You are compelled to do something as truthfully as possible, which you perhaps wouldn’t do in real life but somehow always wanted to do. Everyone has different strategies, but I’ve always been looking for truthful feelings that make my character come alive.
How do you know they’re true?
You open yourself up to that moment. You look for parallel emotions. You then simply feel it. You don’t have to think anymore — you swim in the emotion and the next sentence then says itself.
Is it actually more important to always tell the truth, if possible, or to be able to admit to yourself and others that you were wrong?
One doesn’t exclude the other, they belong together. No one can always tell the truth objectively, because to err is human. And there is no such thing as the one truth. There are only many different perspectives on something. But the never-ending search for truth is the destiny of man, I believe.
You are also searching for the truth in your role as an investigator for Tatort, which will be broadcast this year. We read that the filming was organized in a particularly resource-conserving and environmentally conscious way.
Yes, but that’s been the case on all my Tatort shoots with the Ziegler production company so far. It’s really great to see that something has really changed over the last 25 years I’ve been making films. There used to be plastic everywhere. Plastic plates or cups that were thrown away after one sip. With a big team, that creates mountains of plastic waste.There was just no awareness of any kind of recycling. Today, we use glass and porcelain, and those who can ride their bikes to the set. Even the costume designers are following more sustainable rules. We also buy locally for catering, we don’t have meat every day, we have vegan options. These are small steps, but you can definitely feel a change in awareness, which I totally welcome, and I think it can also change an industry.
You recently turned 50, and on your birthday, a number of texts about you were published, one of which said you were the female Jürgen Klinsmann. Did any of them particularly resonate with you?
I have to admit, I haven’t read all of them. Something keeps me from doing so. Maybe because such texts are the precursor to an obituary. I wouldn’t like to read that about myself either.
What did you give yourself for your birthday?
I gave myself a party with my true friends. Over three days, we danced and feasted and sat by the sea. There was also a surprise party. The motto was ‘Summer of Love,’ because actually I’m kind of an old hippie. Everyone dressed up in clothes from a bygone era, I wore a crocheted dress from Lala Berlin and my friends all had flowers in their hair.
What were you most looking forward to during the lockdown?
Going out to eat with friends again, to be able to cast glances around, to dress nicely. Quite mundanely. In the cinema, for example, I haven’t been back that often. I still lack the opportunity for spontaneity and thus also the sensual experience.
There was a theory that after the pandemic, everyone would dress much more stylishly and only leave the house in high heels, but that didn’t quite prove true, did it?
In any case, I rather dived into the depths of my closet and was totally happy to discover and recombine things from years ago that I haven’t worn often enough. I really feel like it’s more fun to put clothes on instead of chasing the new season. I think labels and the latest craze are becoming less important right now.
Did you also use the time off from filming to start a new hobby?
Not entirely new, but I did a yoga teacher training course. Learning quite a lot of theory on the computer, that’s how I spent my time.
That means there will soon be Yoga Classes by Heike Makatsch?
We’ll see. For now, I’ll start them secretly for friends and girlfriends.
CREDITS:
PHOTOGRAPHER Benjamin Hampson @Cosmopola
PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT: Niko Demuth
STYLING Corinna Bechtle
EDITOR Laura Ewert
CREATIVE EDITOR AND PRODUCER Jenny Halonen
HAIR AND MAKEUP Darja Crainiuenco using MAC Cosmetics and Davines
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Louisa Traullé-Lambelain