Claudia Michelsen

I’m meeting Claudia Michelsen on two consecutive days. First, the photos for our subsequent conversation are being taken, which is when I can watch her more – her gestures, her body language, her glances – and in them I can glimpse the actor I’m familiar with from so many films. On the second day, during our conversation, this impression has completely vanished. I discover my curiosity about Claudia Michelsen as a woman and want to carry on talking to her about her curiosity, her freedom from fear, her views and about what we have in common – growing up in East Germany.

SLEEK: You were born and grew up in Dresden. What are your memories when you think about the women of that time?

Claudia Michelsen: I was surrounded by strong, confident and independent women. For the first few years of growing up, I lived with my grandparents because my mother was studying. That was nothing unusual. My grandmother was looking after three grandchildren. She cooked for us, sorted out everyday things and, at the same time, she was working as a shorthand typist. None of that was an issue; she just did it and didn’t talk about it in depth. When you grow up like this, you find out that it works, that you are cared for lovingly and at the same time people went to work. I think that growing up like this, I instinctively learned to trust in the strength of the community and also in the strength that women have within themselves. But all that was really normal and nothing special.

S: In your latest film, ‘In a Land that No Longer Exists’, all these themes come together in one story and in your character.

CM: Even though the film takes place in 1988, you sometimes have the feeling that you’re familiar with these issues today, issues that came up back then. What is freedom, where does it begin and where does it end? And can a state stand above people’s ‘freedom’ in this country?

We live in historic times, extremely challenging times; we’re experiencing a period of powerlessness and searching for options that don’t exist at the moment, something that I have experienced at a distance of course and in a different way. And even today, there’s a daily challenge to stay positive, take a stand and carry on – and complain if necessary.

S Thank you for that thought – because sometimes an attitude of openness can face down the fear and disorientation we feel.

CM What the film actually manages to do is convey the power and sense of freedom of that time. Of course, freedom first and foremost arises within yourself. And yet freedom, as we know, cannot be taken for granted in this world, unfortunately.

S You decided to leave Berlin right at the beginning of the 1990s, at the very moment when so many people were drawn to the city.

CM At that time, I found Berlin unbearable. The people and my surroundings were changing so rapidly back then and for me, there was also a seriousness about everything. That’s why I left the continent then and also because of love. For me, there was something very healing about spending almost seven years in America. The feeling of distance did me good – my longing for Europe could grow again – and yet the easiness of the American lifestyle was so important to me.

S Do you consider it fortunate that through your work you’ve helped bring so many issues and topics to light?

CM Have I? I’m not on my own, there are always lots of people involved. When someone invites you to collaborate and entrusts you with a story, it’s always like a birthday. Of course, I’m happy about that. I look forward to sharing the curiosity and the journey together. It’s a luxury sometimes.

S You don’t hide your biography and your background. Do you know how many people prefer not to talk about it, some over a long period?

CM To be honest, I haven’t talked about where I come from for years either. There was no space to do so. It seemed no one was interested. There was also a certain shame about it, always a feeling of being underprivileged to an extent. For a long time I didn’t realise how many people were ashamed about it for years and didn’t want to talk about it either. But it probably took this number of years to be able to look back differently. The sense of curiosity is different now. A few stories have already been told but I think In a Land that No Longer Exists tells the story in a completely new and different way, perhaps a more light-hearted way. Equally, I enjoy remembering the good things that existed then, remembering how powerful and determined we were in everything we did.

CREDITS

As featured in SLEEK 75 – HAPPINESS. Available in print and digital here.