Samirah Breuer: “Staying Silent Doesn’t Change Anything”

23-year-old Samirah Breuer is done playing it polite. She’s now drawn to roles that truly explore what it means to be human — including the flaws — something she found deeply embedded in the concept of KRANK Berlin, the new series recently released on Apple TV. In it, she plays Olivia, a paramedic in her early twenties working at a hospital in Berlin-Neukölln, nicknamed “KRANK” — a German word that means both “ill” and serves as shorthand for Krankenhaus (hospital).

From the moment Breuer accepted the role, she knew this wouldn’t be a typical German medical drama. During the shoot, she not only learned about emergency care and the healthcare system behind it, but also discovered what kind of actress she wants to become.

Franka Klaproth: What were your first thoughts and expectations when you heard about the series Krank Berlin and your role, Olivia?

Samirah Breuer: Krank Berlin felt completely different right from the start. I could immediately sense that the right people were involved, people who genuinely cared. The characters weren’t one-dimensional. I had a really good feeling and instantly wanted to be part of it.

FK: How did the production ensure authenticity on set?

SB: A lot of effort went into making everything as real as possible. Many of the extras were actual nurses and medical staff, so they knew exactly how things work. I also spent time at a fire station with a colleague. They showed us how to use the emergency vehicle equipment, how the alerts come in, how to handle everything properly. We had a medical advisor on set for nearly two months who went through every scene involving procedures with us in detail. We rehearsed the emergency room scenes for days, like a choreography. Everything had to be exact: where to walk, what to say, when to insert the tube. It was super precise.

FK: You also study psychology. Is that a good complement to your acting?

SB: Studying psychology is kind of my balance. Acting can sometimes feel like it’s all about your body, your looks, or whether you “fit” a role. Even if you’re good, it often comes down to whether you’re the “type” someone imagined. At some point, I really craved something that wasn’t about appearance, something where I could use my mind again. It’s also especially helpful when I play characters with complex inner lives. For me, preparation doesn’t end when the camera stops rolling. I go home and keep thinking about scenes, reworking things in my head. I make playlists for my characters, I explore emotional layers and try different colors, different energies. Creating a character is like building a human being from the inside out.

FK: Does acting require that emotional intensity?

SB: For me, yes. I immerse myself fully, building stories around the character with playlists and moodboards. Acting isn’t nine-to-five — I keep processing scenes even after filming.

FK: Are there days when emotions don’t come?

SB: Definitely. Sometimes life gets in the way, but you still have to be present. Fake tears won’t cut it; the audience must feel it. You can cry from frustration, rage, or exhaustion. Switching emotional states all day is exhausting — like living five lives in one.

FK: Olivia often clashes with her colleague Olaf, a Boomer who’s emotionally shut down to cope with the job. How did you bring that generational tension to life with Bernhard Schütz?

SB: We had a warm off-set relationship and worked closely on their dialogue. We avoided clichés like “Gen Z on phones” or “bitter Boomers,” showing two real people shaped by different experiences. Olaf tries to protect Olivia from disappointment, while she still believes—maybe naively—that change is possible. It’s a dynamic you see in society too: young people full of energy and conviction, and older generations who’ve tried, failed, and urge them to be more “realistic.” But I think it’s so important that this youthful drive exists. We need people who haven’t been knocked down by the system yet. That hope is where change starts.

FK: Can you tell us a bit more about Nola, your role in Schattenseite, and how you built that character compared to Olivia?

SB: Nola deals a lot with anxiety — panic episodes and an entirely different emotional texture than Olivia. So I approached her from a very different angle. I made new playlists, new moodboards, and tried to build a completely new human from scratch. Every time I get a script, I start compiling references — images, sounds, colors — anything that helps me construct a psychological world. For me, that’s the fun part. It’s like becoming an emotional detective.

FK: What’s on your acting bucket list?

SB: I don’t have a certain dream project. What really matters to me is being given the space to play full, complex people. That includes showing flaws, contradictions, vulnerability. Also, I’m particularly interested when it brings visibility to something overlooked or underrepresented.

FK: Are there roles you avoid?

SB: I don’t want to play a flat, tokenized character that just checks a diversity box. You can tell when a role is written just to hit some quota, where the character barely speaks, only speaks broken German, and hits every lazy stereotype. It’s not that I’m against playing characters with cultural specificity. But the context matters. What’s the intention behind this portrayal? We all have a responsibility in the stories we tell. I know it’s a privilege to say no. But I see that as part of my responsibility, too. Sometimes I’ll enter a conversation about a script, see if there’s space to shift things, to add nuance. If not, I walk away.

FK: Was saying no something you had to learn over time?

SB: Definitely. But after all my experiences, I’ve gained clarity about who I am and what I stand for—even if it costs me jobs. Speaking up takes courage, and the industry doesn’t make it easy. But we have to challenge the system; otherwise, what’s the point? Maybe that’s where I’m a little like Olivia. Some tell me to stay quiet and just play along, but that’s not me. Staying silent changes nothing. Speaking up does.

CREDITS

Photography: Nikolas-Petros Androbik
Styling: Franka Klaproth
Production: Grace Issey/ MUTTER
Hair and Make-Up: Ilya Fesenko
Styling Assistant: Ellen Schuldes
Talent: Samirah Breuer