Photography by Tim Löbbert.
The rowing boat drifts slowly across Lake Brandenburg, the summer sun’s reflection on the calm surface and in the back, an old manor rises above the shore. “Almost like a scene from a film,” remarks Svenja Jung, the 31-year-old actress, smiling as she shields her eyes from the light. “If you could choose, would this be the perfect place for a summer romance – or for a major drama?” It’s a fitting metaphor for Jung herself, who in her latest projects navigates precisely that tension – between desire and danger, between devotion and loss of control. In the Netflix film Fall for Me and the ARD series naked, she ventures into portrayals of female sexuality that German television has rarely shown so directly.
Photography by Tim Löbbert.
Between Desire and Distrust
“I definitely had a lot to play with,” Jung says of her role as Lilly in Fall for Me. The character travels to Mallorca to meet her sister’s fiancé but quickly becomes suspicious of him. “That was such an interesting challenge, because I know that feeling too – when someone’s just fallen in love, their brain seems to switch off, and you can’t get through to them anymore.” This ambivalence between intimacy and estrangement, between the urge to protect and the risk of getting pulled in, also holds creative power: “You try to shield someone from something, and you don’t realise you’re sinking into it yourself. That was so much fun to play.” What sets Fall for Me apart from typical erotic thrillers, Jung says, is its consistent female gaze: “It was written by Stefanie Sycholt, directed by Sherry Hormann, and produced by Christina Henne. It’s very much about fe- male desire. For example, we spent a lot of time discussing how sex scenes should be structured – Lilly is the one who takes what she wants.”
The Anatomy of Female Desire
For Jung, authenticity is key: “There are no scenes that just focus on body parts. My breasts or my butt aren’t filmed to arouse the audience. The female gaze is about showing characters and their desire – their lust, but also their vul- nerability. In fact, Lilly’s first two sex scenes are only about satisfying her lust. I hadn’t seen that in films before.” This approach carries over into naked, a series about sex addiction and emotional dependency. Based on true events, it tells the story of Marie, who falls in love with a man struggling with sex addiction. “The scripts read like a six-part song,” Jung recalls. “It’s not just about being physically naked – you expose yourself emotionally too.”
The Price of Devotion
Jung speaks openly about the tension between full commitment and self-preservation. “When I decide to do something, I give 150 percent. I dive in completely. To cope, she tries to “wash it off in the evening – or, depending on what we filmed, almost peel it away” – but it doesn’t always work. Filming naked affected her more deeply than she expected: “The whole shoot weighed on me. Afterwards, I really needed time to step back.” She didn’t take on any new projects for three months, needing distance from her character Marie. But the quick transitions between projects were still challenging: “After finishing Fall for Me in Mallorca, I flew straight to Antwerp and started naked a week and a half later. I didn’t have time to say goodbye to Lilly before another character took her place.”
Photography by Tim Löbbert.
Contemporary Femininity
What makes a character like Lilly feel modern? “She’s a woman who knows exactly who she is and what she wants,” Jung explains. “But then she asks herself: Why is this happening to me? Can I still trust my instincts? That questioning – knowing and doubting at the same time – feels very contemporary.” Jung believes this resonates with many women: “Not that everyone ends up in a gang like Lilly, but a lot of us realise we’re in relationships, affairs, or friendships that aren’t good for us or aren’t honest. Lilly is a tax auditor, responsible and security-oriented, who had to grow up fast and care for her younger sister. She’s not erratic – and yet it can happen to anyone. That’s why it’s important to tell these stories: women who take what they want and embrace their sensuality – not for men, but for themselves.”
The Camera as an Accomplice
Jung often develops a close bond with the camera team: “That relationship is almost as important to me as the one with the director. I usually hang out with the crew during warm-ups.” That trust is crucial – even in absurd moments. She laughs as she recalls filming an intimate scene in naked: “The cameraman was practically sitting on top of him, and I was holding the cameraman so he wouldn’t fall while filming. It’s not erotic at all shooting something like that.” She laughs, “You hear: ’Look this way, put your hand there, breathe. We need more sweat.’ It’s total teamwork.”
The Challenge of Authenticity
Acting, Jung admits, often demands a paradoxical mindset: “You have to be confident, quick-witted, or acting cool. But the work itself requires you to be extremely open, vulnerable, and sensitive. Switching between those worlds is exhausting.” Jung knows her roles provoke strong reactions: “As an actress, you put so much of yourself out there and say: This is me, this is my vision. Of course people will judge that. But in a way, it’s like a small revolution you’re leading.” She accepts that criticism is inevitable: “People will always talk. There will always be someone who says something negative.” But for her, the message behind her work has become more political: “For a woman to deal with her own sexuality in a self-determined way – and to make that visible – is incredibly empowering.” Especially now, when abortion laws are back up for debate, it matters more than ever.
The boat has long since stopped turning. The sun dips lower, bathing the manor on the shore in golden light. Jung gazes across the water as though framing a scene. “Drama,” she finally decides. “Definitely a drama.” It’s a fitting conclusion – not only for the moment on the lake, but also for Svenja Jung, an actress who has found the courage to plunge into the depths of female desire, challenging both herself and her audience along the way.