There are actors known for action movies. Or for science fiction. Others become associated with rom-coms, comedy, or massive blockbuster franchises. Lena Urzendowsky, the Berlin-raised actress, on the other hand, has become known for something entirely different: incredibly intense portrayals of stories shaped by pain and growth, humanity in a deeply real way, characters that are anything but boring, and an aura that draws you in while feeling both relatable and strangely distant at the same time.
It’s no surprise that Urzendowsky is one of those actresses everyone should have on their radar right now. But she’s not a newcomer. Far from it. You could even say she’s already an industry expert. Since starting her acting career in 2014, she has won numerous awards, worked alongside well-known German names such as Jella Haase, Lena Klenke, and Damian Hardung. Most recently, she became part of the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival jury in the Generation section. Not to mention that one of her latest films, Sound of Falling (2025), won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last year. It’s a résumé that not many others in the German film landscape can compete with right now.
And now, at this very moment, she’s experiencing what is probably the biggest milestone of her career so far: her nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the German Film Awards for her performance as Angelika in Sound of Falling. Directed by Mascha Schilinski, the film is set on an old rural farm in the Altmark region and follows four different characters across four different periods of time. While each of them deals with their own fears, traumas, and challenges, the stories slowly begin to blur together, exploring generational experiences, identity, and the feeling of time itself.
On May 29, the ceremony at Palais am Funkturm in Berlin will reveal the winner of Lena’s category. Before that, we met her to talk about how the nomination makes her feel, childhood memories, about life and work on a farm. About fries, talking on the phone on public transport, and signs sent by the universe.
AMELIE BACHERT Hi Lena, nice to meet you! How are you?
LENA URZENDOWSKY I’m good, just a bit tired.
AB Same here. At least we’re on the same level then. Let’s just start right away, maybe we’ll both wake up a bit. Can you tell me about your most absurd casting moment?
LU My most absurd casting moment? Ah, I’ve got a good one. It was for a flirting scene. There’s a guy who comes to the door, rings the bell, she opens it, and then they flirt. In the casting studio they had built this huge lamp for it, you know, the ones with a covered shade so it wouldn’t be too bright. And I’m in the middle of the scene, already kind of with my hands in his hair, when suddenly the shade falls down right between us. Boom! It felt like a sign saying, No, this is not a match.
AB Do you believe the universe sends signs like that?
LU Not in a super serious way. But I do find it funny to think about it like that sometimes. There is a certain humor in it. In general, I do pay a lot of attention to those kinds of small details.
AB That’s totally fair. So, you’re always very aware of what’s going on around you.
LU Exactly.
AB You grew up in Berlin, but looking at your CV, you’ve lived and worked in so many places. Where do you feel most at home right now?
LU Interestingly, I’ve just figured that out again for myself. I’ve spent time in France, in New York. I’ve often lived in other cities for longer periods, sometimes because I wanted to, sometimes for work. For a film I shot with Leonie Krippendorff in 2024, Children of the Sun (2026), I spent 2 months in a small village on the coast of Greece. And now I’ve been in Zurich for almost a year. But to be honest, I do feel that Berlin is home for me. Of course, I have the typical love-hate relationship every Berliner has, but it’s deeply rooted in my heart. I just love it there.
AB Is there a certain place in Berlin that instantly takes you back to your childhood?
LU Definitely. We used to go to Schlachtensee in summer. It’s a lake in the south of Berlin. And there was this tree where someone had tied up a homemade swing. That was peak childhood for me. Swinging there, jumping into the water, and then going for fries afterward. Summer, sun, childhood, everything.
AB Ah yes, fries with a bit too much seasoning. I think that’s a universal experience.
LU Exactly.
AB I’m asking about your childhood experiences because memory, time, identity, and the way everything seems to blur together play a big role in Sound of Falling. What first drew you to the project?
LU Yeah, you’re right. We just talked about atmosphere in relation to childhood memories. And Sound of Falling is also a very atmospheric film. Even the script was so electrifying that you couldn’t help but fall into it immediately. There were the smallest details that made the whole story so incredibly complex. Like, for example, a shovel resting on someone’s shoulder leaving a tiny mark on the costume afterward. And a little girl observing it. Those kinds of precise things were already in the script, which is something rare, I feel like.
AB That sounds super interesting, especially since you said you’re someone who pays a lot of attention to details.
LU In fact, I think observing details is part of my job. When I build a character, alone or together with the director and the team, it’s always about those small things. Does the character wear nail polish? What kind of earrings do they wear? How stylish are they? It says so much about a person.
AB Right. Or whether you’re the kind of person who would wear mismatched socks.
LU Exactly. I observe people a lot in everyday life. That’s something I really love about Berlin as well. Public transport is basically the best research lab for my roles. Behavior is so interesting. For example, how people talk on the phone in public. Do they whisper because they’re embarrassed? Do they hang up quickly? Or do they not realize how loud they are?
AB How would your character from Sound of Falling, Angelika, talk on the phone in public?
LU Good question. I think she would definitely do it. She wouldn’t be ashamed. But she also wouldn’t want the whole train carriage to know what she’s talking about. She takes up space, but she doesn’t want to be unpleasant.
AB And you?
LU I’m more the type who finds it very uncomfortable. I whisper, like, Can I call you back later?
AB Same here, actually. But back to the movie again, Sound of Falling takes place across different timelines on a farm. How did that location influence your work?
LU It helped a lot. I usually like shooting in studios a lot; it has a very focused atmosphere. But on that farm, a lot was already there. It felt authentic and real from the beginning. I also loved the idea behind it from Mascha and Luisa, the director and co-writer. The film is inspired by an old photograph of maids standing in the exact same spot where they sat and wrote 100 years later. That idea that so many people, animals, lives have passed over the same ground gives a place so much weight. That made the atmosphere on set very inspiring.
Photography by Diana Pfammatter.
AB You’ve been nominated for the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for your performance as Angelika. Congratulations! How does it feel?
LU Honestly, I think with the German Film Award, a nomination alone is already something to celebrate! It’s the most important award in Germany. It’s given by your peers. And being on that list alongside Claudia Geisler-Bading, who plays my mother in the film, and Laura Tonke, whom I admire so much, felt like such a beautiful form of recognition. I was incredibly emotional that day, I couldn’t stop crying.
AB That’s beautiful, such an emotional milestone.
LU Yeah, sometimes things happen where I really feel like a circle is closing. The nomination is, of course, for Angelika, but it’s also an important moment for me as an actress and my place in the industry. I started acting in 2014 and portrayed Angelika in 2024. That’s ten years. It felt like an acknowledgement from my colleagues, like I’m now truly part of this industry and seen as a grown actress. And suddenly what I had always dreamed of becomes real.
AB I can imagine! You’ve had at least one nomination or award almost every year since 2016, which is very impressive. How do you stay motivated and grounded after great achievements like that?
LU I’ve never really had a problem with motivation. I just love acting. When I prepare for a role, I don’t think about awards. I don’t ever accept a role because I think I could win one with it. Every project feels completely different. And especially in the beginning, my goal was always to create a character, not to play myself. So, back then, every award felt like: okay, I managed to portray a form of humanity convincingly – It’s nice to see that there are people who are touched by that portrayal, it shows that they care about certain topics and emotions. Now I think differently, I try to challenge myself even more. Of course, winning an award or being nominated helps with confidence and visibility, but my motivation comes from curiosity and joy in playing.
AB What do you mean by challenging yourself even more? Do you nowadays choose roles that are very similar to you?
LU Yeah, kind of. It used to be the opposite. The closer a character was to me, the scarier it felt. If I felt like I gave a character my body and voice but it had nothing to do with me, I felt like I had done my job well. And that I hadn’t betrayed myself. That I hadn’t exposed myself. But over time I realized I always bring parts of myself anyway. It’s always my eyes, my face, my body. My mannerisms show through. I’ve learned that this is not a threat. On the contrary, I’ve become braver in taking roles that are closer to me and allowing them to have something to do with me.
AB That’s really cool. There has to be space for growth. If you had known everything when you started twelve years ago, it would be pretty boring.
LU Totally!
AB So what draws you to intense, complex roles like in We Children from Bahnhof Zoo (2021), Cocoon (2020), Sound of Falling, oder How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast) (2019)?
LU I think it’s a bit like the chicken and egg question. I can only work well if I see meaning in a character or story. Once there is meaning or a search for meaning, it automatically becomes intense for me. I can’t play it superficially then. But I also turn down roles if I feel a film is only trying to entertain without asking bigger questions.
AB Looking at your filmography, there’s something for everyone. Is there a role that has particularly shaped you?
LU There is Cocoon, We Children from Bahnhof Zoo und Sound of Falling. But if I had to choose, it would probably be Sound of Falling. Maybe because it was closest to me personally. I never expected it to get so much attention. I wanted to play Angelika not just as an actor, but for myself. It felt freeing. This self-empowerment, this fighting back while staying true to yourself. I could really relate to that. And the shoot itself was special. We made a film about trauma and violence without showing violence explicitly. Turning pain into something beautiful, something poetic felt healing. That the movie then went to Cannes, made the Oscar shortlist and now has eleven German Film Award nominations still feels surreal. It shows that good art doesn’t have to come from suffering. You can treat each other well and still create something valuable.
AB You’re obviously an industry expert. What topics do you think are still underrepresented in German film and television?
LU I feel like climate change is often framed very negatively, mostly linked to fear and overwhelm. That pushes it into the background. Other topics like feminism, domestic violence, or everyday racism are also often only addressed in waves, sometimes as green or pink washing, without really going deep. What we need is consistency and normality, where these topics are seen as part of everyday life, not just problems. I also wish there was less separation between political cinema or TV and entertainment. More formats that are artistically strong but still have a political core, without needing to say it explicitly. Just showing that everyday problems are always systemic.
AB My last question for you today: What is something very few people know about you?
LU If I’m honest, I can’t imagine any other job than acting. That’s something I denied for a long time.