{"id":207875,"date":"2019-11-05T18:49:03","date_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/?p=207875"},"modified":"2019-11-05T18:49:03","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T17:49:03","slug":"ueberkomoedie-klingt-doch-ganz-gut-elyas-mbarek-ueber-das-perfekte-geheimnis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/berlin030.de\/en\/2019\/11\/05\/ueberkomoedie-klingt-doch-ganz-gut-elyas-mbarek-ueber-das-perfekte-geheimnis\/","title":{"rendered":"“\u00dcber-comedy sounds pretty good.” | Elyas M\u2019Barek on “The Perfect Secret”"},"content":{"rendered":"

He is one of the few stars of German cinema. With the “Fack Ju G\u00f6hte” trilogy, Elyas M\u2019Barek, 36, reliably attracted millions as the cool supply teacher Zeki M\u00fcller. The son of a Tunisian father and an Austrian mother, his first appearance was while he was still at school in “M\u00e4dchen, M\u00e4dchen”.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

For his role in the ARD series “Turkish for Beginners” he received the German Television Award. After the historical epic “The Physician”, the thriller “Who am I”, the satire “Welcome to the Hartmanns”, and most recently the political thriller “The Collini Case”, M\u2019Barek now returns to cinemas in the comedy “The Perfect Secret”\u2014conceived and directed by “Fack Ju G\u00f6hte” creator Bora Dagtekin. Elyas M\u2019Barek spoke to [030] contributor Dieter O\u00dfwald.<\/p>\n

Mr M\u2019Barek, isn’t the film poster missing a warning notice: “For risks and side effects, consult your couples\u2019 therapist”?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not just the couples\u2019 therapist! (Laughs) “The Perfect Secret” isn’t just about relationship problems, but about friendships and the question of what friends are allowed to know about you. How much truth can a relationship handle?<\/p>\n

Would you recommend trying out the game from the film in real life?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, I can only strongly advise against that. I certainly wouldn\u2019t take part in such a game in real life! You really should avoid such mobile phone experiments.<\/p>\n

On Facebook, you wrote that the film is an “\u00fcber-comedy”\u2014what led to that new coinage?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00dcber-comedy sounds pretty good, really. And it accurately describes how “The Perfect Secret” is the best comedy you\u2019ll see in the cinema this year. There won\u2019t be a funnier film in 2019! Especially as it contains so many twists and surprises. The film gets more hair-raising and unnerving by the minute. At some point you\u2019re thinking: please, God, don\u2019t let another mobile phone ring! Anyone sitting in the cinema can be glad and grateful that they\u2019re only watching, and not part of this circle of friends.<\/p>\n

After your foray into serious territory with the political thriller “The Collini Case,” you’re returning to comedy. Is it more relaxed not to have the burden of responsibility that comes with a drama based on true events?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For me there\u2019s no difference; the shooting is the same. Even “The Perfect Secret” definitely has its serious moments, and even sad scenes. It\u2019s not slapstick, though you really can laugh a lot. But the big drama isn\u2019t neglected any more than the big love story. I don\u2019t really worry much about genre, anyway\u2014what matters for me is whether I would want to see the film myself at the cinema.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Elyas
Wife and kids\u2014that can lead to tension in the relationship. \u2013 Photo: \u00a9 Lucia Faraig \/ Constantin Film Verleih GmbH<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The Collini Case” was very well received by both audiences and the press and is now getting a cinema release in the USA. A German Film Award wouldn\u2019t be out of the question, then?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What matters to me is that the film turns out well and finds its audience\u2014which, thank God, it has.<\/p>\n

How funny was the shoot? Do spontaneous bursts of laughter cause scenes to be scrapped, or is that business as usual for actors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

There have certainly been plenty of moments when we laughed a lot during filming and had to reshoot scenes because of it. When seven actors are sitting at a table, mistakes, laughter, and slipping up are inevitable. But that\u2019s all part of it; after all, you need to keep your energy up on set. If it was all doom and gloom, it\u2019d be difficult to bring energy into the scenes.<\/p>\n

Director Dagtekin has said that he shot scenes more often than usual in order to have a wider choice when editing. How did that affect the work?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When seven actors are sitting around a round table, the director naturally wants a wide variety of angles and perspectives, which drags things out. On average, we filmed one scene a day. That\u2019s unusual for actors and it requires extra concentration if you\u2019re repeating the same lines and biting into the same piece of lasagne from morning till night.<\/p>\n

Is there a little competition over who gets the biggest piece of lasagne?<\/strong><\/p>\n

No, it was more a competition to see who had to eat the least! (Laughs) If you load your plate up too much in the morning and still have to eat from it in the evening, you eventually feel rather full.<\/p>\n

Are there any lines with classic potential, like “Chantal, cry quietly!”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know. You can\u2019t predict that in advance\u2014the audience decides. No one expected that reaction to “Chantal, cry quietly!” either.<\/p>\n