Mr. Kiefer, you play the male lead as a commissioner in the ZDF series “Breisgau”. The second episode is now on. Have you already settled into your job as a Breisgau investigator?
In any case. We were all a little unsure about the first episode that ZDF broadcast last October. After all, no one could know whether this new thriller would reach the audience. The ratings were then great, the reactions very positive.
Did that surprise you?
Personally, I hadn’t expected such an overwhelming response, because new things are often viewed critically at first and it’s difficult to gain acceptance. But I was very happy. For the second case and the shooting, of course, that gives momentum. When shooting the second case, I didn’t just give 100 percent, I gave 102 percent.
What is your second case about?
A half-dead man is rescued from the Dreisam, the Freiburg river. Together with my colleague Tanja Wilken, played by Katharina Nesytowa, I take up the investigation. We are confronted with a notorious art thief and with the past of my family, which is a conspired and notorious Freiburg police family. My uncle is accused of being a sneaky thug. My colleague is convinced of the guilt of my uncle, who used to be a police officer and now runs the family hangout in downtown Freiburg. I believe in his innocence. It will be exciting.
You were a commissioner in the ZDF thriller “Soko München” for ten years, now you are investigating in Freiburg. What is different?
I am now a television inspector in the area where I was born and raised and where I now live with my family. Of course, this has its special appeal. I know the region very well and, when shooting in Freiburg, I can drive to work comfortably from my breakfast table at home.
And linguistically?
In front of the camera I usually speak High German. But Alemannic is my native language, it is deeply rooted in me. I can turn them on and off with ease. When we meet locals in Breisgau who speak the way my parents spoke when I was a child, I usually automatically switch to the dialect. I really enjoy speaking Alemannic.
Joscha Kiefer (as Dennis Danzeisen) and Katharina Nesytowa (as Tanja Wilken), in the background the Freiburg Herz-Jesu-Kirche. | Image: Barbara Bauriedl/ZDF
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Crime novels are booming on TV. Does it take so much murder and manslaughter?
“Breisgau” deliberately takes a slightly different approach: It’s a thriller with a wink. Of course, there is always a criminal case, a crime, in the foreground. But the trappings should also be fun, entertain people and make them smile – without appearing ridiculous. “Breisgau” wants to give the viewers confidence despite the crime – and not dramatically plunge them into fear and terror or dark thoughts. It’s a very unique sense of humor, which I also have privately.
Did you accept immediately when the role offer came?
I thought it was a joke. My family and I had just moved back to Breisgau from Munich. And suddenly I got a script for a series called “Breisgau”. The role and the series quickly convinced me. And parallel to this series I still have time for other roles and commitments. This is a great pleasure.
