Lawyer in the "Zurich thriller" Christian Kohlund: "I'm practicing to become a better grandpa"

Ten years ago, the first take of a "Zurich crime thriller" was made: actor Christian Kohlund looks back on life's dreams and growing old in difficult times in the two-part "Borchert und die Stadt in Angst".

Not every actor has the privilege of playing the lead role in a crime thriller in their mid-70s, which has been attracting a growing audience of millions for years.

Ten years ago, the first "Zurich crime thriller" was filmed . Christian Kohlund is now celebrating his anniversary with the 20th case "Borchert und die Stadt in Angst" (part 1: Thursday, December 5, 8.15 p.m.; part 2: December 12, 8.15 p.m., ARD).

In an interview, the 74-year-old talks about the countermeasuresheuses to combathis "life blues". The actor, who grew up in Basel, has had it ever since it became clear that the utopias of a better society from his youth had long since failed.

Christian Kohlund, you have made 20 Borchert films since 2016. How do you look back on that time?

It's 20 films, but actually also ten years. We shot the first film back in 2014. However, the second one from 2016 was so closely linked to the first in terms of content that we left it behind and waited two years to be able to broadcast the films together.

It was crucial for the Borchert series that Roland Suso Richter mostly took over directing from the third part onwards. He shaped the series with his visual language and put the format on the right track. Also in terms of success. The ratings have continued to rise and the response has been very positive.

It may sound silly, but isn't it normal for you to be watched by millions of people? After all, people associate your name with TV blockbusters such as "Die Schwarzwaldklinik" or "Das Traumhotel" ...

Success is never a given, and it never was for me either. I'm more of a doubter. But I'm also grateful for what I've been given. Especially now, once again, at an older age. I know that I owe my more recent successes to the older audience in Germany. As you know, this audience is quite large.

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How much does Borchert have to do with you?

A lot. He is an old man obsessed with justice who wants to return to the idealism he once had. I personally can relate a lot to this idea. Then there's our "Zurich Crime" team, which has become like a second family after ten years. I've also been good friends with my partner Ina Paule Klink for a long time. We even go on tour together now .

The "Zürich-Krimi" differs from other crime thriller formats in that the hero is given the melancholy of an older man who knows that many things are no longer within his reach. A figure of identification for many?

I don't know if many people can identify with him, but you've basically described Borchert correctly. He has suffered a private tragedy, allowed himself to be morally corrupted, and we get to know him as he tries to find his way back to honesty and humanity.

But no matter how successful he is on this path, the wounds remain, of course. At my age, you have experienced so much that neither your vest is completely white nor your optimism boundless. There are no older, reflective people who are without fractures.

Has a Philip Marlowe figure like Borchert been missing from German crime fiction?

Perhaps. I was always a fan of "film noir" and detectives like Philip Marlowe, who is primarily associated with the portrayal by Humphrey Bogart. I also loved the French gangster films by Jean-Pierre Melville with Lino Ventura or Alain Delon. Their heroes are also great doubters who let a lot of sadness show through between the lines of life. I could relate to that. With people like Marlowe, Borchert or myself, this doubting, agnostic attitude leads us to start researching. Because we don't take anything for granted. That's not the worst attitude for a detective.

Fans of truth and justice don't have it easy in the world at the moment. Is it easier to live in times like these when you're older and have already experienced a lot?

No, not at all. Quite the opposite. I look at the current state of the world with great sadness and horror. Precisely because I have already experienced other, better times when a positive future seemed possible. Perhaps I was naive, but I would never have thought that much of what is reality today was possible. Especially a war in the middle of Europe. Or that we have become so xenophobic again, but at the same time have missed out on a lot in Germany because we thought we had a basic right to prosperity.

Are you a political person?

Yes, I am. But above all an artist, of course. I find that when artists talk about politics - be it in talk shows or other formats - it usually goes wrong. Because we approach the subject matter far too emotionally. Emotions are what drive us. Politics, on the other hand, should be approached with a cool head, but that's not really the case at the moment. At least the right, humanistic values are not in the minds of those making the decisions.

What can actors do if they want to make a political impact?

I can only speak for myself. There is no such thing as the political actor's handbook. I try to integrate my themes into my work. I do this, for example, with "Lebensblues", a program that is a mixture of readings and music.

It's the program I mentioned with Ina Paule Klink: She sings her songs, I read my texts. A great guitarist supports us. I read my own texts, but also something like "The World of Security" by Stefan Zweig. Words that make you feel like they were written yesterday for today. Yet the text was published in 1942.

As a young actor, you experienced the times of social upheaval in the late 60s and 70s. Does the world feel like a failure when you realize decades later? That improving the world didn't work out at all?

Yes, you're quite right. It's hard to realize in old age that many of the utopias we had as young people have failed. I'm also doing another program called "Christmas Blues" - where I also read texts written by Bertolt Brecht in Chicago in 1910, for example. The gist of it is that the problem of all problems is the poverty of the masses. When you read his remarks, you realize that they are highly topical again today.

Gloom and bad times are only bearable if you also feel something positive in life. Do you have that - and where does it come from?

I draw a lot of strength from music. When I hear good music, my heart opens. That's why I love touring with Ina Paule Klink or listening to music by Bruce Springsteen or old Rolling Stones tracks. I can still enjoy beautiful music as much as a child. I can also cry to Nessun Dorma or lull myself into happiness to anything harmonious. I only have my problems with dissonant music. As a listener, I'm more of a harmony addict (laughs).

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You are also a well-known nature and dog lover. Also a source of happiness for you?

Yes, both are important to me. Animals, nature. In general, the world itself is beautiful when you can look at it. For years, I took part in this feel-good series "The Dream Hotel", which was perhaps not very demanding, but offered enormous advantages. It took you to dreamy places around the world - under exclusive conditions.

I remember how we once filmed in India at the Taj Mahal around five o'clock in the morning at sunrise. The site was still closed to the public. When you're there as the first rays of sunlight fall on this marble - and everything around you is quiet and deserted - you get an idea of the magnificence of this world. It definitely exists, and that's why it's worth living.

You don't need other people to be happy?

Of course, that's so important and self-evident that I haven't even mentioned it - which is criminal. My family is the most important thing to me. I always tried to take the family with me when I was filming abroad and they had time. It was especially great when the children were small. A bit like paradise ...

You are now a grandfather ...

Yes, I have two grandchildren. My daughter Francesca's two little boys. I'm currently practising how to be a better grandpa.

What do you still need to learn as a grandpa?

To have more peace and quiet and time. Two qualities that generally help us adults.

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