Well, till now I haven't found the entire interview with Carlo Degen (Joscha) and Eric Stehfest (Yannick) as a videoclip, only the written form. So here's the first part of the interview:
How does Joscha in „ATM“ handle his homosexuality?
Carlo: Joscha is under a lot of pressure , because he has to hide his homosexuality. He had a secret relationship with a man before, but he ended it in favor of his career. Now he tries to suppress his feelings and act as straight as possible. He has one girlfriend after another and has a foot-in-mouth disease at the attempt to come out this mess. As soon as a relationship with a woman is going to become more serious, he dumps her and goes on with the next woman. Eventually he even goes so far to let himself in a sham marriage. He’d everything so that the truth won’t out.
And how is it for Yannick in “Among us”?
Eric: Yannick is somehow a point of light in the “Schillerallee” (Schiller-alley). He gets along well with everyone, he didn’t attend attention and he’s a good student. You can tell by looking, that he knows who he is and what he does. But he has one problem, he’s fallen for the wrong man at that.
How is it to play a gay man in a soap as a straight man?
Carlo: It’s a very special challenge. Due to the very special topic of my role, equally as for Soccer and homosexuality, I’ve got many different things to play and that’s super.
Eric: Since I was a kid, I always liked to play very different roles. I always played characters, who didn’t affect my personal life at all and had nothing to do with my own self. That’s why I wanted to become an actor. So now I’m playing the role of Yannick and I can empathize with it quite well. I wouldn’t give priority to the fact that he’s gay, he’s just someone who’s in love and shows feelings.
How did you prepare yourself for the role and scenes, respectively?
Carlo: Beforehand I read a lot about the topic and exchanged views about it with homosexual friends of mine. We also have a coach, who’s discussing the scenes with us and shows us how to approach it. It was a huge changeover for me. A man smells quite different than a woman and he also feels different to the touch. You have to go beyond a certain point and allow to flop yourself into it.
Eric: That’s a good starting point for me – The difference between my and Carlo’s role Joscha is, that Joscha is troubled by his homosexuality and Yannick already has had his Coming-Out when he was 13. That’s why it was way more easier for me to prepare. It was clear to me, that I just have to play a guy who’s in love. It was only when I had give myself to my scene partner and let off that it became difficult to me. Thereby the surrounding bothered me the most: The team, the many cameras, the pressure of time. A the theater you get more time to get into the spirit of the scene. It’s difficult on a set of a daily soap, because you have to function within a few minutes. That was the biggest clash for me.
How was it to kiss a man for the very first time?
Carlo: I was yet only used to kiss women. Kissing a man was something very new and unfamiliar. But by this time I already have had a lot of scenes like that and became more secure and experienced about it.
Eric: When it comes to a “menkiss” you need a lot of trust. It’s like a work agreement between me and my scene partner. We both know it’s only a role we’re playing and that makes it easier. When I kiss a women, it’s more familiar and you don’t need so much trust in each other as I do when I kiss a man.
What reactions did you get from your girlfriends, friends and family?
Carlo: Naturally there were a few stupid comments, but there were only meant as joke. In the end my friends do appreciate what I’m doing and have a great respect for. And my girlfriend is certainly glad that I have to kiss more men than women in front of the camera.
Eric: For my girlfriend only matters that I act good and that it comes across realistic. I took her on the set once, so she can see, what we’re doing there all day. My family is proud above all. But they haven’t see so much so far, so I don’t know yet, how they’ll react when they actually see me with a man on television.
To be continued...
BTW, As soon as I've got time, I'll also upload the appearance of Carlo in "Das perfekte Promi-Dinner" with english subs, but not the entire show, only the parts which includes Carlo (okay, and maybe the parts with Ingo/André cause I really like the actor).
