Elena Uhlig about the most terrible TV experience
“That went under the belt”
Elena Uhlig reveals that she is now a full-time influencer and how “terribly” a “Do you understand fun?”
“That was really terrible”: A performance on the TV show “Do you understand fun?” At the beginning of her career, Elena Uhlig (49) still has an effect on the news agency Spot on News. In her new book “50 is not a speed limit” (Knaur TB, from July 21), Uhlig reviews the past 50 years shortly before her milestone birthday on July 31. “It encouraged me to see who I am,” she says in the interview and also reveals that she is no longer an actress today.
In your book “50 is not a speed limit”, look back on your previous years of life. How difficult was it to get all of these memories out again?
Elena Uhlig: It was actually not quite without. I talked a lot to my mother – which was very nice. Suddenly we had talks about the past that we hadn’t held it for years. You don’t just sit down and say: “Let’s talk about Australia. What was going on?” But that’s exactly what we did – and it was a real asset. I was really happy that I took this step.
Her mother and grandmother were the people who strongly shaped them. What was the most important thing that you heard from you for life?
Uhlig: That you should stand on your own feet as a woman – that was the most elementary point that these two strong women gave me. Of course it is nice to go a way with a partner. But my mother and grandmother taught me: don’t rely on it. Stay independent. Earn your own money. Stand with you.
Speaking of money: you have a lot of followers on social media. Are you a full -time influencer now?
Uhlig: Yes, of course. You can really say that.
Does this offer more freedom than your other career paths as an actress and businesswoman?
Uhlig: Only as long as no cooperation is running. Then there are clear guidelines. You always think: oh, influencer – a little post, done. But for example, I regularly make fixed formats such as “the change week” – appointments have to be coordinated, conversations have to be prepared, there is a lot behind it. And even if there is no cooperation: the community wants content. You are like your own little television channel. And a transmitter that offers nothing will be switched away at some point. The followers also expect interaction. In the beginning I really liked everything or provided with small comments. Today I simply can no longer do that. Then people complain.
In addition, the users want everything to be for free on social media – and at the same time find it outrageous when advertising appears. But it doesn’t work without it. The companies finance my work. As with a real TV station: I also get fees for moderating – only that there is also an additional impact, prepare, provide topics. I do everything on Instagram myself.
You also write in detail in the book about your acting career. Was there a role that stands out for them?
Uhlig: “With heart and handcuffs” shaped me very much. I generally liked the series formats – especially because you can develop a figure for a long time. I also loved “the family person”. But “with heart and handcuffs” was definitely one of the most important roles for me.
At 26, they were part of a “Do you understand fun?”-prank with which your colleague Holger Daemgen should be put in. This included that you should move out for a bed scene in front of the camera. Was that the most uncomfortable experience in your job so far?
Uhlig: Yes, that was really terrible. I later have fun with “Do you understand?” Sometimes my husband put it in. Before that, I thought about it for a long time and ultimately agreed, but only on the condition: My husband must not be exposed and demonstrated, and I would like to be involved in the ideas. I don’t like stupid prank, I can’t laugh at that. You can also do great things in such a format. But it can also go under the belt. And that was exactly what happened to me back then. I was young and took it that way. I was also told how great it is for my career that I can appear on ARD on a Saturday evening show. The fact that it made the story into my book shows: Apparently she still employs me today. Not constantly, but noticeable. It was simply not a good experience.
They also describe other difficult experiences, such as the shoot with a director who treated them very condescendingly on the set.
Uhlig: Yes, the director was terrible, it was abuse of power. Such behavior gets stuck.
But they didn’t let them get small.
Uhlig: I’m a strong woman. In my book I tell how I have become the one I am. And that was extremely good for me. It encouraged me to see who I am. I hope that my readers also start thinking about their own life.
When did you feel like you were really taken seriously as an actress?
Uhlig: I still don’t have that. But I’m taking myself seriously today. I know exactly what I want to do – and what not. There are inquiries for roles, so I say very clearly: I don’t work for the money. But I can only afford that because I have built up something else alongside acting. If you are in a financial emergency, you don’t have this freedom and others can take advantage of it.
In the book you say that you once wrote a script for all “crime scene” commissioners. What was the plot?
Uhlig: The project was called “Gondel to the scaffold”. We would have sent all investigators to the mountains – cut off from the outside world. And then a murder happens. Back then, I hurt me that nothing turned into it. Of course, it would have been a huge, expensive undertaking to get all commissioners under one roof – these are consistently busy people. But I still think the basic idea that all commissioners come together from different cities.
Spotonnews
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
