Moritz Bleibtreu: Good stand-up comedy is “like battle rap”

Moritz Bleibtreu (51) has been one of the absolute acting greats in Germany since the late 1990s. Starting with his breakthrough with “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (1997), through cult films such as “Lammbock” (2001) to the high tension in the “Baader Meinhof Complex” (2008), he delivers top performances in a wide variety of genres.

After several postponements due to the pandemic, his new film “Caveman” will be shown in German cinemas from January 26th. In it he plays the unsuccessful car salesman Robert “Bobby” Müller, who is in a marital crisis with his wife Claudia (Laura Tonke, 48). One day he decides to try his hand at stand-up comedy at an open mic night. Bobby gets advice from the Caveman, a primal version of himself who suddenly appears to him and explains the insurmountable differences between men and women. On the evening of the performance, Bobby lets out everything he has experienced in his marriage over the past few weeks. But how will the audience react?

In an interview with the news agency spot on news, leading actor Moritz Bleibtreu talks about how much Caveman he has in himself, what he would advise couples like Bobby and Claudia and why good stand-up comedy and battle rap actually belong together for him.

How relieved are you that the film is finally celebrating its cinema premiere after all the postponements?

Moritz Bleibtreu: Very. Above all, I’m glad that the film is actually coming to the cinema. Unfortunately, some films that were considered as cinema films during the pandemic were never released in cinemas. My own film, which I directed, fell into exactly this trap at the time. So it’s the first film since the pandemic that’s going to the cinema as normal. With everything that goes with it.

Do you have couples in your circle of acquaintances and friends who remind you of Claudia and Bobby?

Faithful: Some! However, I don’t see myself that way at all. This may also be due to the fact that I’m basically not a conventional person. I was shaped differently and brought up differently. But I know some examples where it’s almost exactly like in the movies.

What would be your tip for these couples?

Bleibtreu: That’s a good question. I think everyone would go there first and say, ‘You need to pull yourself together, you need to spend more time together, listen to each other more, take one step at a time’ and so on. But in a case like Bobby’s, your own path is actually in question. So that he works in this stupid car dealership, the money has to come in somehow and he really doesn’t feel like it and actually he wants something completely different. That’s always a very bad prerequisite for being with someone. Because of course you then transfer that to the other person and being together is always characterized by the fact that you yourself are missing something. This emptiness is never good, it will always be a problem in the relationship. I would rather start with what Thomas Hermann’s Bobby says in the car: ‘You have problems with women? That may be so, but how are you? What’s the matter with you? Oh, you like being a comedian, then give it a try. And look what happens.’ That would be the approach I would take.

So personal happiness also leads to happiness in the relationship?

Bleibtreu: Not necessarily. But I think it’s at least the basic premise. It can’t go well without it. Both men and women like to do that, that they want to be saved through a relationship. However, there are exceptions that prove the rule. There are also women who, for example, define themselves 100 percent through their husbands and who say: ‘I want to be there for my husband, I want to raise the children, I want to offer him support. I want him – just like Caveman – to go out there and hunt and I’ll stay at home and collect the berries and take care of the rest.’ Of course, you can’t deny that to a woman if it really is the basis for her happiness. That’s why the discussion about it is so difficult, because there isn’t simply a rule about it. There is always the exception. But basically you should ask yourself: What really makes me happy? That’s basically the hardest thing in life. But without it, it’s going to be difficult in a relationship.

Are the primal instincts from the film still there to some extent?

Bleibtreu: The film doesn’t make that up, of course they exist. Of course, everything could be limited to physical-biological parameters. There are also countless studies that prove this. Of course, one can talk about differences in sexual drive between men and women. At the same time, it is not a justification for any form of behavior. And I think that’s the key. Of course, these things are correct to a certain degree. But fortunately we have evolved a few thousand years since the cave and fortunately made good use of our large brains and we should have understood that: that certain things may be created by nature, but that doesn’t mean that it’s a free pass is à la: ‘Male sexuality is just like that! Spread the Seed! We have to spread our seed everywhere.’ One has nothing to do with the other.

How much Caveman did you take home from the shoot?

Bleibtreu: Not that much. Basically, I don’t have that much Caveman in me. And if he does, then hopefully his sense of humor (laughs). But maybe physically: the hair falls out on the head and continues to grow on the shoulders. If you’re not careful, you’ll end up looking like him.

Have you ever thought about a career as a comedian?

Bleibtreu: No, that’s a very special field. I’m a big fan of “Delirious” with Eddie Murphy, I saw it when I was 16. Shortly after “Raw”, then all the Afro-American comedians, like Richard Pryor. Everything that came after that too, like Chris Rock or Dave Chappelle, but also Louis CK was great back then. I’m a big standup fan. But I don’t know if I could or wanted to do it myself. I also believe that stand-up has only been understood in Germany in recent years. It’s not about pretending to be someone else. Many have done that. It’s that good stand-up comedy always starts with you being yourself. And that you really act and speak from your position. With people like Felix Lobrecht, I’m starting to see that stand-up comedy is really taking off in Germany.

It’s a bit like rap music. They didn’t understand that dissing and insulting people is something that belongs to the “sport”. It’s not meant to be bad in that sense. It’s an open slugfest that’s part of the art form. And in stand-up comedy, people haven’t realized for a long time that it’s essential that you really have to act on your own. When Ricky Gervais stands up and addresses the entire auditorium, he really means it. It’s not a role that he plays where he says, “No, I didn’t mean it like that!” But he really means it. That’s the most important. The nature of good stand-up is actually like battle rap. You have to mean what you say. It’s starting so slowly now.

Which comedian is closest to the Caveman?

Moritz Bleibtreu: Tracy Morgan! Mainly physically, and by nature.

What about Mario Barth?

Bleibtreu: That only applies in relation to the premise, which in the case of Mario is of course totally geared towards men and women. But I don’t know of any stand-up that didn’t address men and women. Nor is there a black stand-up comedian who hasn’t cracked jokes about what it means to be black. And so there is generally no stand-up comedian, far from their origin, who would not have made jokes about men and women. This is one of the absolute primal themes. In this regard, you can actually name almost all of them.

With Laura Tonke you form an “old married couple”. Was that how it felt on set?

Bleibtreu: Laura and I are very good friends. It’s great when you can work with someone you really enjoy spending time with. It didn’t really feel like an old married couple. But she is an absolutely exceptional actress and is always fun.

How hard was it staying serious on set with Martina Hill?

Bleibtreu: You will laugh, Martina was not on the set at all as you imagine her from “Knallerfrauen”. It’s not like she kind of walks the set laughing hysterically all day. In the absolute opposite. And that’s basically the case: comedy is always the sister of drama. Of course you can have a great laugh with Martina. But she played it very disciplined and seriously.