Thelma Buabeng plays “The Policewoman”: “First Black Woman” with this leading role

Actress and comedienne Thelma Buabeng (43) was born in Ghana, West Africa, in 1981 and grew up in the Rhineland from 1984. Even as a child, she liked to present herself, as she explains in an interview with spot on news. She fully discovered acting as a teenager in a theater group. Nevertheless, she first studied media marketing in Cologne, also for her mother’s sake. “She was very skeptical about acting. She kept saying: When she turns on the TV, she doesn’t see anyone who looks like me. But that was probably exactly what motivated me,” Buabeng remembers. Although she has now lived in Berlin for more than 15 years, “at heart I’m still a Rhenish girl” who has retained “the Cologne spirit, the cheerfulness of the people, the charm.”

This Monday (September 30th) a new crime series starts on ZDF at 8:15 p.m. with the opening episode “The Policewoman and the Language of Death”. Thelma Buabeng plays the title role. In the interview, she explains, among other things, what this means for her.

You got your start in television acting in 2003 with a role in “Lindenstrasse” (1985-2020). Do you remember this time fondly?

Thelma Buabeng: Of course, that was my very first appearance. Liz Baffoe [55, Red.] was already playing in “Lindenstrasse” back then. I grew up with the Baffoe family. There was also a Ghanaian family we knew. Liz was a role model for me. When I stood in front of the camera for “Lindenstrasse” it was totally exciting.

Since then, you have starred in many “Tatort” crime films, the content of which was mostly about migration and asylum. Is it completely different in the new crime series “The Policewoman”?

Buabeng: Yes, exactly. In “The Policewoman and the Language of Death” I play the title role, a BKA chief investigator. Until now, I always thought that if you made it onto German television as a person with a migration background, and in my case as a black woman, you would be a “Tatort” commissioner. And now I’ve basically got my own “crime scene”. I’m really very proud of that. I think I am the first black female detective on German television.

I’ve already acted in “Tatort”, that’s true, but it mostly used clichés or had smaller roles. I was also very happy about these roles, but of course it’s nicer not to always play the victim roles. Now I play Gloria Acheampong, a case analyst from the BKA, a profiler who is called to the place where she is needed. This is of course really exciting and exciting. I’m just the main character now and that makes a really, really big difference.

Do you feel that there is a tendency towards less stereotypical casting of roles?

Buabeng: You can tell that people in the film industry are more aware of the issue and are trying to do some things differently. They are small steps, baby steps – but I believe we are moving in the right direction.

Florence Kasumba (47) was the first black “crime scene” investigator in a duo of detectives. It was introduced in 2018. For you it is now even the title role. What reactions did you get?

Buabeng: I think that the community is now just as excited and proud of me as the entire community was that Florence was taking part in this important German TV show. I get a lot of positive feedback. Many are already eagerly awaiting the broadcast.

I’ve been getting positive feedback for a long time because I’ve had a recurring role in the show “Löwenzahn” for years. [seit 1981] games. Mothers in our community often say to me: “Oh Thelma, you can’t imagine how nice it is to watch TV with my children in the morning and then see a black person on the children’s program who is popular. Those are moments that make me proud and it’s the same with my main role now.

You have been actively representing your community for years. You also describe yourself as an activist on Instagram. What is particularly important to you?

Buabeng: Diversity in my industry is particularly important to me. Of course, compared to other people, I am only a lay activist. But I’ve always tried to speak up in my circle when I feel like it’s not working that way. I also packaged topics like racism in my comedy program in a different way so that the audience deals with the topic.

Your life motto on your Instagram account is: “I wake up, I am wonderful and I go to bed.” The saying sounds positively self-confident. Does that describe you well?

Buabeng: Yes, I think so. I am definitely a glass-half-full person, a person with a positive attitude and I also like to make others laugh. I once read this three-liner somewhere on the Internet and found it so funny that I adopted it. You have to smile straight away.

In “The Policewoman and the Language of Death” you say to your film son at one point: “You have to be better than the others.” This seems to have been the case for a long time for children with a migration background. Would you say that still applies?

Buabeng: I would say that every migrant child – and not just those with black skin – has heard this sentence from their parents a thousand times. It is often the case that our parents came to Germany because of us, to try to give us a better life. They usually work a lot and then want us to shine – and not attract negative attention. I think there are certain phrases that we have all heard – including me from my parents.

In the crime thriller you are dealing with the imprisoned Rudi Butscher. He is played by the award-winning Austrian theater and film star Nicholas Ofczarek (53). How was the collaboration?

Buabeng: Incredibly good. I still get goosebumps when I think about it. I was already a big fan professionally. But we also got along very well on a personal level. We sat together so many evenings and laughed so much. But even during the rehearsals for the scenes it was clear that he is one of the best and most experienced actors currently available.

Nicki has been at the castle for 30 years [Wiener Burgtheater] – I hardly know any actor with such a long tenure at a theater. You can also feel on set that he knows his craft so well. I learned an incredible amount from him in the short time we spent together on set and really gripping scenes emerged. A real duel between Butscher and Acheampong.

The crime thriller takes place in the far north on the German-Danish coast. How did you like it there?

Buabeng: I had actually never been to the Danish border before filming. I really liked it. When you come from this loud, very active and sometimes tiring Berlin, it is totally relaxing to suddenly have so much nature, water, great air and peace around you. The walk to the filming location in the morning was very nice. It’s so quiet there that after long days of filming it was sometimes even a bit of a challenge to get something to eat in a restaurant. (laughs)

When will the next “The Policewoman” crime film be filmed and can you already reveal where it will take place?

Buabeng: We’ve already had a few preliminary discussions for scenes and the film will be shot next year. I think I can at least reveal that the next film will not be shot where the first one was made.