Martina Hill about her new podcast “Larissa in your ear!”

You recently started doing the comedy podcast “Larissa in your ear!”. Where do you get the inspiration for the naive way Larissa sees the world and people?
From real life. I often listen to people very carefully and pay attention to how they talk to each other. And of course I also encounter the topics Larissa addresses when using social media or in everyday life when shopping. Once I’ve transformed into Larissa, I always manage to feel 25 again. I tap into my childish streak and just have fun drooling nonsense.

When and where was the character Larissa “born”?
It all started in the run-up to New Year’s Eve 1999 with an invitation to the party of the century. For this event I wanted to look super hot and was looking for a very special outfit. On the Ku’damm I came across a dark plastic long-haired wig that cost one hundred marks. It was love at first sight!

So much for style. And the character Larissa?
In a sense, he was born in the Berlin subway. That’s where I got inspiration for their slang and attitude. Of course, Larissa is always a bit exaggerated, but she embodies the modern, somewhat naive, yet incredibly self-confident demeanor of many big city girls. And the look of the wig matched exactly that of one of the girls with whom I often rode on the U8 line in the morning. When I was supposed to play a fictional character for the reality format parody “Mitten im Leben” on “Switch Reloaded” in 2011, Larissa finally had her TV debut. Martina

Do you see the danger that young people will become increasingly stupid due to too much online, smartphone and social media consumption?
I think that young people are no more or less stupid than we were back then. Every generation has its own challenges. In the end, it always depends on what you make of it. The dose makes the poison! It only becomes a problem when the kids only stay in an online bubble and completely neglect real life. However, I am still very happy that there were no TikTok or Instagram when I was young.

Why?
Because even as an adult woman, it happens to me from time to time that I get lost in the social media world. For a moment I still think: Oh look, what a funny cat video. And the next moment I ask myself where the last three hours have gone. As a teenager, I probably wouldn’t have come out the door at all. It’s weird when the algorithm knows you better than your best friend. But that’s exactly what the apps were programmed for: to get us all addicted. And as a young person it’s much easier to fall into the trap.

Keyword women’s power: Why do successful women still find it difficult to build networks with other women – just as men have been doing for centuries? Do women allow each other less success?
I think it’s an outdated cliché that we women don’t treat each other professionally and play them off against each other! At least in my professional world and in my immediate surroundings, I don’t know any dog ​​bite and I experience it exactly the other way around. Especially because women are often still in the minority, I experience an increasingly stronger and greater cohesion in the comedy scene. It doesn’t make sense to stand in each other’s way. If obstacles stand in our way when it comes to our careers, it’s not our fault as women.

Rather?
The structures that have grown over many years. Most industries have been dominated by men from the start. It takes time until something really noticeably changes.

How self-confident, strong and combative were you as a young woman in the 1990s?
At first glance, I seemed pretty confident and tough to those around me. In fact, I was totally overwhelmed with my life. I had fears about the future, no plan as to where my career would take me after high school and was paralyzed by all the possibilities and necessary decisions that had to be made. I was constantly worried about making the wrong choice and committing myself. Back then, I didn’t have much confidence in myself.

You turned 50 in July. How much respect did you have for this milestone birthday?
To say that the number doesn’t bother me at all and that I like to physically age would be a lie. And of course, at 50, I no longer feel like I’m 25. However, I also used to think that at this age you are already in a preliminary stage of becoming a grandmother. I had images of women with short hair and boring clothes sitting idle at home.

But far from it?
Fortunately, apart from the first wrinkles, gray hair and the gradual process into the challenging and exciting world of menopause, everything has remained the same for me so far. It doesn’t matter whether I think about my lifestyle, everyday life or my surroundings.

Is the fixation on age and age categories more of a social phenomenon that is forced upon us?
In any case! It’s mainly social networks and media that make you panic. Why is there such a huge circus organized around this age limit, especially among women? Sometimes I feel like I almost have to apologize for turning 50.

What bothers you about the number?
The fact that the age of 50 comes into so much focus, especially for women, and that we are scanned and scrutinized as if we had committed something or done something very special. And that it now says: “What, you’re already 50? You can’t even tell by looking at you!” Of course, I’m secretly happy about the compliment, even if I don’t know how seriously I can really take it. But even if someone were to look at my age, would that be a bad thing or even my fault?

If you meet today with the 25 year old Martina Compare: What do you like better about yourself today?
Today I am much less afraid and no longer so strict with myself. I also go through my life much more consciously, no longer question everything and now trust the way things go. And I’m no longer so easily thrown off track. The absurd thing is that at 50 I feel more attractive and comfortable in my body than before. When I was in my early 20s, I got in my own way too much when it came to this question. This is probably where the saying comes from: youth is wasted on youth.

What do you celebrate about getting older?
I generally don’t celebrate anything about the process of getting older. If I celebrate anything, it’s life itself and the fact that I’m alive at all. What a great gift! I’m here – and hopefully for a very long time. But at some point it’s over, for each of us. When I think about old age, I naturally worry and pray that I will still be well at 85; that I am healthy and of sound mind.

What does physical aging do to you?
Of course, I don’t want wrinkles, a wrinkled neck and sunken eyelids, hot flashes and mood swings. But all of that is part of it. I don’t question that because I’ve become more and more relaxed over the years. I no longer jump at every nonsense and trust that I will continue to evolve to accept things as they are. That I will grow into everything, just as I have managed to do in my previous phases of life.

How do you deal with the feeling that your lifespan is dwindling?
Since I internalized the idea that everything in life is finite and limited, my need for perfection has greatly diminished. I have become more open to making mistakes and accepting my imperfections. However, the idea that everything I have built will eventually be over makes me feel helpless or powerless in some moments. This has given me many a sleepless night. If I really let the thought of my own transience get to me, it can take my shoes off.

What exactly blows you away about it?
It’s hard for me to imagine not being there at some point and the earth still continuing to rotate. That is an unreal thought. But that’s what it boils down to and this realization puts everything into perspective. Being aware of my own transience really helps me to accept and accept many things in life more easily.