Actor
Devid Striesow: He ate 20 kilos for the ARD film about Bach
Actor Devid Striesow plays Johann Sebastian Bach in a new film. In order to believably embody the composer, the 51-year-old has gained a lot of weight.
Many viewers will probably still know Devid Striesow as a “crime scene” investigator. From 2013 to 2019 he played the Saarland commissioner Jens Stellbrink. During this time he also portrayed entertainer Hape Kerkeling in the best-selling film adaptation “I’m gone.” For his latest film project, Striesow has now approached a real heavyweight in German cultural history. In the ARD production “Bach – A Christmas Miracle” he plays the world-famous composer. The historical family film traces the creation of the Christmas oratorio in the days before Christmas Eve 1734.
Devid Striesow wanted to visually resemble Bach
In order to portray Bach credibly, Striesow endured some physical exertion. “When I accepted the offer of the role, my interest was in trying to visually get a little closer to Bach, who demonstrably drank light beer all day,” the 51-year-old told the teleschau news agency. He “eaten himself up to 105 kilograms,” said Striesow. With a starting weight of 85 kilograms, he gained 20 kilograms. After filming ended, he wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible. “Since March, I’ve spent my year starving myself back down to 17 kilos. It worked!” said the actor. He didn’t reveal how exactly he managed to lose weight.
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The musical component was less challenging for Striesow. “Classical music has accompanied me my whole life. I attended concerts very early on and then started playing the violin myself. Music, and especially classical music, has always helped me a lot in difficult times,” he told ARD. He also received conducting lessons for the film.
Devid Striesow stood in front of the camera with his son
The actor Ludwig Simon portrays one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s sons. The 27-year-old is Striesow’s son in real life and comes from his relationship with fellow actor Maria Simon. “It was of course a very special experience to be in front of the camera together with my dad, who was always a role model when it came to acting,” said Ludwig Simon, describing the situation. “I had to understand Emanuel’s desire to please his father. often not even looking. That was also very present for me as Ludwig, who is currently playing alongside his father.”
“Bach – A Christmas Miracle” will be shown on Wednesday, December 18, 2024 at 8:15 p.m. on ARD and can now be seen in the media library.
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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.
