Andrea Sawatzki and Christian Berkel: The couple enjoys filming together

The acting stars Andrea Sawatzki (71, “Bundschuh Family”) and Christian Berkel (67, “The Criminalist”) have been married since 2011 and have two sons together. They have also been shooting together since 2019 for the “… for beginners” films, among other things. Now a new edition of the comedy series is on the program: “Kidnapping for Beginners” will be shown on Das Erste this Friday (December 27th) at 8:15 p.m. Filming for the fourth part, “Being Famous for Beginners,” has just been completed.

What it’s like to stand in front of the camera together when you know each other so well privately – that’s what Sawatzki and Berkel revealed in a double interview with spot on news. “It’s exciting, always new, because you always experience the other person differently,” says Andrea Sawatzki. Christian Berkel sees it similarly: “It’s always exciting because I get to know Andrea from a different side every time,” he says.

Still, staying serious while filming together isn’t easy, as they admit. “It’s sometimes difficult, especially when other colleagues are involved who also have difficulty controlling themselves when it comes to seriousness,” says Sawatzki. “I had this before, when I was still in the theater, where some colleagues and unexpected reactions threw me off. Then you have to pull yourself together and think about something sad, and that sometimes helps,” she adds. Berkel doesn’t always manage to remain serious either. “It’s actually like children, when you’re tired you get silly,” he explains.

Sawatzki and Berkel have filmed together many times, but “it’s always a new beginning, like with any other film. That’s why I love my job so much, everything is always new,” says the actress. To ensure that it stays that way, the two of them use “separate hotel rooms” when filming together, so that we meet each other every day, he adds. However, he has noticed a change in the way we work together over the years: “We take less care of each other.”

But that in no way diminishes the desire for further joint projects. “The next joint project is practically already set, because the ‘Beginners’ are a loose series. The plan is to shoot one episode every year,” she says. “There is always desire. We allow ourselves to be surprised,” he agrees.

“Kidnapping for Beginners” runs between years. Andrea Sawatzki and Christian Berkel will watch the film together. “Of course, we’re really looking forward to seeing the film again, maybe we’ll get the boys to watch along for once,” they agree.

And after a New Year’s Eve celebration with “Family and Friends” (Berkel), they are looking forward “to the many beautiful film projects that I already know about,” she says. He becomes more specific: “Specifically, he mentions “the broadcast of our film ‘Quershot’ in February on ARD.” He is also “looking forward to the release of our novels ‘Sputnik’ on May 30th and ‘Biarritz’ in the fall, to the filming the next ‘beginner’ film and on some projects that are not yet ready for approval”.