Anke Engelke: “I don’t like being a celebrity”

For Anke Engelke (59), her own popularity is sometimes too much. “The best thing about being abroad is when people ask: What do you do for a living?” However, she doesn’t stick to the truth. Instead, she likes to pretend to be a teacher or museum educator. “That’s how you have the most interesting conversations,” explained the comedian and actress.

For them, traveling abroad is a vacation from their own popularity, Engelke continued. Her fame in Germany is apparently not always pleasant for her. “People are great to me. I’m grateful. But I don’t like being prominent,” said Engelke. “Sometimes just looks are too much. Looks do something to you,” she continued.

She recently went to Munich specifically for a colleague’s birthday for exactly this reason: “I really wanted to go to a party again where I knew: There are people who are more prominent than me or have zero interest in celebrity, I can get over that I can dance like crazy and no one looks funny or just takes photos. It was a great evening!”

Even when she meets celebrities herself, Engelke remains reserved. “I turn around and walk away. Of course I would also like to say: I adore you! But I won’t and only express my admiration at the checkout.”