“The Palace” star Jeanette Hain: An unforgettable “party in East Berlin”

After the great success of “The Palace” (2021), the second season of the TV series is now on the program. ZDF will show the six new episodes by director Uli Edel (77, “The Club of the Singing Butchers”) based on the scripts by author and creative producer Rodica Doehnert (born 1960, “Das Sacher”) on the 6th, 7th and 8th . January from 8:15 p.m.

In season two, the focus of the stories surrounding the ensemble of the Friedrichstadt-Palast in Berlin is ballet director Regina Feldmann. She was portrayed by actress Jeanette Hain (55) in the first season. In an interview with spot on news, the Munich native reveals details from the filming, some of which took place in Poland, and also reveals her great love for Berlin.

Jeanette Hain: In general, you don’t need any prior knowledge; you can get involved with this story in a completely new way. The heartbeat of the series was, is and remains the palace and its ensemble. Some familiar faces have left, a few new characters have joined and we will get to know many of the characters from the first season better.

Specifically, the second season picks up where the first one left off: It’s 1990, the Wall has fallen and the reunited Berlin is a place of unlimited possibilities – and the palace is right in the middle of this mood of change and optimism. Right from the start, however, it becomes clear that the former prestige project (season 1) is threatened with closure because the ensemble only dances in front of half-empty audience members.

Hain: That’s true, but in uncertainties there is always a great opportunity for a new beginning and change – and change is the only constant we have in life. In the second season we see how the ensemble tries to meet the challenge of preserving the Friedrichstadt-Palast with a lot of creativity, cohesion and incredible commitment.

Hain: The Friedrichstadt-Palast is still the source of Berlin’s joy. The real ballet director Alexandra Georgieva (since 2008), from whom I was able to learn an incredible amount for both seasons, and the artistic director Bernd Schmidt (since 2007), have managed to ensure that this house is always sold out.

It is still the largest show stage in the world and those responsible spend a lot of money on it. It is also a good investment if the audience is infected by the joy and takes it with them into their lives and everyday life. In any case, the Friedrichstadt-Palast is worth a visit.

Hain: When I was 15 or 16 years old, I fell in love with this city while visiting Berlin. From then on I was always sitting on packed suitcases in Munich and knew that at some point I would go to Berlin. But that took another 20 years.

Shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I remember a party in East Berlin, in a place that seemed endless. On one floor, the apartments had been connected with a sledgehammer. I can still see myself climbing through the holes in the walls today. To this day, for me, Berlin is a wide, wild, generous city.

Hain: Yes, yes. The producer Kathrin Bullemer asked me if I could imagine that. And I could imagine that very well. In the first season, ballet director Regina Feldmann’s private life was only glimpsed in a short conversation with the make-up artist, otherwise it was only about her professional field.

In the second season, we leave the solid palace grounds with Regina and enter inner soul spaces that we didn’t even know existed in this form. The second season presents Regina Feldmann with very big challenges both professionally and privately.

Hain: The series was filmed in Krakow, among other places. But I wasn’t there in the first season because my scenes were only shot in the palace in Berlin. I was in Krakow for almost a quarter of a year for the second season. Working with the Polish team was really incredibly nice. There and at the other filming location in Katowice I discovered corners where you really had the feeling that time had stood still. It wasn’t difficult to find Berlin around 1990 there again.

After this part of filming, we went to the Friedrichstadt-Palast to continue filming there. It was a crazy journey through time – and an incredibly great experience to be on this largest show stage in the world. Working with the actual palace ensemble was deeply moving. There was fantastic support from all sides, so we were all able to immerse ourselves deeply in this unique cosmos. The original costumes, some of which we were allowed to wear, contributed to the flair and the extraordinary atmosphere.

Hain: I still have glitter in my apartment and sometimes I briefly wonder where it comes from – then I remember the palace again (laughs). Apart from that, I also received some of my beautiful costumes and a necklace that Regina wears. But Regina is also very much with me and very alive for a completely different reason, because I learned a lot from her.

Hain: It demanded a lot from me in preparation because my role has a great role model function and represents strong values. She is very disciplined, teaches her students professionalism, perseverance, reliability and perfection – and she demands the same from herself. I then said to myself: If Regina demands all of this from herself and her dancers, then I have to also demand.

So I always got up in a very disciplined manner at 5 or 6 a.m. and had my Five Tibetans [Abfolge von fünf Körper-Atem-Übungen, Red.] did, meditated, ate super healthy and didn’t drink alcohol. I’m still doing all of this even though filming has been completed for months. I noticed that if you do things regularly, it doesn’t feel stuffy or boring. Instead there is support and freedom. It’s just creative and inspiring to see things through. That was an exciting realization for me and Regina inspired me to do it.

Hain: I always try to be in the here and now and look at life as a gift every morning. I believe that life is kind to us, even when it presents us with great challenges. But I also believe that if we take personal responsibility, we have the tools within us to help shape our lives. If we want, we can feel, live and pass on this fearless joy in life and thereby inspire other people to live together lovingly, peacefully and mindfully.