EverythingMaxRiemelt

Marc and Kay ❤️

Max and Florian Lukas talk to SUPERillu about filming “Etwas ganz besonderes” (Home Stories) and their connection beyond acting 💕

Some highlights:

SUPERillu: On the subject of ‘casting’. Do you – having long been in the top flight – still go to any?

Max: Absolutely. For this film too. Eva said that, in a way, she felt as though I’d cast her. And that’s true: if the chemistry isn’t right, it doesn’t matter how brilliant the script is.

Florian: Especially with a project like this, you’re also looking for companions. You’re all climbing aboard a boat together, and once you’re on, there’s no getting off. And to be perfectly honest: it’s supposed to be fun, after all! (laughs) In short: auditions make sense for everyone involved.

SUPERillu: It's hard to believe, but you two had never stood in front of the camera together before "Home Stories"!

Florian: There are colleagues whom I only admire from a distance, but they never cross paths in terms of work. I was very happy that it finally worked out. Max was one of the reasons for me to want to be there.

Max: I can only agree. And I did mention Eva Trobisch’s honesty earlier. Florian has that too. He isn’t out to please; he doesn’t just want to come across as likeable – rather, he possesses a great deal of honesty and authenticity. That comes across in his work as well.

Florian: …just as you have a directness and candour that I really like and that not many people possess.

Max: We recognise ourselves in one another – it’s a bit like looking into a mirror.

SUPERillu: I also found it interesting to note that neither of you had any formal acting training, yet you’ve both gone on to have highly successful careers. How did you manage that?

Max: It has a lot to do with intuition. It’s often the best and the only ‘weapon’ you have for figuring out who to trust and who can help you grow. Take my agent, for example: I’ve had her since I was a teenager – she’s a real rock and has long been like family to me. She’s always looked out for me; I don’t know if I’d have got this far without her. Or when it comes to acting: yes, I did actually have insecurities for a long time because I didn’t take the ‘normal’ route. But: there are people who are very good at imitating and are technically at a very high level – yet they don’t really manage to be open and build that emotional connection. I don’t act in a ‘manipulative’ or judgemental way. I always want the audience to feel involved in my thought processes.

SUPERillu: Did people ever ‘turn their noses up’ at you because of your supposed lack of formal training?

Florian: No, and if they did, it was only towards myself. I had to reach the age of 30 before I could accept the idea and say to myself with a certain degree of self-confidence: I am an actor. Jürgen Vogel was a great help in that regard, as someone who hadn’t had a traditional training but who brought with him a naturalness and a street-smart way of speaking.

Max: Absolutely. In that respect, Jürgen was also my hero and role model. He definitely paved the way for us.

(Full interview at SUPERillu.de or latest issue)

Gorgeous new photos of Max by Johanna Maria Dietz, featured in new issue of Freitag magazine (Headline: I must take a risk) ❤️

Max and co-star Frida Hornemann on ARD’s Brisant TV programme for their new film “Etwas ganz Besonderes” (Home Stories) ❤️

When asked if he gets along with young new actress Frida:

Max: Well, you get on better with some people and not so well with others. No, no, I’ve got a daughter that age myself. And it’s quite exciting, actually. You just trying to put yourself in their shoes.

When asked if he gives out advice to Frida as Max was a child actor himself:

Max: I don’t like being the teacher; I’d rather be someone you can turn to when you need to.

As someone the youngster to watch and learn?

Max on ZDF’s breakfast show Volle Kanne - to talk about “Etwas ganz Besonderes” (Home Stories) and to have some breakfast… highlights:

About the reception of the film so far:

Max: Yes. Well, very good. Now, of course, it’s being released for the first time. We’ve had another premiere in Istanbul. That was quite interesting too, because the film is, after all, a German story and very specific. I mean, really. I was actually surprised that the reaction was like that. I mean, it’s a universal film, a family film, I’d say. And I think that works in any language.

What the film is about:

Max: I think it’s very much about identity. Especially with this talent show, where it’s always so much about this image campaign. I mean, people have to think about what they want to reveal about themselves – or rather, what they should convey to the audience, what the audience should think and feel about them. And I think that’s a lovely expression of what’s going on in today’s society, in a way – that everything is marketed, sensationalised and, as a result, I feel sometimes a bit exploited. I mean, even football matches are somehow imbued with a very personal story, so that people can identify with them a bit more and get even more caught up in the excitement.

Thoughts on fast fashion and consumption:

Max: Well, if you want to buy something, you might need to think it over again and ask yourself whether you really need it. Take my thing with trainers, for example – how I somehow felt I needed loads of trainers, or thought I needed them. So I made a rule for myself to just sleep on it for two or three nights. Maybe. And if I’m still thinking about it then, okay. And how many do I already have? How many do I really need? What do I need them for? And so on? So it’s perhaps about approaching it a bit more consciously, rather than just giving in to impulse.

Did he take mementos from the set? Like Napola?

Max: No, no, that’s the theatre costume store. I mean, there are costumes there that include uniforms, so to speak, or bits and pieces that you wouldn’t want to go out of your way to buy yourself; they’re made and are then available there for other productions as well.

(But on other film sets) Yes, sometimes. Especially when the clothes fit really well and I like them, then I’ll take a few things home.

What makes “Home Stories” special?

Max: What makes it so special? It’s a universal theme that everyone relates to in their own way. And yes, I think there are loads of themes in there. I mean, it’s not the sort of film you’d categorise as just a family film, but rather a German story – which is, of course, very important – but told in a very subtle way. And, um, yes, straight out of real life, you could say. I’d say that’s partly because it’s directed in a very improvisational way,

I’d say. And it’s an ensemble film. So, the fact that there are lots of perspectives perhaps makes it easier to identify with it. I mean, you don’t just follow one character; you get different perspectives on a theme or several themes. And that, of course, means there’s something in it for everyone.

Casting - do people say “I want Max Riemelt in it”?

Max: Well, I bring more to the table than just my acting experience. It’s obviously about the person, the person behind the role as well. So it’s not just a question of whether she can make use of that, or whether we get on. I’m not just someone who lends their face to the role; it’s also about not just working together, but really getting to know one another in a certain way, and then managing to convey more in the film than just a performance. It’s always the case that, no matter how technically accomplished a performance is in a film, the question is whether it moves you or not. And Eva (the director) had quite clearly set out to tell a story about a family. And that’s all about connections.

The director’s approach and filming “Home Stories”

Max: There was a script, definitely. I mean, it’s just a framework to start with anyway – something to use as a guide. But the thing is, Eva also likes to improvise. Or rather, she’s open to the ideas that we might bring to the table. So, you tend to see it more as gathering material. Because ultimately, the film comes together on the editing desk.

So when you’re filming, you gather loads of material. Perhaps different—well, let’s call them ‘moods’. You can play out a conflict scene in a relatively subdued way, but you can also let it escalate completely. And then you just see where it goes, what fits best, and then on the editing desk the final decision is made on how you actually want to show the scene in the film. And that’s the exciting bit – that sometimes you just let the camera run, so you don’t always have to start from scratch, and then perhaps you even forget about the camera whilst acting and are truly in the moment. And I think those are the moments that are truly precious – when something is actually happening and you’re not worrying about ‘How am I coming across right now?’ or ‘Am I in the right position?’ – in other words, when there’s genuine spontaneity and real emotions. And that comes across in the film.

“Etwas ganz Besonderes” (Home Stories) in cinemas this week

Etwas ganz Besonderes (English title: Home Stories) in cinemas from 9 July ❤️

Max and his co-star and director of “Etwas ganz Besonderes” (Home Stories) will be on a kino-tour around Germany for the cinema release of the film ❤️

Two scenes Marc facing Kay and could not find the words 😳

Freier Fall Wer Du Bist / Free Fall Who You Are (2026)

Like some have pointed out, this recut version looks paving way for a sequel: It is clear that Marc has left his old team, has said goodbye to Bettina (and his son), has accepted his heart lies with Kay… who has resigned and disappeared.

In other words, Marc was leaving behind his old life and embarking a new one - just like Kay had asked him to 🥹

The original concept of the sequel was the two of them meet again in Berlin for a work assignment after two years. Now that 13 years has passed, a new story perhaps? What happened to all three of them in those years? Did Marc find Kay?

Max once commented that the longer the period between the original film and the sequel, the characters carry even more luggage and hence, a meatier story.

There’s still no guarantee the sequel would happen, but the intention and renewed initiative are there 💕

A few thoughts on the recut “Free Fall Who You Are” (may contain spoiler!):

- Unseen plus previously (known) deleted scenes are back in - More stolen glances!

- Some scenes have new angles, different/missing dialogues. Some scene sequences are edited differently as well

- Still very much a “Marc free falling” story, but the new edit dials it to another level. The pressure, the pain and tension are all up-

- Side characters such as Frank, Britt, even Limpinski are more fleshed out, we know the back stories better

- Frank and Marc’s friendship has a part shaping Marc’s (initial) attitude

- We have a better understanding of the environment Marc and Kay are in (and who are the potential ally, who are the enemies, who are apathetic)

- Kay comes out as a even bigger enigma in this version

- More likely audience will feel more sympathetic towards Bettina in this version but at the same time, Kay is Marc’s “One True Love” that hasn’t changed

- there are more ‘pauses’, more ‘rooms’ to contemplate, to digest