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After appearing in films
by filmmakers as diverse as Doris Doerrie, Joseph Vilsmaier,
Helmut Dietl and Oliver Hirschbiegel, Alexandra
Maria Lara has become a permanent fixture in
the German cinema's firmament after little more than
ten years in the business.
But, the 26-year-old seemed in many ways to have been
predestined to become a member of the acting fraternity
since her father Valentin Platareanu had been a leading
film and stage actor in his native Romania before the
family moved to Germany in 1983, and he later became
the director of a drama school in Berlin.
«Naturally, through my father I went to the theater
and the cinema and I can remember accompanying him as
a small girl when he was teaching his students,»
she recalls. «I was fascinated by the acting profession.»
During her secondary school studies at Berlin's French
Lycée, Alexandra joined the drama group (Theater
AG) and performed in plays in French (an experience
which was probably useful later on when she appeared
opposite Christian Clavier and Gérard Depardieu
in the Napoléon
mini-series). Then, the first film offers started coming
her way whilst she was still at school and she was cast
in the lead role for the television family series Mensch,
Pia at the tender age of 16.
When it came to deciding what to do after school, Alexandra
was initially undecided. Languages could have been an
option, she says, but the world of acting won out.
«It was the best decision I made and they were
three super years,» Alexandra says about her studies
at the Theaterwerkstatt Charlottenburg, which was founded
by her father and Dr. Henner Oft with two other German
colleagues in 1992.
«I learned a lot and still profit from this time,
and many of my fellow students are still close friends,»
she notes.
Speaking recently in an interview with a Romanian radio
station, her father recalled that film acting had infected
Alexandra like a virus: «I asked an experienced
cameraman what he thought about Alexandra. And this
professional told me something that I will never forget:
'The camera really falls in love with her'.»
Her father adds that «Alexandra possesses a naturalness
which cannot be learned; she completed drama school
to have a solid basis like all great actors. She worked
a lot, all alone, she didn't want me to help her, she
didn't even give me her texts to read. She always wanted
to do everything on her own, by her own efforts, both
in private as well as professional matters. And I could
only just follow the development of this child with
amazement, a child that I had held in my arms as a baby,
and now she has become such a big star that it takes
my breath away.»
Alexandra became a regular feature in German TV productions
and feature films even during her acting studies: she
was cast in two of Roland Suso Richter's «TV events»
- Die Bubi Scholz Story
(1997) and Der Tunnel
(2000) as well as Thomas Bahmann's tragicomedy Suedsee,
eigene Insel (1998) and Jochen Kuhn's Fisimatenten
(1999).
She followed these with roles in Florian Gallenberger's
contribution to the omnibus film Honolulu
(2000), Joseph Vislmaier's World War II drama Leo
& Claire (2001), Peter Thorwarth's Was
nicht passt, wird passend gemacht (2001), Doris
Doerrie's romantic comedy Nackt
(2002) and Mark Schlichter's comedy thriller Cowgirl
(2003).
Thanks to her linguistic skills, Alexandra had no qualms
about taking on roles in international productions and
became more widely known outside of Germany after her
performance in French as Duchess Maria Waleska in the
TV mini-series Napoléon.
She subsequently turned her hand at playing in English
for a new television version of Doctor
Zhivago.
One of the highlights of her acting career so far was
undoubtedly being cast in the role of Adolf Hitler's
secretary Traudl Junge for Oliver Hirschbiegl's Der
Untergang which was shot on location in Germany
and Russia in 2003. Since then, she appeared opposite
Moritz Bleibtreu in Helmut Dietl's romantic comedy Vom
Suchen und Finden der Liebe and was reunited
with Doris Doerrie last autumn for her new film Der
Fischer und seine Frau - Warum Frauen nie genug bekommen.
«I have had the great luck to be able act in
some big, significant feature films,» Alexandra
declares. «That's the greatest dream for any actor
- and this dream has certainly been fulfilled for me.»
On the tricky question of which project to accept or
reject, she suggests that «many factors come into
play such as who is the director and whether you know
their previous work. With Helmut Dietl and Oliver Hirschbiegel,
for example, I knew their other films and was overjoyed
that they had cast me. Then there is the screenplay
and whether you have played someone like this before,
who the other colleagues are in the cast, and one's
gut feeling.»
Alexandra is loathe to say that any specific one of
her roles has been a particular challenge, preferring
instead to argue that «each role is a challenge.
If you have the opportunity to be able to act in good
films, then the challenge is to maintain the quality
whether you have nine days or 40 days shooting. So,
my ambition is always to do and give my best in every
role.»
Similarly, she is cautious about the moniker of «star»
which is increasingly bandied about in connection with
her name. «I would tend not to see myself in those
terms,» she suggests. «Nowadays, there are
so many people who are regarded as stars that it leaves
me with mixed feelings. At the same time, I know it
is important for some people, but I am not a typical
'star'. It wasn't the case that I had always dreamed
of becoming one as a child.» (Nevertheless, she
admits to having initiated a fan website - www.alexandra-maria-lara.com
- which keeps her fan following up-to-date with her
every move as an actress).
However, Alexandra does seem to be much more in the
public eye following all of the excitement around the
release of Der Untergang
last September.
At the end of 2004, she was voted the «Best Dressed
German Woman» in a survey by users of the Bunte
magazine's online service as well as named «Superwoman
of the Year» by the readers of the German lifestyle
magazine Maxim. These honors were followed in February
with the DIVA for Best Actress and the Golden Camera
for Best German Actress in recognition of her performance
as Traudl Junge in Der Untergang.
«Like everyone, one is pleased about every kind
of award and distinction,» she explains. «I
don't place too much weight on these prizes, but it
is a great feeling to have recognition for one's work.»
Meanwhile, this spring saw her working on a film project
which had a special personal significance: her part
as a young interpreter in Didi Danquart's Offset
was the first time she had worked in her native country
of Romania since leaving.
Moreover, it was a homecoming for Alexandra's father
who - in an inspired piece of casting - plays her father
in the film. The two of them had worked together in
the past in Germany, but Offset
was the first time that they were both cast in major
parts.
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