“Head off, Belly on”

We’d like to talk to you about beauty today. When do you think you’re at your most beautiful?

I stood in front of the mirror at the hotel yesterday and thought to myself: oh, you’re beautiful! That sounds a bit weird, but I have to grow a full beard for my current role – I usually have a three-day beard – and I actually feel incredibly ugly unshaven. But yesterday I thought that somehow I look good right now. Despite the shoot, I’m relaxed and happy.

When do you think people are beautiful?

When they’re at peace with themselves and you can tell that they’ve understood themselves, that they accept themselves as they are, without denying who they are. Self-acceptance coupled with good taste is what I think makes people beautiful.

How important is it for an actor’s profession to find themselves beautiful?

A slight narcissistic tendency is no bad thing in order to be able to go on stage or in front of the camera in the first place. Others don’t get that. Why do these people do what I’d never dare to? No matter how much we actors are at peace with ourselves or not, our choice of profession always has something to do with the fact that we want to be seen. And that means that others judge us. And of course, a lot is projected onto our appearance. 

What does that mean for you – as a big, fat guy?

When I started out with my career, I quickly realised that all the requests I received had to do with my body. And with clichés: fat guys must also be funny. I’m fat and funny, so it’s not a role I have to slip into. So I started fighting against these expectations and breaking them down. Frank Castorf once told me that I had an innate chutzpah – a very unique cheek. I’d just go for it, brain off, belly on. I hadn’t noticed that before, but it’s true. That helped me.

You like to wear eye-catching, colourful clothes that exude this strong self-confidence. Did you have to work hard at this, or were you born that way?

I was born with a certain eccentricity. When I started school, I had naturally blonde hair, and so I told my mother that I wanted to have blue sideburns to go with it. It was the 80s and sideburns were everywhere – and so I went to school with my temples dyed blue. 

How would you describe your style?

As down-to-earth and eccentric with a lot of courage to wear bright colours. I’m constantly on the lookout for new ideas for what to wear. From time to time, however, I keep on coming back to very classic items such as fitted trousers, or tank tops and sneakers. Sometimes I prefer to be more playful and at other times more classic. My preferences change, and that’s been the case since my early childhood. 

Many people your size hide behind inconspicuous clothing. You do the opposite. With your voice, your style, your size, you have an enormous presence. Do you stand for a new self-image? 

I hope so. And I also believe that’s the case these days. But I’ve never been an activist. My profession helped me because I kept running up against boundaries. And I wanted to fight against that. If someone said you couldn’t play the role if you looked like me, I always said, yes, why not? In everyday life, there are people who are exactly my size. It may sound terribly vain, but quite a few people – especially young actors – have told me that I’ve done pioneering work in this regard. 

Did you have role models like that yourself?

Never. When I started out, fat people always played older men in positions of power or were cast as police inspectors. Women in my weight category had and still have a much harder time. Heavy-set men are often thought of as powerful and sexy. But if I look at this in an exaggerated way, I wasn’t traditionally masculine enough for these roles. I was told that I have a niche. That’ll be both a bonus and an obstacle for you, they said. I decided that I just wanted to be seen. 

To what extent has the film and television landscape changed for other characters since you started out?

Many of my colleagues are very impatient with the mainstream – and they’re right: more needs to change. But in terms of skin colour, origin, sexuality, identification, an enormous amount has happened over the last 23 years since I started. Back then, if there was one person with a Turkish background on the set, they considered themselves to be diverse. It’s a different story today. 

If I’ve done my research right, you’ve had a beard for the last four years. What does your beard do for you?

I love my beard. It might be unprofessional – but I fight to keep it for every role. It was during the pandemic. I was unshaven and looked in the mirror one day and realised that I was getting a jawline! Together with my hairstyle and sideburns, the beard frames my face beautifully. And every time I do have to shave it off, I look in the mirror and think: yes, you may look seven years younger now, but the shape is missing.

Do you see body care as a pleasure or a chore?

Both. I have to do it regularly, but I can’t overdo it either or my skin will rebel. I’ve got several products that I apply to my face every morning in a specific order, including a 120h Liquid Hydrator and a Slow Aging Serum, both from Nø Cosmetics. They give me an amazing glow. 

What’s the scent accompanying this glow?

It’s earthy. As a Capricorn, I need that. My scent is Loewe Earth. 

This interview has first been published in the printed edition of 30 Grad. You can subscribe here for free.