Der Spiegel Weekly No. 44 October 30 article, original title: The Flawed Man
Matthias Schweichoff
Executive Summary:
Matthias Schweihev is one of the few German movie stars who was able to successfully switch to Hollywood during the pandemic and enter Hollywood with Netflix's "Army of Thieves".
outline:
Matthias Schweichoff spoke with interest about his recent advertising scene for a large furniture store. The little girl in the film asks him, "Don't you have to make another good movie?" Schweihev smiled awkwardly, then turned his face and said, You should see a pediatrician.
It's a bit self-deprecating. He borrowed a quote from a child to tell the story of how he had been criticized for years and did not forget to make money and entertain the audience. He doesn't want to do more, he says, "I want to create something that can really stay." ”
A few days before going to the United States, he was interviewed in Berlin. Schweihev, 40, filmed Netflix's Army of Thieves during the pandemic. The film tells the story of an international gang of thieves who rob banks across Europe and belongs to the genre of detective comedy.
The son of two theatrical stars, Schweichev has performed on stage since he was a child. His comedies have been popular in Germany for more than a decade and are now popular in Hollywood. He is proud to say that this is exactly what he and his team invested in the film "Legion of Thieves", which he and his team invested the most (directed by Chuck Snyder and scored by Hans Zimmer).
He wanted to make a movie that was "larger than life," but it seemed difficult in Germany. Both of the films he worked on ended in failure, with fewer than 20,000 and 10,000 viewers. He sighed: "I have paid so much money and manpower..." Comedy films starring him, such as "Fast Man" (2011), "Breakup Expert" (2013) and "Daddy Is Hard" (2014), have been watched by more than 2 million people. In the interview, he revealed this "dilemma" of the German film market.
Although, he did a good job in Germany. His company continues to expand and currently has nearly 100 contracted employees. The actor Schweihev has transformed into an entrepreneur, he sees the gap in the market and tries to fill it. He knows what the male protagonist should look like in the minds of German audiences.
In his team, Schweihelf is like a big boy who can take risks with his friends. In order to achieve him, the famous American actor Til Schweiger also played a supporting role in a film. But when the film was tragically destroyed by Waterloo, Schweicheff turned to the male villain role, and brought the failures and lessons of his life, the criticism and accusations he received, into the romantic comedy he played, "Quick Man". As co-writer, co-producer, director and lead actor, he brought the film to Cannes. This cheerful and confident male role model made the film catch fire. Schweihev then branded himself: the flawed man.
In the film, he constantly explores his own unique charms, such as when the woman he fell in love with iced his eyes that were inflamed by wearing contact lenses for a long time, his rapid kiss, acting skills are almost unmatched. He often plays unkind, hard-hearted or selfish people in German comedies, but eventually changes because of women. He himself admits: "When it comes to movies, I'm very conceited. In the face of women, it is different. It sounds frank and part of his image: "I have a cute side, not a cold frost." ”
When he put on the black mask and lost that mischievous smile, he simply became a different person. His blue eyes looked cold, mean, and intimidating.
He insisted that he must remain loyal to his brand, because the normal operation of the entire business cannot be separated from him, and many families rely on his achievements, but this will drive him crazy. His small corporate empire once grew rapidly. The share price of the company's video-on-demand service, which was supposed to be an independent platform for filmmakers, rose to 200 euros at one point. After the split in November 2018, the share price has now fallen to around 1.3 euros.
The subject made Schweihelf uncomfortable and less reticent, and he felt that partners who were more sensitive to numbers were responsible for it. "Yes, we're sometimes too fast." He has made one film after another, plus commercials, music videos and his own albums and live concerts.
He said: "The epidemic has pressed the pause button for me. "He made new adjustments during this time." It feels great when you realize that there are so many things that can be given up and that your self-esteem is constantly being challenged. He had studied many Asian philosophies and had just read a book by Elon Musk. Tranquility and megalomania, while fascing him.
"Musk said to himself: I want to build rockets, this is my dream since childhood." Schweihev smiled and shook his head at this confidence, a confidence without boundaries. He also took great care of the child in his heart. The first film he saw was Spielberg's E.T. Alien. He fantasized about a cinematic paradise that would transport the audience to another world.
However, he also knows that Hollywood won't necessarily wait for him. He mentioned an audition he had there. He only had 40 seconds to convince the director. When he glanced at Nolan inappropriately, it seemed that time was gone. "Thank you very much, next!" To this day, he doesn't know which role he was running for, only that the lines for the interview came from another script. But he got the role of a German safe thief in Legion of the Living Dead (2021) through Nolan agent Zach Snyder.
Later, some people in Hollywood found out: "This German is very interesting!" Snyder decided to tailor Legion of Thieves for him, with fewer zombies, less gore, more safes and more romantic elements. Play to Schweihev's specialty, play a shy villain hero who falls in love with a charming, water-grown woman. It's a clichéd and unattractive story, but it's even more appealing through Schweihev's playful renditions.
He didn't know how well the film was accepted by the audience, only to pull out his phone and say, "Go see it!" The film's advertising campaign continued to be played on the display in New York's Times Square for four weeks. At this point, everything he had done was worth it. (Translated by Lars-Olaf Bell, translated by Kou Ying)