A conversation with Udo Kier
Interview Giulio Perticari
Photography Daniel Trese
As a child of post-war Germany, Udo Kier aspired to become a foreign correspondent for Bayer, a key player in the Wirtschaftswunder. In pursuit of his sensible dream, Udo decided to study English in London, where things took an unexpected turn: his mesmerizing looks caught the eyes of many and serendipitously led him in front of the camera of a short movie set in Southern France. That’s where his industrious career as one of Germany’s preeminent actors as well as his love for palm trees began. This February he is presenting two movies competing at Berlinale 2018: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, directed by Gus Van Sant, who also gave him his American break-through role in My Own Private Idaho; and Figlia Mia, an Italian movie directed by Laura Bispuri. Last time we spoke with Udo was when he graced the cover of TTA3. A few days ago we chatted with him again to catch up on his latest projects, and talk about gardening, memory lanes and Berlin.
Udo, how have you been?
Great! I just finished filming a movie that I think is going to be pretty big, it’s called The Painted Bird. It's based on a book written by Jerzy Kosinski. I did a movie with Geraldine Chaplin. Then I did this other movie that was shown at Sundance called American Animals by Bart Layton.
You always work so much!
No, no, you know, time is the sin, and to live and have a wonderful life when you are older is much more important than making movies. But the movies I did last year were all very interesting projects.
Where are you at the moment?
I am in Palm Springs.
Are you at home?
Yes, I was watering plants in my garden. Ten years ago as you know I bought this beautiful building that was one of the smaller libraries in town and now it’s where I live when I’m not working. It was built by this famous Swiss architect called Albert Frey. He built many public buildings in the area.
Are there still any of the original books?
Not the original library books no. However, one of my best friends is Benedikt Taschen, so I have a lot of Taschen books; not only the special editions from Helmut Newton and Leni Riefenstahl . . . I have a lot of books about art, photography, and architecture. On my walls I have pictures of Peter Lindbergh, Robert Mapplethrorpe, Helmut Newton, Wolfgang Tillmans . . . I’ve collected art during my entire life.
What kind of art are you most interested in?
Modern art, of course. As a young man, instead of spending money on Yves Saint Laurent suits in Paris, I bought little Magrittes, Man Rays, and Giaccomettis that I still have. It started when I was working in Paris and living in hotels where the art on the walls was horrible, so I bought my own art, and I got permission to hang it with these skinny little needles. When I woke up, I’d be surrounded with art I really liked.
Many people who live in temporary places do not alter their surroundings. What pushed you to set up home in a hotel?
I like beautiful things! I collect mid-century furniture, from Arne Jacobson and Eero Saarinen to many others. When you work as an actor in a very artificial environment, it’s nice to surround yourself with beautiful things when at home, even if it’s a hotel room. My art, furniture and garden are very important to me. Here in Palm Springs I planted a lot of palm trees, because they are a symbol of the desert and of vacation. You know, I was born in Cologne, Germany, at the end of the war, and I first saw palm trees at 20 years old when I went to Southern France.
How are your gardening skills these days?
They are fine. Last year I did many movies - about seven or eight - and I even went to Santo Domingo for one of them. And when I came back, I was very happy to take two or three weeks just for my gardening.
You have such an intense traveling schedule these days.
Well yes, recently I was in Chicago and then I went to Vienna to film the remake of Fritz Lang's M. It’s going to be a six-hour long television movie. And after that came Berlin where I presented two movies.
How is it for you coming back to Berlinale?
I always like being back in Berlin. Berlin has many memories for me. I used to love to go to Alexanderplatz when the wall was still up. It was interesting to look around. I lived in Berlin with Fassbinder and other actors near Savigny Platz, when we did films like The Third Generation. We used to go often to this restaurant named Diener Tattersall and that was our world. Back then Berlin wasn't international like it is now. It’s a totally different feeling. It’s become the center of Europe. It’s very easy to get there from London, Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels and so on.
You were spending a bit more time in Berlin recently, right?
Yes, I rented an apartment in one of the towers in Karl Marx Allee, near Alexander Platz, but then I realized that I work much more in America, so it would've been too far, back and forth. About 10 years ago, I almost bought an apartment near the park, near all these amazing modernist buildings. But I waited too long and it became too expensive for the use I was going to make of it. At 73 years old, I'm very content to live in a library with a big park right in front of the door, with beautiful olive trees and sun all year around - it's very good for the body. In Berlin I can stay with friends or choose a nice hotel . . .
When you are in town, where do you like to eat out?
I like to go to Paris Bar and used to go to Florian. I like KADEWE for lunch, I know all the people there, and I take a steak tartar or some fish. The whole atmosphere there is great.
KADEWE is definitely its own universe, and the filet mignon at Florian’s was delicious. The crowd was quite fabulous too, but they recently closed it . . .
Oh no! But then I'm going to Grill Royal - that's still open.
Yes.
I anyway don’t go to restaurants for celebrities. I don't care about celebrities. When I moved to America I was surprised about the celebrity culture there. Now I got used to it. But when I travel I know where to go. When I'm in Prague or Rome I have my favorite places . . . In Rome I go to Caffè Greco, in via Condotti. I remember when De Chirico hung out there and we used to talk. I go to the Spanish steps. It's memory lane, I like that. But I also like LA. I have a house in Los Angeles and one doesn't need to get involved in the celebrity culture. The museums and concert hall are great. And Downtown LA is becoming more and more exciting because of the new galleries.
Have you been to the new Sprüth Magers space in Downtown LA?
Yes, I often go see shows there, especially those of my friend Rosemarie Trockel.
When you are in America, do you hang around Germans?
There a few people that I see sometimes. But people from Europe that come to Los Angles want to meet people and work there, so Palm Springs is a bit out of the way.
Do you think Berliners have something special?
I think they are very open. They say what they think. It's different from America where everything is great and everything is fine. They are very critical and they say what they speak their mind and I like that very much, because I'm also of a similar character.
Is there something you miss when leaving Germany?
A few years ago I bought this building from a city near Ilmenau, in Thueringen, where Goethe ran around. Everywhere you go there, there's a sign saying, 'Here Goethe celebrated his birthday” and so on [laughs]. The building used to be a school with fourteen classrooms built in 1860. I wanted to do a sort of gallery or residency program there. The idea was that fourteen artists are invited to work and exhibit each in one of the rooms. Then people would come from different places in Germany to visit and see the art. But the people who wanted to sponsor changed their mind. So now I have to decide what to do . . .
Let us know when you´ve decided what you´ll do with it, sounds like a project for TTA.
Will do.