Wintertime – streaming time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Christmas grouch or a nerd, most of us make ourselves comfortable on the sofa in front of the TV, projector, tablet, or notebook for at least a few hours during these winter and holidays. It’s when we can quietly enjoy the series, films, or documentaries we saved on our watch list during those weeks when we were too busy with school, university or work. However, if our favorites are no longer available, there is no reason to be disappointed. Because streaming services like Amazon Prime Video present a lot of new content, especially during this time. In order to be captivated by films and series, you need good actors who let us forget reality for a while, take our breath away, or just make us laugh. Therefore, today we want to introduce three impressive talents, Emma Bading, Valerie Huber, and Michaela Saba.
We can currently or soon admire all three in films and series on Amazon Prime Video. Thereby, we want to learn more about their films, roles, work, and personality. Furthermore, we also want to know from them whether streaming can really sideline cinema. Finally, they also tell us what they want for Christmas and the New Year. But read for yourself.
EMMA BADING
All those who meet the Berlin actress Emma Bading will be immediately impressed by her appearance and feel that not only a beautiful woman, but a unique personality is standing in front of them. Smart, humorous, authentic, multifaceted, and profound, that’s how we got to know the highly talented actress. And this list would be much longer.
With almost twenty flicks, her filmography is already well-filled. This is not surprising, since the young actress and director was born with her special talent. Her father Thomas Bading is a theater actor. So, he is active on the boards that mean the world to many people. Emma’s mother, Claudia Geisler-Bading, is also a film and theater actress. Besides, she is a professor at Babelsberg Film University.
That’s why Emma made her debut at the age of 15 as a pubescent girl in the movie Half Shadow. A year later, in 2014, she played a truant in the TV movie Beyond the Ocean. Many appearances on TV and cinema followed. For her role in the TV film Play, Emma Bading not only received the Hessian Television Award in 2019 and the Bavarian Television Award in 2020 as best actress. Moreover, she was even nominated for an Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress. Since 2014 we can also admire Emma regularly in Der Usedom Krimi.
Emma Bading made her debut as a director with the short film Unerhoert (Outrageous), which has been classified as Particularly Valuable by experts.
INTERVIEW WITH EMMA
Emma, in Sebastian Fitzek’s bestseller adaptation “The Therapy” you play Anna, who suffers from delusions. What particularly appealed to you about this difficult role and how did you prepare for it?
It was absolutely important to me not to depict a confused and help-seeking mystery beauty with Anna Spiegel. There was a big risk to slip into this stereotype of women. Therefore, from the very first script session and dress rehearsal, I was committed to ‘activating’ her. Anna is a seductress. As an opponent of Viktor Larenz, she consciously plays with his trigger points in order to finally find her own core. This core is filled with stinking self-loathing. Thus, I knew I had to manage to act out that core in even the most charming Anna scene.
In Berlin, cheeky girls are also called Göre (brats). You come from the capital and from a family of artists. Since you were 13 you have been allowed to portray personalities who are rebellious and non-conformist. Do you particularly enjoy slipping into these challenging roles and which characters would you like to play in the future?
Oh, yes. If you put it that way, I’m probably “ne rischtische Berliner Jöre” (a real Berlin brat)! And, well, what’s more, exciting than personalities who are ambivalent or misfits of society?!
I am proud that I had the power to embody these rebellious daughters. However, as Anna Spiegel in The Therapy, I no longer play The Daughter of… for the first time. I must have grown up. And I grow with my roles. I hope that my roles will also grow with me.
I really hope so. Because to what extent do I get roles based on my looks and my age and to what extent really for my acting skills?
Unfortunately, I think the first is still more important than we think. And especially regarding women, the complex and action-bearing roles continue to decrease with increasing age. That needs to change! Furthermore, the stories being told must change. This is one of the reasons for my directorial ambitions.
As you already indicated, you are also celebrating successes behind the camera. How did the transition from the film set to the director’s chair come about?
Ever since I was a child, I loved telling stories. For example, I could never write my diary without running straight to my parents and, whether they wanted to or not, telling them as dramatically as possible. I guess I’m a born storyteller. With body and with the mind. I want to present and develop myself. That was always kind of clear to me. However, as a 12-year-old, of course, no one will let you on the film set, unless you are an actress.
The world is constantly changing. So does the film. Modern streaming services are replacing classic TV and cinema. What does this mean for you as an actress and as a director?
Streaming means more content, more reach, and less time. That can be stressful for a filmmaker. But it also gives you the resources to work with even higher quality, more efficiently, and for a wider audience. However, if cinema should die out, then so will I! For me, cinema not only means experiencing a film with all my attention and senses, but cinema is also my church, my campfire, and my time to feel connected to strangers for about two hours. Both on and with the screen as well as with the audience.
Maybe our world needs therapy too. Because even in our enlightened time we still must experience wars, countless conflicts as well as ignorance and intolerance. You took part in the #Actout campaign last year. How important is it for you to get personally involved?
Absolutely important! #Actout is just the beginning. It’s a call for more diversity. That’s the least I can contribute. And as for therapy for the world… That’s a great idea! It should then be more of a couples therapy between us humans and Mother Earth. Our relationship has become absolutely toxic and disrespectful. I hope so much that we will find a common language as soon as possible.
You are young and talented. The world is open to you. The series The Therapy will start in 2023. You’re probably curious about the reactions of the audience. How do you bridge the waiting time until then? What is at the top of your artistic agenda?
In September 2022, I started my directing studies at the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy and am currently learning the difference between logline and tagline. Meanwhile, I take care of the festival evaluation of my short film TABU LA RASA and commute to castings in Berlin in between. Therefore, I don’t have time to wait.
If you could make 3 Christmas wishes, what would they be?
- World Peace
- Equality
- That my iPhone has an additional jack plug again so that I can listen to music and charge it at the same time.
Text/Interview: Marco Kokkot
Pictures FilmScenes: Frank W. Hempel for ZDF “Helen Dorn” Episode “Emma”
