Quotes

[2009] I am not religious in the sense that I go to church on Sundays. I believe in a few things but I am not a practicing religious person. I believe in certain basic values like honesty, reliability, punctuality and having to be a role model in the small field one can be that. And I believe in love. As far as metaphysical things are concerned, it depends. There are a lot of things which are interesting and a lot of things which make me go, "oh well"...

[2009] [on portraying a monk Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen (2009) and how it affected him] For a month, I was as gentle as a lamb. But I wasn't able to speak fluent Latin all of a sudden. (laughs)

It is my dream to have a family. A wife and three children. But not at all costs.

A man is a good lover if he treats his woman like a princess and fulfills her every wish.

I never liked cigarettes, but I like cigars. I am a real connoisseur who likes champagne, red wine, good food and sleeping in. Let's see how long it will take until I put on weight.

[describing which kind of people he lets get close to him] They should enjoy life, be open, direct and honest but also reserved and a bit shy. Like me. I don't like dishonesty and shallowness.

When I am suffering, I have to talk about it. I am very extroverted in that respect. I have six close friends, three men and three women, who are my lifesavers in situations like this. I am particularly close to two of them. They are fine with me calling them in the middle of the night, crying.

[on why it is important to him that a prospective partner has to be tidy] My home is tidy because I am too lazy to search for things.

I am an actor, not a sex symbol.

I am not the type who changes partners quickly. I don't like one night stands, either.

[2009] [asked what he would say if one of his daughters told him she wanted to become a nun] Then I would ask why and would get an explanation. If she would absolutely want that I would say, "okay". It's not as if you are damned to spend your whole life in the monastery as if it was a prison if after a while you realize, "This isn't my thing after all". I think you should support what makes people happy.

I don't talk about my film shootings in Hollywood much. I don't know why you would want to boast just because you had a day of shooting there once. But I don't believe a word of it if colleagues claim that they are not interested in Hollywood. I want to go to Hollywood. But I'd rather patiently wait until Universal or Disney offer me a big role in a major movie by a top director. That's my understated arrogance.

[2009] Yes, of course [I believe in altruism]. But not regarding everyone. If I'm being slapped in the face, my altruism will be gone. In a situation like that it is hard to think, you poor son, you've been provoked so much you had to slap my face. No, of course I don't turn the other cheek.

[on meeting Jack Nicholson on a Californian golf course] He was wearing a woolly hat, sunglasses and sagging pants with a very baggy right pocket. In there was a nearly empty bottle of whiskey. Jack looked like a hobo. I like that. I enjoy understatement. I also like glamour but only in conjunction with personality, style and composure. This kind of glamour I find erotic. If Julia Roberts wears an evening gown it looks glamorous. If the [members of German girl group] No Angels dress like that it looks nice.

[2009, on wearing a cowl for Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen (2009)] Yes, [wearing a cowl causes other things than mere coziness], nobody pulls in their stomach because the stomach can't be seen, for example, to appeal to the vanity of actors. In the hood you can hide nicely, you can be on your own. This garment caused an incredible centering. It's also a certain humbleness and an appeal to the vanity of humans because everyone looks the same. Nobody can wear Nike sneakers if the others don't wear them. I think this is great. The cowl is like a uniform. So are the veiled heads of the ladies. It gives you a clearer view for the basics.

[2009] [asked whether the monks who prepared him for his role in Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen (2009) were also secular and interested in his job and world] Yes, but only to a limited extent. They did find it quite interesting. We don't need to pretend otherwise, they all own laptops. I don't know if they are on Facebook. (laughs) They are studying, people go live in a monastery to receive a certain training. Ultimately, they live in the year 2009, just like us.

[2009] [on what he thought of wearing a cowl in Vision - Aus dem Leben der Hildegard von Bingen (2009)] In all honesty? When we shot at Ebersbach monastery and in Maulbronn it was wonderful because it was fucking cold within these thick walls so the cowl kept you incredibly warm. Some of the rooms had been recreated in the studio in Cologne and it was the complete opposite there. It was so hot, the cowl was like a kick in the ass. Apart from that, you really have to acquaint yourself with it. Otherwise, you will face plant if there is a quick cut and you get your feet caught in it. It isn't a cowl for nothing, because it keeps you warm. What with the heating failures back then, this was quite appropriate.

[2019, describing himself as only "somewhat" strict as a father] What I am not having is [my children] starting something only to then quit it immediately. You do not throw the towel after the first workout. I expect some endurance from my children.

[2019, on young people wishing to become bloggers or influencers] I find this tendency questionable. I do not support this.

[2019] I want to offer my children as much as possible, to show them the world.