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Cast as ‘the feeling of melancholy’ in the cinematic music album RAVAGE by singer Mogli to be released this summer, Eugen Bauder is the Berlin-based actor and model with an impressive background and a growing acting career. In 2020, he starred in German prime time show Lucie. Läuft doch! as Alex — a carpenter employed in a children’s care home. Most recently, he played a supporting role in German Netflix mini-series ÜberWeihnachten (Over Christmas in the UK), and soon, we will see him portray several characters in a new sketch comedy series for Comedy Central.
With a busy work schedule, a multitude of hobbies and a baby on the way, Schön! managed to catch up with Eugen to hear about his recent acting roles, his creative process when stepping into character and what we can expect from his upcoming projects.
We’d love to hear about Lucie. Läuft doch!. It must have been very exciting to be in such a show. What did you enjoy the most about filming this series?
I loved it. As an actor, shooting a show like that gives me the chance to develop a character. It’s so much fun to create a complete person over a period of time.
How would you best describe your character in Lucie. Läuft doch!? And how did you prepare yourself for this role?
Alex is the carpenter of the children’s care home that Lucie is set in. He takes care of the objects the kids deliberately destroy and repairs everything and anything. Every now and then, he includes the kids in his work, helping them with their issues as well. Alex is a down-to-earth, balanced guy who lives by his principles and always stands by them. He usually makes gut decisions and is guided by feelings, which gets him into trouble here and there. He has a gentle soul with a rather dark, exciting past. Alex and me, we both definitely share a love for crafts. And I would say, [what] we have in common is that I am pretty down to earth, too.
To prepare, I dove into Alex’s weaknesses and strengths a lot to give the character more depth. I tried to develop a three-dimensional character.
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bracelet. Majorica
trackpants. Puma Sports
bunbag. Zara
bracelet. Majorica
opposite
tracksuit. Daily Paper
necklace. Mercii + Twojeys
bracelet. Majorica
When did you first decide to make the leap into acting? What inspired you to do so?
I have always been into acting. I started out as a little kid, in my early childhood, by joining theatre productions in my school. Since I have always had lots of interests, I followed a different path for a while until I was about 23 years old. Then I decided to leap into acting fully and seriously. Ever since then, I have been making a living as an actor.
ÜberWeihnachten was a big hit on German Netflix. What can you share with us about that experience?
I know it sounds corny, but we had a great production team and all my colleagues were just wonderful. We had so much fun off screen as well, which I think translated to the mini-series on screen.
tracksuit. Daily Paper
necklace. Mercii + Twojeys
bracelet. Majorica
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jacket. Versace
speedo. Janthee Berlin
bracelet. Majorica
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
trackpants. Puma Sports
bunbag. Zara
bracelet. Majorica
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shirt. Cos
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
When transitioning to character, where do you generally draw your inspiration from? What’s your process?
It’s very different for each role; every character requires a different preparation. Some characters I feel connected to right from the start: I can easily empathise with them, even on a psychological level. If that’s not the case, then I have to find other sources for preparation. It can be anything. It can be skills, like taking horse riding lessons or learning how to shoot, learning a new combat sport or taking dance lessons. If it is not about skills to learn, I try and meet people who have gone through the same or a similar situation as the character in the script or people who are directly affected by a certain situation similar to the script. I talk to them to find out as much as possible about how it feels. I also do a lot of classic research on the Internet and read about things.
A pretty obvious part of the process is reading the script in its entirety. It usually gives you a lot of information about the character. It’s very investigative work. When I read the script for the first time, I write down all traits and information about my character. I also ask the screenwriter and director about their vision and understanding of the character. There are cases where it is completely up to me to come up with a background for the character. A back story gives the character certain traits, characteristics — his actions can be better explained, which leads to the character becoming more realistic, tangible.
Of all your roles, is there a particular character that you felt the most connected to on a personal level?
I believe I feel a connection to all characters I’ve played as it is essential to play a character convincingly. There hasn’t been that one character, though. I think I take a little bit of each character with me for a while, but in the end I always stay me, my true personal self.
tracksuit. Daily Paper
necklace. Mercii + Twojeys
bracelet. Majorica
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shirt. Vintage 80s
jacket. Versace
speedo. Janthee Berlin
bracelet. Majorica
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
opposite
shirt. Cos
speedo. Janthee Berlin
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
We understand you are set to shoot a leading role in a new series for Comedy Central. What can viewers expect from this?
The project for Comedy Central is a sketch comedy. I slip into several different characters in one day of shooting. The challenge is to portray every single character as truthfully as possible. That’s quite a workload, because as an actor you also don’t have much time in sketch comedy. Timing plays a very important role here. Hitting the timing is essential; it gives scenes the dynamic so that the whole thing works.
What has been a favourite moment from your filming career to date?
Honestly, it is not just one moment — but it repeats itself every once in a while, luckily: my favorite moment is the feeling of knowing after a long day of filming that I gave it my all and that every single scene worked.
You collaborated with singer Mogli on her upcoming album RAVAGE to be released this summer. Can you tell us about your involvement with this project?
Mogli told me about her idea for RAVAGE very early on. I was able to see how she developed the project and wrote the script for the movie. From the first second I heard about it, I was in love with this project and immediately, enthusiastically accepted when she asked me if I would like to play one of the leading roles. I play the feeling of melancholy. It is a cinematic music album, so there is no dialogue. I loved the challenge of acting without words. It was also a wonderful time shooting with all of our friends — even family was involved in the shoot. I am incredibly happy that I had the chance to be a part of RAVAGE. Keep your eyes and ears open; it will be released soon.
shirt. Cos
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
opposite
trackpants. Puma Sports
bunbag. Zara
bracelet. Majorica
speedo. Janthee Berlin
necklace. Mercii + Twojeys
opposite
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
tracksuit. Daily Paper
necklace. Mercii + Twojeys
You certainly keep yourself busy, from yoga to DIY to vintage cars. What are your most regular hobbies? And can it be a struggle to keep a good work/life balance with your schedule?
I have and always had lots of interests. I am generally incredibly interested in life, and I unfortunately have the feeling that there is not enough time for me to try, experience and learn everything that interests me. I do everything I do with passion and heart and soul, so even if it is work, I do not mind; I enjoy it, too. I love my job, so it doesn’t always feel like work. However, at times when I notice that everything is becoming a bit too much, it usually helps me to just do nothing for a day or two, to just reflect on life, my roots, to focus on me. I do sports, such as yoga, spend time with my family, eat healthy and meditate a lot.
Tell us about your biggest aspirations. Who would be your dream director and your dream co-star to work with?
It doesn’t matter to me who I’m shooting with. I don’t care about names. What matters to me is that it is a great project where everyone involved is doing their best.
Are there any particular themes or topics that you hold an emotional connection to, that you would like to explore within future acting roles?
I would love to continue to play a variety of characters. I realise I am drawn to characters with a “dark” past who have to fight their way out of the darkness. It’s always so much fun to play torn characters who struggle with their own darkness who then have to choose some sort of a side, either darkness or the light.
jacket. Versace
speedo. Janthee Berlin
bracelet. Majorica
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
opposite
bracelet. Majorica
jacket. Versace
speedo. Janthee Berlin
bracelet. Majorica
sunglasses. Police Vintage Sunglasses
Follow Eugen Bauder on Instagram.
photography. Rogier Alexander
talent. Eugen Bauder @ Artist Network
words. Grace Calton
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