“I LOVE FALLING ASLEEP KNOWING THAT ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN TOMORROW”

Discover Germany, Austria & Switzerland met up with actor Langston Uibel to talk about his role in Afire (Roter Himmel), his love for Berlin, his future goals and more.

DISCOVER GERMANY: You were born in London and now live in Berlin. What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?

LANGSTON UIBEL: I've actually been living in London again for the last six months and I've realised that both cities are a part of me. But my home is Berlin because I have my roots there. All my friends live in Berlin and this is where I grew up. I love travelling, but I love coming back to Berlin. That is home for me, that feeling you only get when you come back there.

DISCOVER GERMANY: What do you love about Berlin? Why is it one of your chosen homes?

LANGSTON UIBEL: Of course, there are many things I appreciate about Berlin: the greenery, the nightlife and the art scene. Berlin just isn't as expensive as London or New York. This makes the city accessible to more people which creates a certain atmosphere. It's nice when more people can afford to go out and participate in city life.

DISCOVER GERMANY: You recently finished filming the movie Afire (Roter Himmel). What can viewers look forward to?

LANGSTON UIBEL: Afire (Roter Himmel) tells the story of four people who happen to meet in a holiday home. It's summer and there are forest fires. The four fall in love, envy each other and discover each other in the process. The whole production was wonderful. I felt like everyone was always very much in agreement on how we envision scenes. So, we didn't have to discuss everything. Above all, we had a very good director in Christian Petzold who guided us wonderfully as an ensemble. Can’t wait for it to come out!

DISCOVER GERMANY: What do you love most about acting?

LANGSTON UIBEL: The variety. No day is like another. And to be perfectly honest, I love falling asleep knowing that anything can happen tomorrow. One call from my team can change my life. At the same time, nothing can happen.

DISCOVER GERMANY: Has acting always been your dream profession?

LANGSTON UIBEL: It wasn't always my dream job. At some point I just decided that I wanted to become an actor. I got into film by accident. A friend of my mother's knew a puppet maker who made a puppet for a short film. They were looking for an actor for this film and the puppet maker suggested me. He had seen a photo of me. That's how I found out that you can be an actor in the first place. I then found an agent and stuck with it.

DISCOVER GERMANY: How did the emergence of Netflix change both your career and the German TV landscape?

LANGSTON UIBEL: The streaming services are influencing the industry a lot. Especially in terms of content. Conventional broadcasters now have to follow suit. I hope that they will now dare to develop exciting, young and fresh formats. The first trends are emerging! Young and fresh formats are being developed.

DISCOVER GERMANY: You have been involved in many projects. What roles and formats are you most attracted to?

LANGSTON UIBEL: There are no specific roles that attract me. It's much more the stories and maybe even more the people with whom you implement them. I'm still young and I still want to study. So, there are always a few criteria I use to make my selections. Sometimes it's a small role, but I get the chance to work with someone whose work I appreciate.

DISCOVER GERMANY: What else is planned for 2023? Do you have any exciting projects in the pipeline?

LANGSTON UIBEL: The nice thing about the job is the ups and downs. Now that a film of mine comes out, there is a lot of attention and that then ebbs away again. Then it's back to work. I think this year will definitely be exciting. I'm looking forward to it.

DISCOVER GERMANY: Last but not least, what are dreams and wishes for the future?

LANGSTON UIBEL: I still have a few bigger dreams, but I don't dare to say them. They stay with me. A few of my dreams have already come true which is really cool. And if there would be a few more that follow suit, that would be nice, of course.