Actor Nina Hoss: "I Like to Look for the Lightness in Things"

An old cemetery in Berlin-Mitte, Alter Garnisonfriedhof, is closed to new burials but remains enclosed by a wall and accessible through one entrance. Inside, the grounds feel like a meadow where people bring towels, picnic, read, and spend time with dogs, even though sunbathing is technically discouraged. Visitors rest near gravestones of poets, soldiers, and aristocracy, creating a setting that feels respectful and calm rather than oppressive. Returning repeatedly, the place supports preparation for theatre work, encouraging a search for lightness, freedom, and space to appreciate surroundings. Laughter and celebration are treated as necessary companions to tragedy.

"There's an old cemetery in Berlin-Mitte - the Alter Garnisonfriedhof - where I go to learn my lines. It has a light-heartedness to it, which is unusual for a cemetery. It was founded in the 18th century and is no longer open for burials. There's a big wall around it and only one entrance. Inside, it's like a meadow and, in the summer, people take their sunbathing towels and their picnics, their dogs. They read their books and smoke cigarettes, resting their heads on the gravestones of poets, soldiers and members of the aristocracy."

"Of course you're not supposed to sunbathe in a cemetery but it's a wonderful thing to see. It's peaceful and respectful and people really enjoy themselves. It's like being among the dead and the living, and not in a grandiose or oppressive way, which is beautiful. I think that's why everyone goes there again and again, and you often see the same faces. I first came across it by chance when I was at drama school. It became this place I'd go to read through my text before going to the theatre, sitting on my favourite bench."

"It makes me think about how I approach my work and my collaborations - I like to look for the lightness in things, to find the freedom, the space to open up and appreciate my surroundings, to find the fun and be cheeky with the material. Otherwise it doesn't work. I think laughter and celebration need to be around the corner in any tragedy."

"Nina Hoss has wanted to perform for as long as she can remember. "When I was five years old, my father had a party and I went up on stage and sang Where Have All the Flowers Gone? by Marlene Dietrich in front of everyone," the actor recalls. Hoss's father was one of the founding members of Germany's Green Party, her mother an actor turned director, which is perhaps where Hoss gets her theatrical bone from. At 19, she landed the lead role in Bernd Eichinger's A Girl Called Rosema"

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