Bernd Michael Lade (58) was with Peter Sodan (86) for 15 years Crime scene detective in Dresden. 2007 came the end. Since then he has played a lot less.
Now he’s starring again in a feature film he wrote and directed.
BILD am SONNTAG: Do you mourn the “crime scene”, Mr. Lade?
Bernd-Michael Lade: “We made 45 films. I really loved it and I have to admit: I miss the ‘crime scene’. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It was a good time back then. With the ‘Tatort’ fee I was able to finance my directing studies and even had money left over.”
From 1992 to 2007, Lade (right) played with Peter Sodann in the “Tatort” from Dresden
And today?
Load: “Honestly, I’m broke. Blame it on my new film, The Witness. But I’m proud of the result. Also that I had found a supporting and important role for Maria.”
Mary Simon and they divorced in 2021. Apparently you continue to work together.
Load: “There is radio silence between us at the moment. If I’m completely honest: I’ve just had the biggest crisis of my life behind me. My parents died during the Corona period, then there was the separation, the lockdown was anything but easy for the children. They got bigger and wilder, which of course led to tensions with us parents. I can’t blame them, as a teenager I was also an extreme provocateur and tested my limits. Then there are arguments that are not nice in any family.”
Lade and colleague Maria Simon (47) were married from 2004 to 2021. The couple have three children together (17, 15, 11)
Do you often have arguments with your sons?
Load: “Let’s put it this way: Maria and I raised our children anti-authoritarian. I’m totally behind it, but in some situations maybe that wasn’t always right. The two big ones have often challenged me when I was at home with them as a father while Maria was filming. By the way, today they are fantastic actors with a huge talent. You will also see that in our next film.”
You haven’t been seen that often on TV or in the cinema in recent years. How did that happen?
Load: “Well, professionally, after ‘Tatort’ things calmed down. Of course I still made films, both as an actor and as a director. But it just got less. I certainly don’t consider myself the greatest actor, but I’ve always been told how good I am. So I thought: well, if that’s the case, then there should be a few more roles for me. At the same time, I also liked being a househusband and a father, and I wholeheartedly begrudge Maria that she was so busy. I took care of the kids while she was away for a film.”
Bernd Michael Lade began his acting career in the GDR and became a nationwide star with “Tatort”.
Would you have liked to swap places with her?
Load: “No, I settled into my role quite quickly. For me, our family was paradise.”
And now?
Load: “I skidded past depression by a hair’s breadth. The end of our beautiful world, the death of my parents, all of this really got to me. Being together with Maria and the children was wonderful. That this is now over hurts deeply. But I’m slowly seeing things more clearly again, and of course I’m still extremely grateful to Maria and also quite proud of us for how we managed to do it all. We really rocked it.”
This article comes from BILD am SONNTAG. The ePaper of the entire issue is available here.
