Ulrike Frank has been there for 20 years – “KF” reveals the knife secret of GZSZ

Since she rushed to the GZSZ neighborhood on New Year’s Eve 20 years ago, the cult series has been booming all the more.

Since then, Ulrike Frank (53) aka Katrin Flemming has caused intrigues, rose wars with Jo Gerner (played by Wolfgang Bahro, 62) and great emotions. Today “KF” is a cult figure!

Reason enough for an open and very detailed BILD interview with Ulrike Frank – over 20 years GZSZher series lovers, her most dangerous shoot, secrets and her true love…

BILD: What did you think when you got the role offer for GZSZ 20 years ago?

Ulrike Frank: “I was very happy about the request. At the time, GZSZ producer Petra Kolle was looking for an opponent for Jo Gerner. That’s when she thought of me. I was very happy to agree. It was actually a guest role scheduled for four months. But then it worked so well that it became 20 years. That’s the great thing about GSZS: You can really get involved and then it often finds an echo. That way you can be lucky enough to be able to stay.”

Do you still remember your very first day of shooting 20 years ago?

Frank: “We have two months Prelude to the GZSZ shooting. So my first day of shooting was in October. We are now celebrating my anniversary on the day of the broadcast. I was on the air for the first time on New Year’s Eve 2002 as Katrin Flemming. That was a New Year’s Eve celebration at Café Mocca. Katrin was friends with Dennis, the operator of the café. So she came to this party and met Jo Gerner at this party. She immediately noticed that he was an interesting man and that there might be something to be had there. Immediately she began to spin her intrigues. In the meantime, Katrin Flemming alias ‘KF’ has become a completely independent character and brand. When this abbreviation came up, I thought: Now I’ve done it! Now it’s a cult!”

What do you love most about this role?

Frank: “The exciting development of Katrin Flemming! Katrin used to be a tough and scheming woman and now she has become a strong woman because she admits her weaknesses and deals with them. She’s not fundamentally soft now, but human. At first she was often referred to as the ‘Frozen Queen’. That’s not really strong, but she had built a tank around herself. Back then, people spoke of her famous ‘Chanel tank’.”

How much Ulrike Frank is in Katrin Flemming?

Frank: “Of course there is overlap. Katrin has my body, my voice, my looks. There’s a lot about Katrin Flemming where I might resemble her. I also want a lot and have high expectations of myself and others. That’s not always easy either, I know that.”

Which story at GZSZ took you the most?

Frank: “There were a lot of great and intense stories. One of the most dramatic stories was certainly the farewell to Till ‘Bommel’ Kuhn in Sankt Peter-Ording am Meer. These two unequal people who still feel such a deep love for each other and find each other. And then the tragedy with his fatal illness and his farewell at sea. That was really very emotional during the shoot. When I see the scenes today, they still touch me. It was just as emotional when Katrin had to tell her daughter Jasmin that she unknowingly fell in love with her biological father. You could hear a pin drop while filming this scene. That really took a toll on us all.”

What was your most dangerous shoot?

Frank: “That was certainly our shoot in the barn. When Katrin and Tobias were tied up by his ex-wife in a barn where everything was full of straw. Then a fire breaks out and they have to free themselves. Tobias then passes out and Katrin has to find a way out to save her life. It was actually very dangerous. We had a huge fire department and stunt people on site during the shoot. It even burned. Of course there were the highest safety precautions. That was quite an experience. Especially when, as an actress, you are fully involved in a role and scene, sometimes you are not fully sane…”

What do you mean?

Frank: “It’s not for nothing that there used to be a law that reduced criminal liability two hours after a theater performance. That is not by accident. Because if you really throw yourself into it, you can no longer control what you do, otherwise you wouldn’t really be in the role. And that’s why there are blunt knives or crash glass at the theater and also at GZSZ. This is not real glass. When you’re playing anger or drama, you can’t really pay attention to those things. That’s why there are people on the set who make sure nothing happens. When it comes to really dangerous things, we actresses always need a safety net and a safety net.”

Have you ever needed it?

Frank: “Yes. at For GZSZ, for example, I shot a scene where someone had to threaten me and hold a knife to my throat. That was also a blunt knife, so that nothing happened under any circumstances.”

Which shooting secret at GZSZ have you never revealed?

Frank: “I always hide my very comfortable shoes somewhere in the decoration in closets or in some corner. Then, as soon as my feet are not in the picture, I can put on the Ugg boots or the Crocs. Sometimes there is also a difference in height, because as Katrin Flemming I always wear heels. And when I then put on the flat shoes, I have to stand on tiptoe so that I have the same height again. Sometimes Katrin wears heels that are more than 10 centimeters high.”

How many love stories did you have at GZSZ?

Frank: “It was probably 12 love stories. But there were more affairs that were not included in the count. In her very scheming phase, Katrin Flemming used her femininity to gain advantages. Katrin Flemming actually had real feelings less than 12 times. Only Jo Gerner, Leon, Bommel, Tobias and Anni had real feelings. Katrin has married three times. Once it was a marriage of convenience with Jo Gerner, once a calculating marriage with Marc Hansen and now a love marriage with Tobias Evers.”

You have been happily married to the composer Marc Schubring for 23 years. Is that a kind of compensation for the love drama mode at GZSZ?

Frank: “It actually has nothing to do with GZSZ. One is my job and I can separate them well. But I’m very happy and grateful that Marc and I found each other. We’ve been together for 25 years and married for 23 years. It’s really lucky. We go through good times and bad and come out stronger.”

What’s your love secret?

Frank: “I think you have to be lucky to meet someone who just fits. But then you just have to be willing to keep at it. Happiness in love doesn’t come by itself. Sometimes it’s also hard and you have to work on your relationship. You have to want that too. And if you then make it and perhaps overcome a crisis or difficult time, then you emerge from it all the stronger together. I can say that: you should just keep at it and not look for a new partner right away.”

Have you ever had bad times?

Frank: “Of course there were times for us that were challenging or more difficult. And we mastered it really well and feel ready to continue to do so together. A long-term relationship is really unusual, especially in our industry.”

If you work for a daily format, you should also be reasonably stress-resistant as a couple, right?

Frank: “Definitely. Sometimes we really don’t see each other at all. Then I come home late, look at the text for the next morning and get up again at half past four. Then I’m already gone before my husband drinks his first coffee. Of course, you also need a partner who is willing to go along with it. I have great support with him.”

How can you shake off the GZSZ dramas so that you don’t take them home with you?

Frank: “Fortunately, I studied acting at the Folkwang University for four years. Of course, that helps me to approach such things in a very professional manner. I am glad that I learned the necessary tools of the trade. So I can wrap up the roles, go home and be private. Of course, you can take the atmosphere home with you. Even if it’s not my emotion, something bad doesn’t happen to me, but to my character. The moment I play it, I live it too. And that sometimes has an echo that you can still feel at home on the couch in the evening.”

Was there ever a point when you wanted to stop at GZSZ?

Frank: “No. I have always appreciated the opportunities I have at GZSZ. I really like to play. And I can act and tell stories in front of the camera every day. I took up the profession in order to practice it. Of course I have to pay the rent too. And of course the financial security is great too. But the focus for me is my love of playing, which I can live out at GZSZ. I’m glad that I started with theater and then made my experiences as a freelance actress. So I can really appreciate what that means. When you work as a freelance actress, there are many dry spells before the next engagement comes along.”

Have you set a limit for how long you want to play at GZSZ?

Frank: “I think being an actress means you can’t really plan. In principle, you have to see how things develop. And then: Go with the flow! Then you have to see what feels good. For me it still feels good to play Katrin Flemming. And I want to keep doing that.”