Table of contents:
On October 21st the new Sky series "The Ibiza Affair" is coming. We wanted to know beforehand from the actors what they can be bribed with and whether the world would be a better place if they were in politics.
"Too true to be made up," says the description of the new Sky series "The Ibiza Affair". May 17, 2019 is one of those days when everyone still knows exactly what they did when they found out about one of the biggest scandals of the Second Republic. The Süddeutsche Zeitung and the Spiegel published the secretly recorded video of a meeting of several hours between Heinz-Christian Strache and Johann Gudenus with a supposed Russian oligarch niece in Ibiza. The rest of the vacation is history: Strache resigned as Vice Chancellor, the ÖVP-FPÖ government was dissolved.
There is therefore a lot of hype around the new Sky series even before it is released. The plot not only deals with the hours in Ibiza, but also the time before and after: Who were the masterminds? What's behind this corrupt power game? We wanted to know more about three of the main actors …
Julian Looman
The 36-year-old mime with Austrian-Dutch roots plays the former Vice Mayor of Vienna, Johann Gudenus.
WOMAN: Can you learn power?
LOOMAN: Power is a by-product that arises from a certain situation or position. One can only learn to use it well and wisely.
How much power would you like to have?
LOOMAN: It would be enough for me if the power that I have over myself were also used in a more targeted manner. Then I could better counteract some vices.
What could they bribe you with?
LOOMAN: With good food. Always. I am extremely corrupt there.
Whose skin would you like to slip into if you wanted to get out of your own?
LOOMAN: As an actor, I slip into other characters all the time. But then I am also very happy to return to my own skin.
What collateral damage do you accept in life in order to be able to live it the way you want?
LOOMAN: You can't make friends with everyone. That's all there is to it anyway.
Cosima Lehninger
The 31-year-old stood in front of the camera as Tajana Gudenus for the Ibiza series.
WOMAN: Can you learn power?
LEHNINGER: I find it more exciting to deal with positive power. The negative one results from the need to explicitly place oneself above someone else's opinion, concern or decision. If necessary, there are unfortunately many negative examples that could be drawn from. In order to learn positive power, I would describe it as a continuous process in order to visualize one's wishes verbally and visually, to feel one's personal responsibility and then to let it arise from it.
How much power would you like to have?
LEHNINGER: Personally, I would like to be a woman more often about my thoughts. In terms of environmental policy, I would like to have the power to be more radical.
What could they bribe you with?
LEHNINGER: With plum dumplings baked in the oven according to my grandma's recipe.
Would the world be a better place if you were in politics? Why not)?
LEHNINGER: I don't think that I would be predestined for it, I would probably get emotional all the time and my plan would slip away from me. However, with a wishful thinking, I would take a more radical path in terms of environmental policy (example: factory farming, price policy, etc.) and, for example, the gender gap and stand for immigration-friendly and liberal politics.
What do you wish for our society?
LEHNINGER: After the last 50 years of a performance-oriented society, I would like more space for us to recognize and respect other forms of life and development. For example, letting children be ingenious in their creativity instead of forcing them into systems that make them dumb. I think there is a lot of potential for creativity and happiness being lost.
Deleila Piasko
The 30-year-old Swiss woman has been a member of the Vienna Burgtheater ensemble since 2019, and she takes on the role of real estate agent in the series.
WOMAN: Can you learn power?
PIASKO: I don't know if you can "learn to power". Of course, certain positions or an authoritarian aura lead to power. But power only works through encouragement from others. In the theater we say: "The king is played by the others." This means that the authority of the ruler only becomes visible through the people who submitted to him / her.
How much power would you like to have?
PIASKO: 7 out of 10 points. I have great respect for power. The power over myself and over my decisions would be enough for me.
What could they bribe you with?
PIASKO: With good chocolate! (laughs) Finally with convincing arguments.
What has greed driven you to do?
PIASKO: Greed is an egocentric feeling that unfortunately resides in all of us. It is all the more important for me to keep practicing renunciation and not let myself be guided by it. I'm trying to align my compass with other criteria.
What is more important to you: property, recognition or fame?
PIASKO: Getting recognition is an incredible asset and, for me, the greatest "possession" I can imagine.
Would the world be a better place if you were in politics? Why not)?
PIASKO: No, it wouldn't be, otherwise I would be in politics if I were convinced of it. Until then, I try to improve the world through my artistic work or to raise awareness of the problems in our world.
What collateral damage do you accept in life in order to be able to live it the way you want?
PIASKO: Unfortunately still too many. Keyword waste.
What do you wish for our society?
PIASKO: The gift of listening, reflection and, last but not least, the ability to differentiate.
And for yourself?
PIASKO: I wish that myself too.
