Helena Zengel is twelve years old, has won the German Film Prize and is now nominated for the Golden Globe for her role alongside Tom Hanks.
Helena, Congratulations on being nominated for the Golden Globe for your role at the side of a Hollywood legend Tom Hanks in “News from the World”! How did you find out about the nomination?
Helena Zengel: That was the best day of my life! I was just buying carrots for my horse, my mom was waiting for me in the car and when I came back the PR agency was on the phone and mom said: “You did it, you are nominated for the Golden Globe!” At first I couldn’t say anything because I wasn’t expecting it. Actually it was said that if a call came around 2 p.m., and it was already 3 p.m. It’s so unbelievable for me, I’m still totally overwhelmed, somehow speechless, at the same time I could scream with happiness!
What are you looking for – I assume together with your mother – which roles are suitable for you?
Zengel: Most of the time, my mother and I read scripts for two or three evenings and then talk about them. I have to like the story and the role, that’s crucial. But of course we also make sure that the thing is appropriate for my age and not too blatant or intimate.
What specifically attracted you to “news from the world”?
Zengel: I found the story exciting. I really wanted to shoot in the Wild West and with horses. The girl I play doesn’t really, or only a little, speaks the Kiowa language. I thought that was a cool opportunity, because as an actress there is hardly anything more difficult in front of the camera than expressing yourself without speaking. Shooting in Hollywood with someone like Tom Hanks was of course unique.
You didn’t really know who he was before, right?
Zengel: Yes and no. By the name of Tom Hanks, I already knew he was a well-known actor. But I didn’t know what a big star he really is, and I didn’t necessarily know his films. But I made up for it quickly.
Were you nervous when you met him?
Zengel: Fortunately, I didn’t have a chance to be nervous because I didn’t even know I was going to meet him. Because actually I was only on set for a rehearsal with the director. It wasn’t until I was sitting in the hair and makeup trailer that I was told that I would meet Tom a day earlier than planned. So I didn’t have time to be excited. But it also makes it very easy for you. Tom is a normal, funny guy and doesn’t behave like you might expect from a superstar.
Did you stay in touch after filming?
Zengel: Clear! Tom doesn’t have WhatsApp, but we text each other or email and send each other photos or videos. Especially at the start of the film, but also for Christmas, New Year’s Eve or a birthday. It is of course a shame that the promotional tour for the film was canceled due to Corona and we couldn’t see each other in person. I was really looking forward to it. But you can’t change that.
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Helena Zengel as Benni in a scene from the film “Systemsprenger”.
Photo: Yunus Roy Imer, dpa
In Germany have you already experienced a few shoots. Was it a different experience in America to work?
Zengel: Speaking a language and filming with a superstar in a country I’ve never been to before was a different feeling than making a film here at home. Then there are a lot of animals in New Mexico, where we shot. In any case, we ran into snakes and spiders. That’s why I was pretty excited on the flight. Plus, I’ve never flown that long before.
You spoke a bit of English before. Now you should be able to speak almost fluently?
Zengel: There have always been words or even sentences that I don’t understand. But what I have to be able to do on a daily basis in order to deal with people, I can now speak pretty fluently. We also watch many films in the original English version, that helps too.
In addition, there was also the already mentioned Kiowa language. How difficult was it for you to learn that?
Zengel: I found that quite difficult at the beginning. The pronunciation and the sounds are in many cases very different from what we know in our language. I had to make an effort to learn all of this. But once I was able to do that, I actually worked the language quite well with my great trainer. Three weeks, one and a half hours a day!
You probably didn’t have to practice riding that extensively, after all, you have a horse yourself. The director knew Paul Greengrass the?
Zengel: I told him when he told me at our first meeting in London that I would have a lot to do with horses in the film and not have to be afraid of them. I was able to reassure him that he doesn’t have to worry about it with me.
So was it a breeze for you?
Zengel: Well, that was a change from my horse at home. Western horses are ridden very differently – and they also behave differently. Our horse, for example, has a very fast trot, but with the movie horses I always thought they would stop the same way. I thought it was really cool to be able to do that, there is western riding at our stable and these rodeo spins hardly any.
After “Systemsprenger”, your character in “Neues aus der Welt” has another violent fate. Does it sometimes happen to you that you cannot immediately put the emotions of the role down and take them home with you?
Zengel: Nope, I’ve never had that. Whether on the set or when the film is finished, I’ve never had a problem giving up my role. Because we thoroughly discuss and work through the roles before and after and I always know what it’s about, I don’t find this difficult. With Benni in “Systemsprenger”, many asked me whether I sometimes mixed the role and reality. But as long as it is clear to myself who I am and who the other person is, then I won’t take anything home with me.
Speaking of “Systemsprenger”: The film was a huge success and has certainly changed a lot in your life. What was the most exciting moment in recent years?
Zengel: I was of course very happy to win the German Film Prize. It was a great honor. But the happiest and greatest moment of my career so far was when Paul Greengrass said that I had the role in “News from the World”. I was really totally blown up and just jumping around wildly for joy.
Are you going to stick with acting now? Or do you also have other career aspirations?
Zengel: Actually, I want to stick with acting because I enjoy it a lot. This is really my passion. But I could also imagine, for example, one day writing scripts or novels on the side, or even being a director.
To person Helena Zengel, born in 2008, discovered acting at the age of five. After minor roles in television productions, she became known to a large public in 2019 with the film “Systemsprenger”. From February 10th, the Berliner can be seen alongside Tom Hanks in the western “Neues aus der Welt”.
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