Film
Daniel Brühl: "I listen to the advice my wife gives me"
Film star and fledgling director Daniel Brühl answers 24 personal questions as we find out how he relaxes day to day, from listening to jazz albums to taking saunas on the balcony.
What activity are you better at doing when you’re relaxed than when you’re stressed?
Tennis. When I’ve got something buzzing around in my head, I stop moving properly. That gets punished severely, which is why I prefer to be relaxed on court.
Which person has taught you the most about relaxation?
My wife.
What was her message?
Don’t rummage around in the past and don’t brood over the future. Live the current moment intensely.
There’s a theory that stress doesn’t come from hard work itself but from trying to fulfil other people’s expectations and being afraid of not living up to them. Do you agree?
There’s something in that.
Have you experienced positive stress?
Yes. I like it when there are a lot of things going on at the same time, especially professionally. Preparing for a role, for instance, while thinking about a new directorial idea and studying scripts all at the same time. That sensation gives me wings.
Your first film as a director, Nebenan [Next Door], comes out in July. You also play the leading role: an actor named Daniel who seems remarkably similar to yourself. When you’ve been engaged with a character in a film for months, how long does that character stay in your head once filming is over?
Usually just a couple of days, thankfully. But it takes a bit longer when it’s a film that you’re making yourself because as the director you see the character in the cutting room for months on end. You constantly ask yourself, “Should I have done that differently?”
What’s your strategy for giving yourself some time to think?
The best thing I’ve bought is a small sauna that I had built into the balcony of my apartment in Berlin. I use it almost every day. It’s the best place for me to get into a meditative state.
How many hours of sleep do you need to give your best performance on set?
I definitely need a good, long and deep sleep, ideally for about eight hours.
Do you have a trick to get yourself to fall asleep?
I put all electronic devices away, especially my mobile phone. Sometimes I spray lavender on my pillow.
And what’s your trick for getting back to sleep when you wake up at 3am and start thinking about all of life’s problems, great and small?
I follow advice that my wife gave me. She is a psychologist and has worked on the subject of sleep. Don’t toss and turn in bed. Get up and do something until you are tired enough to go back to bed again.
At what time of day are you at your most creative?
I wish it was first thing in the morning but sadly my most creative time of day only starts in the afternoon or the evening. I’m better at absorbing things then. That’s the same with sport too, actually.
Why is that?
As the son of a German-Spanish couple, I grew up to Spanish rhythms, even when we lived in Cologne. We always had dinner a bit later and I was allowed to stay up late. So I had a very intense relationship with the evening and the night-time even when I was a child.
Which one of your talents can you still rely on even when you are stressed?
I can always get people to laugh.
If you were to tot up your smartphone screen time, how many hours would it be?
Too many. That’s the case even more so now that Next Door is coming out and I’m constantly checking in for news about it. I love it when I can turn the thing off completely, or those occasional times when I don’t have any reception.
What piece of advice do you give to young, nervous colleagues to help them to relax on set?
Take deep breaths in and out and concentrate on your breathing. It sounds trite but it always works.
How do you manage to avoid bringing a bad mood home from work with you?
By letting the negative vibes out first. You shouldn’t suppress anything and keep it bottled up. You should get it all out there. I do that a whole lot — ideally while I’m still at work. Oh, and keep laughing and don’t take things too seriously.
Is there a jazz standard that relaxes you?
The Miles Davis album, Sketches of Spain.
And a painting that you look at to get your thoughts in order?
I had the amazing luck to acquire a small painting by the German artist Daniel Richter at an auction. It’s a mysterious, mystical painting that brings me joy every time I view it. Thereis something both fascinating and calming about its colour and mood.
What stops you from deleting all your social media profiles?
I often ask myself that question. I don’t rule out doing that but I only have Instagram anyway. Sometimes it’s fun and I can publicise my work there. But it doesn’t shape the course of my day. I don’t wake up and think, “Oh God, what shall I post today? My breakfast?”
Which communication channel do you find to be the most annoying?
A lot of people on WhatsApp have the bad habit of dividing messages up into separate words or sentences. If your phone isn’t on silent it’s constantly going ping-ping-ping-ping. That can be really annoying on occasion.
Can you train yourself to be calm?
Yes.
What problems in your everyday life are you calmer about in your forties than you were when you were 20?
So many. Being narcissistic is all part of the acting profession but age and parenthood have helped me to give the right perspective to things such as my current projects.
Do you ever have a cigarette in order to relax?
Those days are over.
What’s the next relaxing thing you’ll do after you’ve finished answering these questions?
I will probably play a game of tennis later today.
Daniel Brühl’s directorial debut, Nebenan, is in cinemas from July 15