Welcome to My World: Emilia Schüle

There are trips one never forgets: which one was it for you?

The first that comes to mind is my hiking trip through the mountains of Nepal. I was 23 and traveling with my best friend. I still remember how excited we were before the flight, because we had absolutely no hiking experience. But then it turned out to be wonderful. We went during the off-season, spending eleven days on a route where we met very few other tourists. That gave us the feeling of being close to the lives of the people there. During the day we would see them cooking by the roadside or bringing in the harvest, and at night we stayed with them in small villages. I loved that the locals met us with a certain curiosity as well. There are so few untouched places left in the world that haven't been commercialized. That's what made this trip one of the most beautiful of my life.

Is there another trip that still resonates with you?

In 2024, I traveled to Colombia as an ambassador for the humanitarian organization Plan International. Together with two other photographers, I documented the work of three NGOs that use art as a medium to empower children and young people. One of the projects was the dance school El Colegio del Cuerpo, located right in the middle of the jungle. I loved that on this trip I could switch perspectives – not standing in front of the camera, but behind it. And above all because it was important to me not to show up as a "white savior." In fall 2024, we exhibited the photos in Berlin and donated the proceeds to NGOs.

What insights did you bring back from that trip?

That we can learn an incredible amount from NGOs abroad about how integration into society can work – and also in terms of how we deal with these challenges in Europe.

What do you always take with you when you travel?

I always take both a digital and an analog camera with me, because photography is my biggest passion besides acting. Recently I've also been taking a pen and notebook everywhere, because I like jotting down thoughts and experiences along the way. The notebook creates moments of mindfulness for me and helps clear my head. I think nowadays we far too rarely pause, look up at the sky, and ask ourselves: what could I write down right now?

Where do you keep returning to?

Austria, to the mountains. The closer I am to the Alps, the calmer I feel inside. I also return to Paris and London again and again. London feels even more multicultural than Berlin – which I love. The people, the language, the architecture, riding the Tube – I enjoy absolutely everything there. I have an emotional connection to Paris because I spent a year there playing the French queen for the TV series "Marie Antoinette." I like that the city is beautiful and at the same time just as rough around the edges as Berlin.

You currently play yourself in the series "Call My Agent Berlin." What drew you to the concept of the series?

The world of talent agencies is a unique universe that many people don't know much about. I find the relationship between actors and their agents particularly fascinating. It's such an intense relationship, almost like a partnership. And breakups feel like real breakups – they really hurt. In my profession it's very hard to separate the personal from the professional. That's why this line of work deserves its own series.

In the episode you appear in, you have problems on set with your co-star Frederick Lau. How do you get along in real life?

We have a typical brother/sister vibe. The teasing on set that you see in the series is very much like the dynamic we have in real life. We like each other a lot and have known each other for a long time. So on set we could really go for it and insult each other in full force whenever we played a fight scene.

How realistic is the series?

"Call My Agent Berlin" is a comedy with a healthy dose of self-irony, playing with exaggeration in the style of the series "Jerks." You shouldn't take everything that happens at face value – but there's a lot of truth in it. I could tell so many absurd stories from my work life. Things keep happening to me and my colleagues where we think: "No one will believe this! We have to pitch it to 'Call My Agent Berlin.'"

About

Emilia Schüle had her breakthrough in 2008 with the film "Cheeky Girls." She is also known for her roles in Karoline Herfurth's films "Wonderful" and "Even More Wonderful," as well as the Disney+ series "Marie Antoinette." She can currently be seen in the series "Call My Agent Berlin" (premiering September 12 on Disney+), which revolves around the Stern talent agency and its agents, who manage the moods and quirks of their celebrity clients.