Emilia Schüle talks to Glass about taking on the role of Marie Antoinette

From Spring Issue 57

Glass speaks to the German actress Emilia Schüle about playing one of Europe’s most famous queens, Marie Antoinette, and what she has planned for the future

Thirty-year-old actress Emilia Schüle has been working in the industry since she was a child. Although she describes herself as a Berlin girl, today she is known to everyone as the iconic, if not infamous, queen of France, Marie Antoinette, thanks to her role in the BBC series of the same name. 

After taking dance classes at the age of five, acting came into her life quite by chance a few years later and she has never looked back. Her natural charm comes across with ease over our Zoom call and one thing’s for certain, Schüle likes to go with the flow.

She is talking to me on a rare day off from a hectic schedule that involves post-wrapping Season two of Marie Antoinette, attending the 74th Berlinale and cuddling her sister’s week-old baby. With this, her upcoming film, Die Ironie des Lebens (The Irony of Life), a photography exhibition and trying her hand at producing, Schüle is a woman on the move. 

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

You’ve been acting since you were very young – how did you gravitate towards that?

I started dancing first when I was five, and my parents realised how much I enjoyed it and how crowds weren’t a bother to me. Transitioning to acting was a coincidence – my sister was in a model agency and one day, I was accompanying her on our way home, and they took a picture of me. They had an acting branch, and from there, everything happened quickly.

I shot my first commercial, and then I had my first lead when I was 14 years old in Cheeky Girls. I still meet people today who tell me how they loved growing up with me. I never expressed a desire to be an actor, and because I was so young, I didn’t even understand the reality of it. I naturally grew up on film sets and I fell in love with them. Working in a team on a single project almost feels like having a baby together.

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

You’re no stranger to period pieces – is there something in particular about connecting to characters in the past that draws you to such work?

That’s just a coincidence. I’m a Berlin girl – I’ve done Berlin in the ‘20s, in the ‘50s, in the ‘60s, in the ‘70s – but not in the ‘30s yet. I haven’t had the chance to do a Nazi war piece yet, which is maybe a good thing [laughs]? I would happily do [anything] though, if it was right. When I choose my roles, I just go with the flow. Sometimes, the reason lies with the character, the time period, the director or even the country we’re shooting in. I’ve done a lot of period work, but I enjoy the contemporary pieces too – playing modern characters definitely takes less time to get ready in the morning [laughs].

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

Playing Marie Antoinette must be exciting – is there something that connects you both?

She’s a deeply misunderstood and misjudged woman. Our show is doing her justice as we’re trying to portray her in all her layers, pain and strength. As I began to understand the trauma she must have carried with her – leaving home at 14 to never return, married to a man she didn’t know, [feeling] such a strong sense of humiliation [because she was unable to] produce an heir for years, I began to connect to her. I understood why she escaped into the beauty of things and the pace of parties – it was an act of distraction against this neglect and judgement, and I realised I would have done the same. 

She was so many things – a rebel, an artist, a queen. Even though she was hated, she was charismatic -people remember her. She was emancipated because she didn’t adapt and she never abandoned her personal needs. She escaped Versailles to the small town of Varennes because she wanted to maintain her dignity and find a place where she could be herself. She was fighting for her rights and for being a woman in a man’s world. 

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

How did it feel to play a character under such an intricately feminist lens?  

I don’t feel any pressure –I just want to do her justice and fill it with life.

Season one perfectly captured the wild, lavish and yet traumatic areas of Marie’s life – what kind of changes or energy shift can we expect from Season two?

Definitely. Season one was a walk in the park, Season two feels much more grown up. We’ll see her as a mother – once she started, she didn’t stop [laughs]. Season two will end with the revolution, so it will get very dark. There will be a few surprises as well because she will eventually take a lot more control politically than you would think – but I don’t want to spoil too much. 

How have you found acting in English versus German? 

I love acting in English. For the last two years, I’ve acted more in English than German, so I’m a bit terrified to go back to German [laughs]. English is just so much more melodic to speak. I graduated in English language at an international school, so I’ve always loved it – and I’ve always loved London.

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

You have another exciting project coming out soon, Die Ironie des Lebens. What can you tell us about your character in this? 

It’s a story about a man who has neglected his fatherly responsibilities for 20 years. Essentially, the film is about love and forgiveness, how easy that is for some and how difficult it is for others. On top of that, he’s a comedian. So, he’s processing everything in his comedy acts in this tragically comedic way. His daughter – my character – offers him forgiveness immediately, which causes conflict within the family. It’s really moving. 

Since Die Ironie des Lebens isn’t a period piece, did you find it difficult or refreshing to step back into a modern-day role? 

Every role is different and asks different things from you. I didn’t find it particularly difficult to step back into a modern character, but my character performed her own comedy act, which I was worried about. I don’t think I’m funny at all. It freaks me out to try and make people laugh, so I really had to prep for that [laughs]. 

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

Last year, you took a sabbatical year after working for 20 years! Can you share more about that?

It was one of the best years of my life. That year gave me the chance to bring back things I used to love, starting with photography. The first time a film paid me, I bought a camera and it’s been my companion ever since. I took the time to initiate a trip with a photography collective to Colombia, which we’re making an exhibition of this summer with Leica! 

You did a filmmaking course too – is this something we can expect you to be stepping into in the future?

I wanted to find out which role suited me best behind the camera because I wasn’t sure yet. Now I definitely know [laughs]. I’d like to go into producing – directing is too compromising, it would crush my heart. Producing is so creative … to bring a project to life … I think that’s a force I have. I’ve started my production company in Germany, and I’ve found one or two projects that I’m working on now – with other production companies because I still don’t know what I’m doing [laughs].

When can we expect to see these projects?

I’m the most impatient person ever, but it takes so long to bring a project to life. You never believe how long it takes. Let’s hope I’m going to be a quick producer [laughs].

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

What kind of changes have you experienced in the industry through the years?

There’s been a revolution in storytelling with the birth of streaming services, which then posed a threat to the cinema industry, and now we have this mass extinction of cinemas because everything is available at home. Then we have the rise of social media, YouTube, and online stars, which all caused the death of the Hollywood star. 

There’s also been a massive shift since #MeToo – it made me re-evaluate all the characters I’ve played. I almost fell into a depression for two or three years as I realised most of my characters had existed solely to serve a man or a love story. Looking at male characters, that’s rarely the case. So, when I got the Marie Antoinette role, I was so excited. Even though there is a love story, I thought it was the most adorable love story ever because they don’t even speak for six episodes [laughs]!

Do you find yourself assessing female characters when choosing roles now?

Definitely. Before Marie Antoinette, I’d say I had about two roles which didn’t centre around falling in love with someone. Which is so sad – women are so much more than that.

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

What’s something people would be surprised to know about you or are you quite an open book? 

I’m a very open book. I’m a brutally honest person because I’m German [laughs]. I do have a beautiful story of visiting my birth town [in Russia] in my mid-twenties though. Blagoveshchensk – unpronounceable to a non-Russian person [laughs]. It was one of the most beautiful trips of my life. My mum, sister and I visited where we once lived, where I was baptised, and we stood at the river that’s on the border with China. On the other side of the river, you can see Chinese skyscrapers, it’s crazy.

Looking back through your career, is there a moment you’re most proud of?

Either when I decided to take things into my own hands and start my own production company, or when I found my first project. I walked out of a theatre in London and knew the play had to be the first film I produced. I’d been waiting for that moment and it was exhilarating. 

What’s the best piece of advice about the industry you’ve been given?

Your personal happiness shouldn’t be connected to your work, because you’ll never be happy. Sometimes we forget to take a step back and appreciate life, and not always be wanting more. I think the biggest challenge is to appreciate what life gives you and not get distracted with what other things there are to get.

by Madeleine Ringer

Photographer: Bojana Tatarska

Stylist: Gaultier Desandre Navarre

Make up: Maud Eigenheer using VICTORIA BECKHAM BEAUTY

Hair: Hiromi Kamiyu

Photography assistant: Laurent Friquet 

Talent: Emilia Schüle

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