Biography

Often plays tragic, tormented heroines with somber attitude

Nordic beauty, with blonde hair and imposing height

Deep, sensual voice

Often works with Christian Petzold

Performances of great dramatic intensity

She's also a trained opera singer. She sang the role of Rosalinde in Michael Thalheimer's 2007 production of 'Die Fledermaus'.

She's fluent in English and French.

Ambassador of Terre des Femmes, fighting against female genital cutting.

She's the daughter of actress Heidemarie Rohwedder and Willi Hoss, co-founder of the German Green Party.

Plays the piano. Did her own playing in Barbara (2012).

Her maxim of life: "But where danger is, grows the saving power also."

[on the possibility of playing a Bond girl] If it's a stupid blonde in a bikini then I wouldn't be interested, but if it's an interesting character being mean, or something like Javier Bardem played, that could be good.

[on playing Christian Petzold's movie heroines] Some characteristics might have something to do with me, but I haven't built up this defensive wall as many as the characters have to in Christian's movies. We also do that to create tension. If they don't have a problem you wouldn't be interested in them. It doesn't mean I never have problems but I would deal with them differently. I'm much lighter than his characters.

[on working with the American cast of A Most Wanted Man (2014)] I don't consider myself to be lacking in confidence, but the confidence they have is so natural and no one is afraid of anything. It's just there and you work together.

[on Gold (2013)] It's much more about the path, the journey, than big shoot-outs, or whatever else you consider to be in a classic Western. Of course revenge is a motive, and there are other elements in the film that you find in a typical Western, but the plot is more like an adventure, or a road-movie with horses, maybe.