Ex-GZSZ star Vincent Krüger: “Earned more money than my mother at 14”

You either have it or you don’t: the talent to believably play the villain. He definitely has it, Vincent Krüger (31), who started his career at a young age as “Vince Köpke” in the neighborhood at “GZSZ”. “Playing the nice ones can have something, but it’s rather boring,” explains the Berliner in an exclusive interview. BUNTE.de met him on the occasion of his new film “In the name of the people” (01/14/23) from the ZDF crime series “A strong team”. There he embodies, of course, a villain.

Vincent Krüger is not angry at all in the interview. Slightly jet lagged but very relaxed after his recent vacation, we have the actor on the phone. He reveals how he became a star by pure chance, why screaming girls are no longer important to him and what he wishes for his future.

Vince Köpke is definitely history

BUNTE.de: For five years you were an integral part of the hit series “Gute Zeiten, Schlechte Zeiten”. How often do you get asked about it on the street?

Vincent Krueger: In 70 percent of the cases, I am asked about GZSZ – which is somehow clear. I was there for five and a half years and reached four to five million viewers every night. Honestly, I’m pleased when I’m increasingly asked about other roles.

Was it annoying at first to still be put in the GZSZ drawer despite the end of the series?

Honestly yes, even if you didn’t show it to the outside world. Privately, I thought to myself: “I’m out now and I don’t really have anything to do with it, and it feels like I’ve shot 100 other roles.”

Your role in the series didn’t die, so theoretically you could come back. Would you like a series comeback?

I consciously took the step back then because I wanted to develop further. Playing the same role for five years got boring for me. But I can say: It was a great school and the team was great.

Vincent Krüger made his first film with Iris Berben

Your CV is impressive. Especially considering you’re only in your early 30s. How did you get into acting?

By sheer coincidence, when I was 13, I was approached by an agent at a youth fair in Berlin. Greats like Daniel Brühl, Tom Schilling and Anna Maria trouble were under contract with him – of course none of them told me anything at the time. He found my looks interesting, back then I was still a real milk boy with a typical “Justin Bieber” hairstyle.

And then?

I showed the flyer to my mother and she just said: “Be careful, my friend, school will end first.” Nevertheless, she went to the audition with me the next day – four weeks later I shot my first film with Iris Berben. The rest is history.

Unbelievable. Were you aware beforehand that you had a talent for acting?

No, not at all. I thought I would become a professional soccer player. I actually could have gone to the sports school in Leipzig – but then I didn’t want to because it would have meant living apart from my mother. And since she raised me alone, that wasn’t an option for me.

How much has your mother supported you all this time?

She was always by my side, mostly even on location when I was shooting. And she managed my money – at the age of 14 I sometimes made more money than she did. It was just important to her that I was doing well and that I finished school. That’s why private tutors came to my hotel room after a long day of shooting. Then it was: learn, practice text, sleep.

Comeback to GZSZ? “Don’t want any more screaming fans”

Sounds exhausting. Looking back, do you feel like you missed out on something from your youth through acting?

Not really, no. It was only on Saturdays that I sometimes felt wistful when I had acting lessons and my friends were already at the soccer field. On the other hand, I was able to say spontaneously after school that we go shopping in Berlin, while others first had to beg their parents for pocket money.

How did you manage to stay grounded despite early success?

I’m just more of a modest type, although I have to admit that I was a bit aloof when I first started at GZSZ. But somehow also understandable. I was 20 years old, everyone in Germany knew me and wanted a photo of me. When I was on the red carpet, the girls would scream and a lot of money would come into my account every month. Of course it does something to you. But as I got older, I realized that I didn’t want screaming fans anymore. After a hard day of shooting I want to be able to go shopping in the supermarket without being chatted up. After all, it’s just a job that I use to pay my rent.

Now we have learned a lot about the actor Vincent. What do you do when you’re not in front of the camera?

When I’m not shooting, I support my girlfriend. She has her own company. And I train my dog, he’s almost two years old. By the way, they both accompany me everywhere. Especially after a hard day of shooting, it’s good to have your home with you.

What do you have planned for 2032, um 2023 of course?

(laughs) So for 2032 I can tell you that there will definitely be offspring. Nothing special is planned for this year.

Through my great slip of the tongue, you have now revealed that you can imagine being a dad yourself one day.

Yes, in any case. I can imagine at least one child – in my circle of friends I can see how exhausting being a parent is. At some point I’ll shoot one or two nice things a year and otherwise enjoy my little family.

Vincent Krüger can be seen in the new episode “In the name of the people” of the UFA fiction production “A strong team” on January 14th at 8:15 p.m. on ZDF.