I've made movies where I was not happy, and I'd rather not work for a year than do a bad film. It takes a long time for me to recuperate when I do that.
— Franka Potente
What really makes a hero a hero is if you take that person's hand, and you walk with that person, and they have a lot of weaknesses, but in the end, they overcome all of their obstacles.
I never wear fur, and I am a spokesperson for PETA.
'The Princess and the Warrior' is looking at the same things as 'Lola' - just from a different angle.
I think there really are a lot of people in the world who probably feel like they've done so much in life, made so much of their talents and ambitions that they feel the need to bequeath it to someone.
In most movies, they show you somebody who is perfect looks-wise, and skills-wise, and the movie doesn't give you a choice.
I was hesitant about doing too big a role in an American movie because it meant losing my German accent.
I like a good, strong statement. I walk out of movies all the time saying, 'That was terrible!' or 'That sucked!'
I think actors are divided into two groups: one that wants to be an actor to become famous and rich, and the other that wants to be an actor because they have to be. I'm more in the second group.
I think working with Johnny Depp was very intimidating. It was my fault though. I mean he's a total cool nice, nice guy, but I was just so, I don't know, overpowered by his presence. Like he's a very mystic person. He's older so I never really warmed up around him. I was so stiff.
Everybody is great when things are great. It's the 'not great' stuff that matters.
I think when I'm in love, I really am very good with calling, little faxes, and visiting and I really put a lot of effort into it. I'm really not the one that's not available because of work and I'm very sad when I actually leave.
I never consciously said, 'I want to be an actor.' It sounds stupid, but it's kind of like being a painter or something. You don't say, 'From today on I'm going to be a painter.' It's not something conscious - you've just been painting pictures all your life.
I always performed when I was a child. My parents got very annoyed, because my brother and I had our little bedrooms upstairs, and I would plaster the house with posters with arrows pointing upstairs.
I've always hated people in costumes with big heads, where you don't know what's behind it.
We learn English from fifth grade on in school, and I was an exchange student when I was 17 in Houston.
As a creative person, you want to be creative, you know? You don't want to constantly wait around - a lot of movies fall apart, or there's just not as much out there as there used to be.
The more crazy a person is, the more interesting the person is.
I love it when, after a day of shooting, I'm so exhausted that my bones hurt.
Don't worry about things that haven't happened yet.
We've lost the ability to immerse ourselves in things.
When 'Run Lola Run' came out, the thing about it was it was a very fast-paced film.
My background is a small town with no movie theater. So... I always pictured myself onstage. I went to acting school and learned all the skills. I left early because I did my first movie and discovered that I really loved the minimalistic work with the camera.
I don't really care where I work, actually, because you know making a movie is like living in movie world. There's such a secluded world, and the director is the king ruling the country, and everybody's building this little town to speak in symbolism.
I've published one book before, and now I'm writing a book of essays and stories about life in Tokyo. And I have one book coming out in May in Germany, about fitness.
I think I'm a really good partner and very sensitive to the other person's feelings. I want somebody else to be comfortable, to understand about my job, and if they want to come on a set and see me work, they always can.
I just want to be able to sit on grass as long as I want to, without anybody telling me to leave. Everything is so restricted, here, in that you actually have to stand behind a line, you can't go up the Canyon and enjoy the view.
People look at me as an exotic person, which is great, because whatever Hollywood is, it seems very dogmatic to me, especially when you're a woman. But I always get excused because I'm German.
As an audience, if you see 1800s or something, it more often seems that the actors are carrying the weight of the time. It always has a Shakespearean tone to it. To me, that always feels very theatrical and very unrelatable.
I was on 'The Shield,' which I was a fan of.
I don't want to clone anyone, not even myself.
Everyone thinks 'Lola' was my first film, but I'd made 14 movies before that.
I had an American boyfriend, went to football games, tennis tournaments, and to my prom. I was so serious about my American boyfriend that I brought him back to Germany with me to visit my parents. They were horrified.
When I was told that I was doing a movie called 'Lola Rennt,' I was like, 'What?' I didn't get it, or the title. I started reading the script, and I still couldn't fathom that it was about a person named Lola running. Before my agent explained it to me, I couldn't even make any sense out of it.
I choose my work very carefully, always for the script and the director, and I don't think that's going to change. My work is like a house. It's built on very strong poles.
When I was a kid at first I wanted to own a candy shop. I guess every kid wants to - we just want to have access - free access.
To give somebody your time is the biggest gift you can give.
I'm so uncomfortable, especially in emotional situations, having to say sentences that don't feel right. As an actor - or really, as any kind of person sensitive to it.
I said, 'Wouldn't it be great if Matt Damon's character fell in love with a girl with a real butt?' They were like, 'Yeah sure, sure - here's your personal trainer.'
I don't like actors who try to talk directors into making their part bigger and that's really lame.
