He’s a very familiar face on German television with over 100 television shows, including Dancing with the Stars and Germany’s Top Model, under his belt in the last six years. Rolf Scheider invited Berlinagenten to his beautiful new Mitte penthouse apartment to get the inside scoop on Berlin, the social scene and Heidi Klum!
Welcome Rolf. Wow! Beautiful apartment you have here. How long have you been here?
Just two months! I’m in the middle of getting everything ready, as I’m appearing on the German television programme. You’ve should have seen it before! There were cartons everywhere! I moved to Berlin four years ago after living in Paris for years. I’d always spent a lot of time in Berlin, but now was the right time to move here. I feel very comfortable living in Berlin.
So prior to your TV career, you were a casting agent?
I still am! I’ve been in the casting business for 35 years. My company has offices around the world – Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles, and Milan. We’ve cast for over 4000 campaigns across the world.
How did you end a celebrity then?
I’m not a celebrity really, darling! If it was A to Z, I’m like X! When I was 50-years-old, a friend of mine told me that they were launching Germany’s Top Model and looking for judges. I’d been a model years ago, but hadn’t been in front of the camera for 20 years. She kept pestering me to go to the casting. Instead, I made a video of myself and then the day they received it, I was whisked off to the production office to audition and then I was cast. At the time, I didn’t know I’d even have to speak!
The show was a cultural phenomenon here in Germany. How did it your change your life?
It changed my life completely! It was like living in a bubble for two years. It’s easy to lose touch with reality. I got to travel all over the world from Singapore to Australia to Hawaii to Miami. People are very friendly and come and say hello, which is good for your ego, but naturally it was very strange to be on the U-bahn and suddenly be surrounded by people wanting to take your photo and post it like a trophy to Facebook! However, I just have to remove my glasses and nobody recognises me! It’s easy! On the negative side, my long established clients in Germany would think that I wasn’t in the casting business anymore. They’d seen in Australia on the television the night before and not realise it was shot months before.
We often see you in the social pages on Berlin’s red carpet events. How do you have the stamina!
For the first three years, I used to go out all the time. I felt like I had to go to every event, but I’m much more selective now. I get so many invitations that I could go to two events every night. I go out because I really like people. I like seeing my friends and experiencing new things and people. Berlin is a great city to go out in.
Where do you go to relax?
I don’t relax. I don’t like to relax! I think of television as my hobby. I was a judge on Austria’s Top Model. It was like getting treated like a star for seven weeks, which is very relaxing! My normal day isn’t like this, so I really enjoyed it. I was put up in a suite in a beautiful hotel. I even had a chauffeur. My life partner lives in Paris and I find it a really relaxing city. I have my apartment there, so we go to the cinema, French restaurants and we also have a week in Brittany in the summer.
What is your favourite restaurant in Berlin?
I love a little restaurant in my neighbourhood called Der Hahn Ist Tot. It’s great value at 20 euros for four courses and the people that run it are very friendly. I also frequent Borchardt and Grill Royal.
Where can we catch you having a drink?
The terrace by the pool at Soho House in the summer or at the Paris Bar, which reminds me of being in Paris!
Sounds lovely, we’ll check it out. Thanks for your time Rolf. Kisses!
