German-Armenian Actor Saro Emirze: From Hamlet to Hollywood

This love for films and cinema I owe completely to my father. Besides his passion for making music, he was also a fiery “movie aficionado.” From an early age I started watching movies. On Fridays, my father used to bring along 3 or 4 movies for the weekend, which we obsessively absorbed together. This certainly had a huge influence on my interest in films and acting…

They say every actor dreams about playing Hamlet. You did it first in 2015. What kind of experience was that?

It is a great gift to play Hamlet. The role has so many facets, so much to play — tragedy, comedy, and both at the same time and so much more. At each performance I was on stage for more than three hours, so I could let it all out and let off steam. This was a great experience and also very challenging. Back in 2003, I had already worked on that play. It was my first role, I played Laertes, in my first theater engagement. During that time my father died, on the day of the premiere. So, this play is very special to me.

In Western films actors of other ethnicity usually play mainly ethnic roles. I assume this does not concern you — your appearance would permit you to play any roles — am I right?

Yes, that‘s right. Already as a child I was rather light-skinned with blond hair. This allowed me to also play a German on German television, or a French and so on. But it also happened that I was cast for the role of an Armenian, but did not get the role, because I obviously did not look “Armenian enough,” which of course really annoyed me.

You come from an Armenian family from Turkey. It is always interesting to know the family story, roots…

My great-grandparents are from Prkenik village and Egin (Akn). My grandparents, as well as my parents, were born and raised in Istanbul.

In the 1970s, my parents emigrated to Germany. My mother had attended an Austrian school in Istanbul and therefore she could speak German. My father was very open-minded and didn‘t want to live in Turkey anymore and raise his children there.

We have seen two films on Turkish-Armenian family lives in Germany — “Meine Mutter, mein Bruder und ich!” (My Mother, My Brother and Me!) by Nuran Calis and “Anduni – Fremde Heimat” (Anduni – Foreign Home) by Samira Radsi. Was your family experience similar to those in the films?

I know both directors and I have also auditioned for one of these films. Unfortunately, I didn‘t get the role, because I didn‘t look Armenian enough. I remember I was very angry about it. But that’s a long time ago. So, I haven‘t seen the films yet, but I will surely watch them when the opportunity arises.

Your surname makes me associations with diver Sirvard Emirzyan from Yerevan was the youngest athlete on the USSR Olympic team back in 1980, as well as German musician Aren Emirze, who tried to breathe new life into Western Armenian poetry by composing music to them. Are you connected with them?

Aren is my big brother. We have a very good relationship and are always up-to-date with the other one‘s life. Currently, he is working on several albums, including a German-Armenian project. He will be recording a German-Armenian song with one of the most famous German singer/songwriters.

Do you have favorite Armenian artistes?

I love William Saroyan, not just because of his name. He is an amazing writer, who surprisingly had attended a concert of my father, Karekin, in the 1960s when he performed with his band in Istanbul… crazy story but true. So Saroyan and for sure, Gomidas, whose music always gives me goose bumps and let my tears flow when I hear his music in an Armenian church.

In 2014 you read some excerpts from Romanian-Armenian author Varujan Vosganian’s novel The Book of Whispers at the Armenian Cultural Union in Cologne. How involved are you in the Armenian community in Germany?

There is an Armenian cultural association in Frankfurt, where I was born and raised. My parents used to go there with us frequently; we also regularly went to Armenian church fairs, because my father was very involved there. He sang in the church choir and often gave concerts at several events.

At the moment I live in Berlin and unfortunately I don‘t have any contact with Armenians there. But I am always very happy when I meet someone by coincidence and can speak Armenian.

Have you ever been in Armenia?

Once, in 2004, with my brother. Armenia seems very peaceful to me, which unites all the beautiful places of Europe in one small country. I loved Dilijan very much; it is quiet and soulful with a very artistic expression. Beautiful nature and for sure the place I will write  my autobiography when I am 64, to quote the Beatles, one of my favorite bands, by the way. I felt safe and relaxed when I was in Yerevan. For sure it is a place I would let my future kids go out alone without worrying. But first I have to be lucky and find the woman of my life if my acting career allows it… My mother always hoped and wanted me to find an Armenian soulmate to marry, which is pretty tough to find in Germany where Armenians are a very small community. Maybe I will find her with this interview (laughing). Hey, Armenian women out there, if you are interested please contact my mother first… after her approval I am up for it!

And what was your last big project for the last year?

Well, I got a supporting role of a Polish Jew in a Hollywood movie. I lost 30 pounds to play that part. We started shooting from February till June 2019, in Budapest and New York. The director was Barry Levinson, who won the Oscar for “Rain Man.” The movie will be released this year under the name of “Harry Haft.”