Vienna Blood actors Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer are thrilled to be decked out in period costume and reprising their respective roles as self-confident psychoanalyst Max Liebermann and gruff Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt when What to Watch joins them for a virtual interview from the set of their popular 1900s-set procedural drama.
“I always have this slightly nervous flutter before we start filming where I wonder, ‘How do I get back into this?’” smiles London-born Matthew, 35. “But then I put on Max’s stiff collar, get strapped into his waistcoat and braces, and we snap into it pretty much straight away, don’t we?”
“Yes, I just love it when we put on our costumes, stand next to each other and click-clack, there we are,” agrees Austrian star Juergen, 57. “The relationship between Oskar and Max has evolved over time, and so has our relationship as actors. I hope I’m not exaggerating when I say we like each other very much and are good friends!”
Inspired by the best-selling Max Liebermann Mystery novel franchise by Frank Tallis, the fourth season begins on BBC2 on Sunday, August 4 and will see a format change with a single story playing out across two feature-length episodes, rather than three standalone cases.
When we catch up with Max and Oskar it’s 1909, they haven’t seen each other for a while, but it doesn’t take them long to pick up where they left off… which is just as well because complete trust in each other is paramount, as they face their most dangerous case yet - hunting down an enemy of the state codenamed ‘Mephisto’.
Here, Matthew and Juergen share their case notes…
Vienna Blood — season 4 interview with Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer
It’s 1909 when this new two-part cat-and-mouse mystery ‘Mephisto Waltz’ opens. Where do we find Max and Oskar?
Matthew: “Max returns from a very successful Freudian lecture tour in New York and is promoted to Director of the Neurology department in Vienna. Then Oskar turns up and asks for his assistance on a very special double murder case that goes to the top levels of government… and off we go!”
Juergen: “Oskar is confronted with a very hard task: A criminal, who was about to reveal a big, mysterious conspiracy, has been executed and it's high stakes politically and socially. Basically, it's about saving the [Austro-Hungarian] Empire with Oskar prepared to take bigger risks, putting them both in severe danger.”
“There’s been some time between the last case and the new one… They’ve had to create the script like this because Matt has aged visibly!”
Matthew: “I was going to make that joke, but I thought it was too mean!”
Has Max’s tour of America changed him or their dynamic?
Matt: “No, because he’s always had a slight air of arrogance! Now he’s had actual material success, it takes some of the pressure off him, especially from his parents Rachel and Mendel, [Amelia Bullmore and Conleth Hill], who were always having a go at him to get a real job! It’s nice for him to come home with money and be able to say, ‘See!’”
Juergen: “He has been super successful in America, and you’ll see that Oskar takes advantage of the fact that Max has got some money within the plot!”
This new series features a single storyline over two episodes, instead of the usual format of three standalone cases. Has this had an effect on how you film the show?
Juergen: “Yes, we’ve decided to make it one big thing, because it’s two 90 minute films and not three this time, which is great for the story and great for us.”
Matthew: “It's a real luxury. Usually, we’re filming three plotlines at once, sometimes all three on the same day! Mephisto Waltz is based on Frank's final novel and having two episodes means we really get to go into it. It’s also an opportunity to have a cliffhanger at the end of the first episode, which we don’t normally get to do!”
Does this mean you’re able to explore the romantic lives of your characters in more depth, too?
Juergen: “Yes, and to my very great professional pleasure, Therese Thanhofer [Oskar’s married love interest played by Maria Köstlinger] comes back into the story having dumped him at the end of season three. It's exciting when she enters his life again, but it’s also going to cause heavy trouble for him, specifically within the case, as she plays a key role in the plot.”
Matthew: “As for Max, in previous seasons he’s had all sorts of on/offs with different people, but at the end of the last series you saw him shake hands on a professional relationship with Clara Weiss [his former fiancée played by Luise von Finckh] after she became a successful investigative journalist. However, the boundaries of that are blurred again, as old feelings come to the fore.”
Who else do you enjoy spending screen time with?
Matthew: “I love the days with Max’s family, played by Conleth, Amelia and Charlene McKenna [who portrays Max’s older sister Leah]. I also really enjoy working with Josef Ellers, who plays Sergeant Haussmann. He has much more to do this season and is a lovely guy to be around. We’re very lucky to get really incredible Austrian-German actors.
Juergen: “It's a real pleasure for me to work with the Austrian actors because it’s great fun to see all my friends and colleagues passing by in historical costumes! I particularly like that the relationship between [his character’s scornful superior, played by Raphael von Bargen] Commissioner von Bülow and Oskar doesn’t really change, because it’s fun seeing them fight like two little boys in the sandbox!”
Finally, how would you describe your characters – if they were animals?!
Juergen: “My spirit animal for Oskar is a badger. He’s flat on the earth, his gravity is strong, he can be dangerous, but he’s basically shy. Max would be a giraffe, or an ostrich maybe!”
Matthew: “Giraffe works… or a peacock!”
Vienna Blood's Mephisto Waltz: Part 1 airs on BBC Two on Sunday, August 4, 2024 at 9pm. The second feature-length installment concludes on Sunday 11 August at the same time. Both episodes will be available on BBC iPlayer.
