First Official German Erdoğan E. Atalay-Fanpage
- © Barbara Fuckner 2002-2011
www.erdogan-atalay-fanpage.de/engl/
Interview in 2006:
"A Lot of Scrap Metal and a
Veteran"
[Viel Schrott und ein Urgestein]
Published by
"Cineastentreff" in March 2006:
© Text with the author and Teleschau Media Service, see below
Link to original (German) article (archive) è here
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(tsch) Cars never flew more beautiful or
numerous across German TV screens than in “Alarm for Cobra 11”. On Thursday,
March 30, the actions series starts its 10th year with seven fresh
episodes on RTL. This is saying something about the popularity of the show (5.3
Mio. viewers on average in 2005) but it also stands for a lot of scrap metal.
More than 3,000 cars were crashed in the name of prime-time entertainment –
that adds up to more than 20 cars per hour. One Porsche flew 200 meters.
Others are destroyed in huge explosions. Erdoğan Atalay has seen them
all come and go. Since the second episode he stars as investigator Semir
Gerkhan on the show. Time for a bit of nostalgia… Photo: Ten years of “Alarm for Cobra 11” – that means 3,080 cars crashed, 770 gangsters arrested, more than 154 episodes filmed and 420,000 buns eaten at the set. And Erdoğan Atalay has been there from the start. / © RTL |
teleschau: You are the veteran of the show. After all
this time, can you imagine life without “Alarm for Cobra 11” ?
E. Atalay: Semir has become a big part of my life. That is wonderful on
one hand, because it brings a certain ease for the part with it. On the other
hand, however, it is problematic in other productions because one is identified
with the character. No doubt a double-edge business…
teleschau: Sounds a little wistful….
E. Atalay: No, I do like my character and would not like to give up the
show to make other films. But for everyone comes the time to seek new
opportunities.
teleschau: How long do you plan to continue patrolling
the specially built motorway?
E. Atalay: As long as I am physically fit and the viewers want to see the
show (laughs). That is what it all comes down to in the end.
teleschau: As far as this is concerned, you’ve got
nothing to worry about. After all, in 2005 more than five million viewers
watched “Alarm for Cobra 11” each week.
E. Atalay: But that is mainly because much has advanced over the years –
the stunts as well as the characters and the storylines. What we produce today
is a lot different from the early episodes we made. The action has long stopped
to dominate over the drama. A lot of people are unaware of this and cling to
their old opinions – which is sad and does not do the show justice. But one gets
tired to explain this over and over again.
teleschau: Is there an episode that stands out for
you?
E. Atalay: Yes, sure. I think it was episode 145. What was special: it
was simply perfect. The action fitted seamlessly into the story, the tension
held for the entire episode, the music, the atmosphere – everything just fit.
Only, I can’t remember the title (laughs).
teleschau: What was the best, what the worst moment in
the past ten years?
E. Atalay: There were many good moments, often just little things, not
very sensational, but very human. The atmosphere on the set is just great.
There are no nutters here, no big egos. Everything is pretty harmonious and
everyone feels comfortable. The worst things are accidents.
teleschau: Have you ever been injured?
E. Atalay: Once I broke a spike of my spine. Other than that I had only
several cuts and bruises, nothing lasting or significant.
teleschau: Johannes, Brandrup, Mark Keller, René
Steinke, Christian Oliver – you had several partners over the years? Who have
you grown especially fond of?
E. Atalay: No offence to anyone, but the most popular team with the fans
is René and I. The fun and the ease with which we act together in front of the
camera, however, has developed over the years.
teleschau: Since the start of the show in 1996 you
have seen more than 3,000 cars come and go. For which gem on four wheels are
you still shedding tears?
E. Atalay: Once we had to blow up a 1200 Spitfire – that deeply affected
me. When we scrap Oldtimers my heart always bleeds. Another time a Rolls Royce
from the early 70s burned out.
teleschau: Recently you had the most expensive car on
the show, the “Exelero”. This Maybach is said to cost 9 Mio. Euro and could
easily pass as Darth Vader’s official car…
E. Atalay: It does look phantastic. For me, it would be too big, too
expensive. This phantastic sum of several million – if someone is willing to
pay that, by all means…
teleschau: What kind of car do you drive?
E. Atalay: A Maserati 3200 GT (laughs).
teleschau: Not bad. Are you a notorious left lane
driver on the motorway?
E. Atalay: Actually I am quite a defensive driver. Granted, I like to
floor it, traffic allowing. But I hate it, when people get pushy.
teleschau: How many points do you have in Flensburg?
E. Atalay: Probably several, because of my speeding. I had to hand in my
driver’s licence once for a month. That was a bit like imprisonment. But don’t
get me wrong: I don’t speed through the city. Mostly I get tickets late at
night on an empty motorway or federal road.
teleschau: In the anniversary episode you are conflict
with the law…
E. Atalay: Really? What happens?
teleschau: Pardon?
E. Atalay: The order in which the episodes are is entirely up to RTL.
teleschau: You are under suspicion to have killed a
colleague…
E. Atalay: Ah, that one! I remember it. That one is great, but it was
quite some time ago (laughs).
teleschau: One question about the future of the show:
so far the crashes have become bigger and better with each new season. When
will the limit be reached?
E. Atalay: The only limited it time. After all, we only have 45 minutes
to tell our stories. But for the production the development continues
constantly. Everything grows to be more spectacular, more professional with
even more effects…
Gerd Hilber
© Teleschau
So many thanks to Ute Lafin for
translation !!!
J
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Note: The publication of this interview does not mean to infringe on any
copyrights. That's for the translation, too. Webmaster in April 2006
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Online April 6, 2006