The young German actress Helena Zengel (15) revealed ambitious career plans in a new interview. So she dreams of the biggest prize in the acting industry. The conditions for this are at least not bad: at the age of twelve she was already nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes for her role in the western drama “Neues aus der Welt”. In the film she played alongside Tom Hanks (67).
“My goal is the Oscar – and a world championship with Icelandic horses,” revealed the Berliner in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”, who has already gotten a taste of international film air. At 15 years old, she already has a lot of professional experience: she appeared in front of the camera for the first time when she was just five years old, and when she was ten she impressed in the film “System Sprenger” about a student with behavioral problems. The 15-year-old not only loves acting, but also horses. According to the report, she has so far bought six Icelandic horses and foals with the fees from her films. “I work a lot with them privately and could definitely imagine working as a horse manager. Maybe I can combine that with filming.”
She obviously thinks a lot about her professional future: “If I were to give up acting completely, I would maybe study psychology.” But that doesn’t seem to be an issue at first. “Since I have so many offers right now and will be away a lot, I’ll get my high school diploma sooner and finish school after the tenth grade.” Because she thinks: “School and acting are very difficult to combine – especially if you film as much as I do.”
She can currently be seen in the thriller series “The Therapy” (Prime Video), and until August she was filming the feature film “Transamazonia” in Brazil. “I am released from school and given tasks,” Zengel explained how she manages everything. “When I’m filming, I usually have the same teacher who always comes with me. Luckily, you no longer have to do video conferences like in Corona times. Now I can just do my assignments and hand them in afterwards.” But balancing school and acting will definitely be more difficult: “When you graduate from high school, you really have to put in the effort. If I were away all the time, I could imagine that the teachers would become even stricter. At the moment it’s still relaxed because I “I’m also very good at school. But things would definitely be different.” That’s why she wants to end her school career soon.
In Germany, because of labor regulations, she has a maximum of 30 to 40 days of filming per year, the student reported to “Bild am Sonntag” and added: “There are no limits abroad. That’s why most productions with young actors prefer to film abroad, because They simply have more time.” This will remain with her even when she soon ends her school career.
