my hvv switch station
reading time 3 min.At the Weidenallee w/h Maximilian Mundt
Every hvv switch point is a story in itself - and an invitation to make a point. More than 100 hvv switch points in Hamburg offer a variety of ways to get from A to anywhere. We introduce you to exciting people from Hamburg - on their routes through the city. This time: actor Maximilian Mundt.
"Brilliant guy!" or "Well, I'm already a bit in love with him...". When the name Maximilian Mundt comes up in conversation, the reactions are always equally enthusiastic. The Hamburg actor became famous in 2019 through the Netflix series "How to Sell Drugs Online (fast)" - and far beyond the borders of Germany. He has won numerous awards for his role as teenager Moritz, who becomes a drug bara-ron on the Darknet from his nursery. The series has been shown in 196 countries.
The big buzz and the first season were followed by two more. The fourth is due to be released next year. Maximilian is now booked internationally. He will soon be shooting an Israeli Art House feature film. "I'm really looking forward to it, because I was a bit afraid that I'd end up in a drawer," he says. The 27-year-old is also known for being versatilely creative: Maxi (not Max) also takes photographs, for example, and was awarded the German Youth Photography Prize when he was 18. And he makes films himself, including the short film "Unsere Problemzone" (Our Problem Zone), which premiered at the Hof Film Festival. He prefers to do this as a double act with colleague Anna-Lena Schwing.
On this Tuesday in August, Maximilian Mundt comes to the hvv switch Punkt Weiden-allee with his e-scooter. In between the shooting, he has to make a phone call to the makers of Filmfest Hamburg (28 September to 7 October). "We made the trailer for them this year," he says.
Maximilian, you grew up on the outskirts of Hamburg. In an interview you said that you were 18 when you took the S-Bahn into the city alone for the first time - is that true?
Actually I was 17...At that time I was playing at the Thalia Theatre, in the youth performance group, and had to go into the city centre four to eight times a month. But I only went to the theatre, not for a stroll or a party like others. I preferred to be at home - in the garden in Schnelsen.
Where you had built yourself a tree house...
And a hut made of bulky waste. But I also liked being in my room, taking photos, doing handicrafts and handicrafts. That was really it. I was generally a late bloomer and rather insecure. The first real city experience for me was the Schanzenflohmarkt. I was 18 then.
And what was that like?
Going to Feldstraße and seeing so many different people there was totally exciting and nice for me. To know that Schnelsen is only six or seven kilometres away, but it's a completely different world, with completely different people, as if you were going on holiday for a short time, because in Schnelsen you lived in such a homogenous bubble. And - contrary to all expectations - this experience was not scary. It made me curious. I realised: that's what I was missing.
And then you explored Hamburg?
Well... at first I stuck to the safe places: flea markets and Thalia. I didn't really start exploring the city until I was 23, when I moved out of my house into a three-person flat-share in Eims-büttel.For three months I really lived in the wild big city... Then Corona came.And I was only at home again. But at least I had flatmates.
Has your life in Hamburg changed a lot because of "How to Sell Drugs Online" - or do you continue to live as before?
I do get approached sometimes, but I'm happy about that, because people are always very positive.At the Thalia Theatre I really liked this direct feedback from the audience, you don't get that in television.It's good that I'm not such a party person.Because when you're partying, it can be exhausting:Maybe you're drunk and all you really want to do is dance. And then people come and want to take a picture, and you look like shit and you're sweaty... But because I don't do it often, it's okay.
You came here with an e-scooter. Is it your preferred means of transport?
To a certain extent I often do: When I moved into the flat-share, I bought a bicycle. But it was stolen.The second one too.Now I always drag the third one up to the fifth floor, which is a real pain. Because even if you have a scratchy bike: It.Gets.Stolen.It doesn't even have to be nice!I don't know why it's like that in Hamburg.But we were at Locomotion...When we started the WG, I also discovered my love for car-sharing.
How did that come about?
We bought a lot on ebay Kleinanzeigen. And it's easier to transport a table or a chest of drawers with an e-car than with the U2 or a bicycle. And driving a car is also a piece of freedom for me: I got my driving licence when I was 18. Unlike others in my circle of friends - hardly anyone has a driving licence. Even when I was studying at the art academy in Hamburg, I was the only one who could drive. So I always transported light and technology for the others, which you need to make films. Mostly with car-sharing.
What's your favourite place to go in Hamburg today?
It sounds totally stupid now, but I love stand-up paddling on the Alster. Honestly. It looks stupid, and I was always totally prejudiced against SUP before I got one myself. Now I think it's great!There in front, at Kaiser-Friedrich-Ufer, I pump up my board and paddle off.Over the canals onto the Alster, into the Binnenalster, under the Alsterfontäne.Then to stop at Jungfernstieg and get a drink from the Europapassage - great.Climb on, continue, back over the Feenteich, past Heilwigpark....
Isn't that a long way?
You're already on the road for four or five hours.
Can you imagine living somewhere else than Hamburg?
I think I will always stay in Hamburg. Maybe not always in Eimsbüttel. And maybe if I lived directly above a bar, I would get out more... But acting makes you make so much small talk. It's honestly nice to just be at home and shut up.
