Ulrich Pleitgen: ... what he thinks about lies and much more.

2011

Touching declaration of love after 30 years of marriage

Ulrich Pleitgen (64) has been going hand in hand with his Ann-Monika (64) for 36 years - they have been married for 30 years. We talked to the couple about his marriage, his good luck secret and white lies. The actor made a loving declaration of love to his sweetheart ...

They play the Michel in the film series "Wild Waves". In your role you use little lies. When are lies allowed? Ulrich Pleitgen : Small white lies, in order not to hurt the opposite, are allowed. Alone from discretion, so as not to hurt anyone. When a colleague asked me after his performance how I liked it, I told him that I thought it was great, even though it was terrible. I just could not tell him the truth. You have also thought about it a lot in my life. We are offended ourselves when we realize that we are being lied to. We use even small white lies. That's funny. Did that make you more suspicious? Ulrich Pleitgen : Not really. When people tell me something, I tend to believe them too. Except, I know better. There are people who call me after years of radio silence, inquire about my well-being. They just want a favor from me. I would never do that! If I want something, then I ask that person directly, without pretending otherwise. That will come out anyway. Lying is stupid. What are the reasons to lie? Ulrich Pleitgen : Few. When it comes to saving one's life or something else like that, then it's something completely different and allowed. They are now married in the 30th year. When is your wedding day? Ulrich Pleitgen: We do not know that at all. Ann-Monika: We've been together since April 1, 1975, but we do not know when we got married. This is too laborious for me to recalculate. Ulrich Pleitgen: We do not celebrate something like that at all. Exactly how birthdays . We know when we got to know each other, but we are not more interested. That's unusual. Women in particular always know when they got married ... Ulrich Pleitgen: There Ann-Monika is completely different. She is completely emancipated. That's also silly. Such a marriage, in which the man looks only football looks and the woman at the stove, we do not lead. Other things are important to us. For some couples, it is already a divorce reason, if the man has forgotten the wedding day. These are wobbly marriages. We do not lead such a one. What kind of marriage do you lead? Ulrich Pleitgen: I believe in love every day. And not because she is particularly tall on a day like the wedding day or birthday. For example, I never bring flowers to Ann-Monika. She always has to buy it herself. But we lead an incredibly intense life - in every respect. I fall in love with my wife every day ... That's a very nice compliment ... Ulrich Pleitgen: Yes, if my wife were not, my soul would freeze to death. I could not live without Ann-Monika. And I really mean that. It's even more dramatic than it sounds now. What do you mean by that? Ulrich Pleitgen: That's what I mean. Ann-Monika: When you think about it, the thought of having to be without the other is the worst thing ever. Ulrich Pleitgen: We are now in an age where something can happen faster. Can you imagine a life without your wife? Ulrich Pleitgen: No! The idea that one should be without the other is unthinkable for both of us! When I think about it, I only see a big black hole in front of me. I do not know how it should go then ... Ann-Monika: That's exactly how I am! Ulrich Pleitgen: It often happens to older couples that when one dies, the other one follows quickly. He then dies of a broken heart. It sounds cheesy, but it is. What makes your relationship so special? Ulrich Pleitgen: We have a very close and intense relationship. That's almost symbiotic. We simply can not and can not be without the other. We want to be together 24 hours a day and do everything together. That sounds very boring. But it is not at all. It's never boring with us. Do not fight? Ulrich Pleitgen: But of course we also have tensions. A relationship is not just pure tenderness. Of course, two people who are as alive as us are also in the wool. Controversy keeps every relationship fresh. What is your secret of luck? Ann-Monika: I never stopped living my own life. Otherwise it would be boring. I write my own books, listen to my own music . Ulrich Pleitgen: That's why we can travel well together. When I turn, she does not sit in the hotel waiting for me. She is always busy.