Discover Germany | Cover Feature | Florence Kasumba
Florence Kasumba
Making her way to Hollywood After starring in blockbusters like Black Panther, Wonder Woman or the upcoming Marvel film The Avengers - Infinity War, Florence Kasumba has become one of the most sought-after German actresses in Hollywood. In 2019, she will even be part of the much-anticipated remake of The Lion King, alongside Beyoncé and Seth Rogen. She speaks to Discover Germany about Berlin, how to make it internationally, the Marvel craze and much more. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF | PHOTOS: DANIEL ROCHÉ
Born in Kampala, Uganda, Florence Kasumba grew up in Germany, studied in the Netherlands, has since worked all over the world and today, lives in Berlin. She is a real international citizen but points out that “Germany is her home”. “I love Berlin’s international atmosphere. I live in the City West and am surrounded by people of all backgrounds on a daily basis. I could only imagine moving away for professional reasons,” Kasumba smiles. Spending her childhood in Essen, Florence initially had her heart set on a different career path. “As a teenager, I really wanted to become a tax consultant. I even sent my application documents out and hoped that I could start with the apprenticeship as soon as I had finished year 12 in school. My mother, however, kept me from pursuing that dream further. I’m very grateful to her,” Florence laughs. After watching the musical Starlight Express at the young age of 12, her eyes had also been set on becoming an actress. During her studies in acting, singing and dancing in Tilburg, in the Nether-
lands, she landed her first professional film role in a Dutch movie, called Ik ook van Jou. Soon after, she became a successful musical performer and was part of Mamma Mia, Chicago, The Lion King, Cats, West Side Story and Beauty and the Beast. Florence even travelled to New York for a casting for Elton John’s international hit musical Aida, after which she got the title role in Germany’s premier production. As one of Germany’s most successful musical performers, it seems no wonder that the film industry soon took notice of her: she got offered a role in a staple of German television – the country’s longest running crime TV show Tatort. Various German and international film and TV show appearances, such as in Kongo, ABC’s The Quest, NBC’s Emerald City and Letzte Spur Berlin followed. Kasumba explains: “I feel comfortable in both genres (musicals and films) and would not want to choose one over the other. For me, the difference between musical and film lies in
the preparation. For a musical production, the rehearsal time can take up to three months leading up to a premiere. During film shootings, you meet at the set, might speak about the scene’s sequence once more and then you film it. During musicals I play in front of a live audience, tell the story from beginning to end. We rarely film the different scenes chronologically during a film.” “It was very glamorous” As mentioned, the actress with the distinctive look has played in famous German and international productions such as DC’s Wonder Woman and Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War. Thus, of course, we want to know which role has been her favourite so far. Kasumba smiles: “One of my favourite roles is East, the witch of the East in Emerald City. As a child I watched The Wizard of Oz and would have never thought that I would get chosen for this role. When I learned about who would play my sisters (Ana Ularu as West and Joely Richardson as North) I was really happy. It can’t really get more colourful than this. And, of course, there was the red dress and the wind machine in my scenes and in the promotional shoots. It was very glamorous!” Probably one of her most distinctive roles was Ayo, T’Challa’s bodyguard in Captain America – Civil War. With a single Issue 61 | April 2018 | 15