Anja Kruse celebrates her 70th birthday on August 5. No big celebrations are planned, as the actress told "Welt am Sonntag": "I don't like any fuss for birthdays." Instead, friends have invited her to England, to the opera festival in Glyndebourne in southern England. During the intermission, a champagne picnic is served on the lawn. Her verdict on this is brief: "I think that's cool."
When asked whether she is happy at almost 70, Kruse replied: "Very much so." From her perspective, Buddhism, which she practices, is the deciding factor. She has learned not to define herself by appearances or possessions, has become more relaxed, and copes better with difficulties. According to her own account, she has no problems with aging or fear of death. In 2013, she published the book "Mein Weg mit Buddha".
No Thought of Retirement
The Essen native, who now lives in a country house on the outskirts of Salzburg, is not thinking about ending her career. "I have no plans to stop", she told the newspaper. However, she doesn't want to die on stage-she wouldn't want to subject the audience to that.
In the fall, Kruse will be on stage in Cologne at the Theater am Dom, in the lead role of the play "Schlaflos in Hamm". The stage is more important to her than the camera: "I'm a theater child." There, she keeps learning new things. She wouldn't turn down a series role, but it shouldn't drag on for years-she values her freedom too much for that.
Criticism of the Industry's Youth Obsession
The actress has strong words for the casting practices in film and television. Her wish is that casting directors look first at acting ability and charisma, not at the birth date. She doesn't understand why colleagues around 40 are made up to look old for grandmother roles: "What's the point of that nonsense?" There are enough talented actresses of the appropriate age.
She also takes a hard line with influencers who take on roles. While she doesn't rule out talented exceptions, she still wouldn't act with them: "A large reach on social networks simply doesn't replace acting training."
From Millions of Viewers to the Theater Stage
Kruse became known in 1984 with the lead role in the ZDF miniseries "Die schöne Wilhelmine", for which she received the Golden Camera as Best Newcomer. In "Schwarzwaldklinik", she played Claudia, the nanny suffering from leukemia and the great love of Dr. Udo Brinkmann (Sascha Hehn), in the 1980s.
She took on another well-known series role in "Forsthaus Falkenau", where she appeared as a veterinarian in 39 episodes before her character died in a riding accident. Most recently, the actress, who studied acting, dance, and singing at Folkwang University after graduating from high school, has been primarily on theater stages.
