The Reader - actors, characters and roles
All actors and their roles in the film "The Reader"
The Reader (2008)
Timing:
2:4 (124 min)
7.462/10
3356
3356
7.953/10
182111
182111
7.6/10
273000
273000
Actors and characters
Hannah Herzsprung
Character Julia
Fabian Busch
Character Hanna's Defense Council
Matthias Habich
Character Peter Berg
Jürgen Tarrach
Character Gerhard Bade
Florian Bartholomäi
Character Thomas Berg
Moritz Grove
Character Holger
Marie Gruber
Character Co-Defendant
Martin Brambach
Character Remand Prison Guard #1
Ludwig Blochberger
Character Student
Benjamin Trinks
Character Holger's friend
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on the novel by German professor, lawyer, and writer Bernhard Schlink, "The Reader" (Der Vorleser, 1995), first published in Germany (with a total print run of over 500,000 copies). Two years later, the book was translated into English and published in the United States, becoming the first German-language work to top the New York Times literary bestseller chart (with a total of over 750,000 copies sold). By the time the film was released, the novel had been translated into 37 different languages, including Russian.
- The film rights to the novel were acquired by Miramax Films as early as April 1998, but actual work on the project did not begin until nine years later, in the second half of 2007.
- The book's author, Bernhard Schlink, insisted from the beginning that the film adaptation be made in English, not German, believing that this would give it a wider audience. The writer believed this was especially important, as the problem of the consequences of the Holocaust concerns not only Germany.
- With the exception of Ralph Fiennes, Lena Olin, and Kate Winslet, the film featured exclusively German actors.
- The filmmakers received $4.1 million (2.8 million euros) in additional funding from German regional and federal organizations.
- Kate Winslet was the primary contender for the leading female role from the very beginning, but she initially declined the offer, citing her commitment to filming the drama 'Revolutionary Road' (2008). In the fall of 2007, the role went to Nicole Kidman, who was then working on Baz Luhrmann’s 'Australia' (2008). For this reason, work on the project was frozen for a time, but after filming on 'Australia' was completed, the actress withdrew from the project, citing her pregnancy. The role became vacant, and Kate Winslet, now available, agreed to take it.
- David Kross, the 18-year-old German actor who played the young Michael in the film, spoke almost no English when he was cast, which required intensive study during the preparation period. Essentially, in a limited time, he had to learn and become fluent in a new language. The accents of the other actors were chosen to match his pronunciation.
- The role of Hanna Schmitz could also have gone to Juliette Binoche.
- Three composers initially vied to write the music for the film: Nico Muhly, Alberto Iglesias, and Ozren K. Gläser, but the first was ultimately chosen.
- Two of the film's producers, Anthony Minghella and Sydney Pollack, passed away before the project was completed in the spring of 2008.
- Filming took place from March 2nd to July 14th, 2008, in the German cities of Berlin, Görlitz, and Cologne.
- The explicit love scenes between Kate Winslet and David Kross were filmed at the very end, after the actor turned eighteen on July 4th, 2008. This was necessary due to strict German laws.
- Applying Kate Winslet's makeup for the final part of the film required approximately seven hours of intensive work.
- The film is based on the novel by German professor, lawyer, and writer Bernhard Schlink, "The Reader" (Der Vorleser, 1995), first published in Germany (with a total print run of over 500,000 copies). Two years later, the book was translated into English and released in the United States, becoming the first German-language work to top the New York Times literary bestseller chart (with a total of over 750,000 copies sold). At the time of the film's release, the novel had been translated into 37 different languages, including Russian.
- Kate Winslet was the main contender for the lead female role from the very beginning, but she initially declined the offer, citing her commitment to filming the drama "Revolutionary Road" (2008). In the fall of 2007, the role went to Nicole Kidman, who was then working on Baz Luhrmann's "Australia" (2008). For this reason, work on the project was frozen for a while, but after filming of "Australia" was completed, the actress refused to participate, citing her pregnancy. The role became vacant, and Kate Winslet, now available, agreed to take it.
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