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Los Angeles (AP) - Wolfgang Petersen will only celebrate his 80th birthday (on March 14th) in his home in Los Angeles.
The corona pandemic is thwarting all party plans, and the shooting projects are also still flat.
"It's a bit annoying when you're so nailed down that you can't get on a plane, but the end is probably in sight," said the director in a telephone interview with the German press agency.
Question: Have you already been vaccinated against the corona virus in California?
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Answer: My wife and I got vaccinated at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
That was an amazing experience, with 12,000 cars being pushed through the sports stadium every day.
You don't leave the car at all - you drive into the stadium from the front door and do the laps there until it's your turn.
It was impressive how well it was organized, really great.
You feel really free, especially after the second vaccination.
Question: You brought a killer virus to the big screen in 1995.
Is «outbreak» about a variant of Ebola now being talked about again?
Answer: I shot "Outbreak" in the mid-1990s with a bombshell cast: Dustin Hoffman, Rene Russo, Donald Sutherland, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey.
Due to the pandemic, the film was suddenly number one on Netflix for weeks and everyone was talking about "Outbreak", even though the film was made so long ago.
Many people I talked to had forgotten that it was mine.
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Question: In 1983 you were nominated for the Director's Oscar for “Das Boot”, along with four male colleagues.
Women rarely made it into the selection, will that change now?
Answer: Dealing with racism, diversity and the fact that women are understaffed everywhere has been a big topic for a long time.
That changes the whole of show business tremendously, and that's right.
Back then, in “the good old days”, it was largely all white and only men.
The Oscar Academy had become more and more obsolete over the decades.
The world has to change and transform.
Question: As a member of the Oscar Academy, you are also allowed to vote.
But there will probably not be a big show due to the corona?
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Answer: Unfortunately, this won't be such an exciting thing, unfortunately.
No red carpet, no festivities.
The Oscar Academy is tormenting itself through this.
The pandemic has made everything incredibly difficult and a lot of films don't get the attention they deserve because you'd rather see them on the big screen.
I get screeners sent home, but watching movies on TV isn't the same.
This is not my world.
Question: Do you have a favorite that you would like to shoot again with?
Answer: I've seen "Mank" and I find Gary Oldman incredibly good at it, as before as Churchill in "The Darkest Hour".
We did Air Force One together.
I would shoot again with Gary Oldman anytime.
He's absolutely one of the top actors we have.
But I only want to name one, otherwise others will get angry that I forgot them.
ABOUT THE PERSON: Wolfgang Petersen, born in Emden in 1941 and raised in Hamburg, is one of the most successful German directors in Hollywood.
His war drama "Das Boot" (1981), nominated for six Oscars, was the starting signal for his Hollywood career.
There he shot “In the Line of Fire” with Clint Eastwood, “Outbreak” with Dustin Hoffman, “Air Force One” with Harrison Ford, “The Storm” with George Clooney and “Troy” with Brad Pitt.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210312-99-790433 / 2