The allegations against Til Schweiger weigh heavily. There is humiliation and even violence on the set. A few years ago, the actor positioned himself clearly on the subject of abuse of power – at that time it was about the Wedel case.

Since last Friday, Til Schweiger (59) has written in black and white what has only been said behind his back so far. His colleagues consider him an “emperor”. In a long “Mirror According to the report, 50 film employees describe a man who, as a director, came to the set drunk several times, yelled at people, put them down, and even hit them once.

Schweiger probably thinks he’s in the completely wrong movie – that he’s being accused of abuse of power. After all, the actor is someone who has campaigned for victims of abuse and violence in the past, including making donations to the Dunkelnummer Association, which helps children who have been victims of sexualized violence. In the “Spiegel,” it is now said that Schweiger is said to have freaked out about child actors during filming.

The topic of abuse of power has been an open secret in the film industry since “Metoo” and the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Allegations against Dieter Wedel († 82) also became public in Germany in 2018. Several actresses accused the now-deceased director of violence on the set and rape. Til Schweiger is not about sexualized violence, to put it bluntly again. Nevertheless, there is a parallel: the fear that both men are said to have spread on their sets.

Til Schweiger sided with Lanz for Wedel victims

The fear of Til Schweiger is said to have been so great during the shooting that crew members radioed during the shooting of “Manta, Manta – Zwoter Teil” not to look him in the eye. Such behavior tips are actually known in relation to potentially life-threatening situations with predators. Schweiger’s lawyer denies the allegations in “Spiegel”. There are “alleged facts” or “circulating rumors” that should not have existed.

Schweiger knows the problem of abuse of power in the film industry from a different perspective. In 2018, when the public was discussing the Wedel case, the actor took a number of positions on the scandal, including in the Talk show by Markus Lanz. At that time he showed solidarity with the women and vehemently defended Wedel’s alleged victims. Among other things, he told of a fellow actress who once confided in him. Wedel is a “power man who really enjoys humiliating people,” says Schweiger. It was known that Wedel was a “human tormentor”.

Schweiger found silence in the Wedel case “simply terrible”

Schweiger continued to analyze Lanz: “People who want to demonstrate and live out their power can suffer nothing less than when someone resists. That’s why they want to break, hurt and humiliate this person.” The high-ranking employee of the production company Constantin, whom Schweiger is said to have hit in the face according to “Spiegel” in July 2022 on the set of “Manta, Manta – Zwoter Teil”, was probably one of those few people who opposed him.

One must listen to Wedel’s victims, believe them and encourage them, Schweiger demanded of Lanz. “If I had worked with him (Wedel) now, and he would have wrecked an actress like that, then I would have said: ‘Dude, stop it, otherwise you’ll get one from me’. I just think it’s terrible that that didn’t happen,” Schweiger said. “You say that today as one of the most successful filmmakers in the country,” interjected Lanz. Suddenly, Schweiger reacted much more meekly. He also explained on the talk show that he wanted to use confidants during the shooting of his films. It is questionable whether there were such people in his last productions.

Til Schweiger’s descent

One thing is clear: Schweiger has changed in recent years. He has not always been considered an “emperor” in the industry. Instead, he is said to have been a “fine guy” for years, a colleague is quoted anonymously. The words “bighearted, intelligent, funny” fall. Nora Tschirner (41), who was the only actress to comment on the “Spiegel” report and criticized the general conditions in the film industry, explained in her Instagram comment column that she had the sets of the Schweiger films “Keinohrhasen” and “Zweiohrchicken “ as “extraordinarily constructive, collaborative and appreciative, at least with the overview I had at the time.”

It is said that friends and family have been worried about Schweiger for a long time because of his alcohol consumption. Last week, shortly before the “Spiegel” report was published, the 59-year-old said

RTL: “I suppose so. It’s nice when they worry. When you’ve worked hard, you party hard afterward, and both are good for your health. And because I’m not stupid, I know exactly when I have to take care of myself again.”

And further: “When I’m making a film, it doesn’t feel like stress at all. There is negative and positive stress, and I really enjoy making films. This is the greatest love of my life besides my children.”