The name “Star Wars” is connected to George Lucas – but now the franchise has so many offshoots that even it can no longer be responsible for everything. The second season “Andor”, which will be released on Disney Plus on Wednesday, was produced by the German Sanne Wohlenberg. Wohlenberg, born in 1968, ended up in Great Britain, produced “Doctor Who” and “Commissioner Wallander” among others. In 2019, she received an Emmy for the “Chernobyl” mini series. For an interview in London, she comes very casually, with sunglasses and tea. Wohlenberg is excited, for the first time in German speaks about the franchise for the first time, falls back into your work language in conversation, clings to a cheat sheet with German words and ultimately speaks a charming mix of German and English. You can find almost nothing about them on the Internet. So very profane: Where do you come from? Born in Wolfsburg. My family actually comes from Hamburg, but before my birth my father had accepted a job at Volkswagen. So I was born in Wolfsburg. How did you land in London as a film producer? Shit Happens! As a young woman, I got to know an Englishman who worked in rock’n ‘roll business. I studied in Hamburg and threw the backstage bar into the docks on the Reeperbahn. I had to live from something. I got to know someone who was on tour with David Bowie. In it I took a crush and thought, I have to go to England with him. That was in 1992, I was just finished with my training. You never thought about getting back? Once, I had been in the British television industry for about ten years, I had briefly played with the thought – and quickly rejected him. I had sent two applications to Germany, both were rejected. According to the motto: one comes from England, who wants to tell us how it works. In retrospect, I am glad that I wouldn’t have felt like that, yet you discovered your passion for film and television? The passion for film has always been there, but I couldn’t live it out for a long time. I grew up conservatively, my parents were primarily concerned with security. They have dismissed everything artistic, that is only for rich people who don’t have to make money. But I’ve always had the urge to tell stories, whether the book, script, film or series. I would never have dreamed that I would actually work in this profession. How is her relationship with “Star Wars”? I didn’t grew up with “Star Wars”. When I came to “Andor”, my knowledge of the franchise and the “Star Wars” universe was quite limited. Of course I know the first films, there was no one around it, even I didn’t. But calling me a fan would really be measured. I saw “Rogue One”-but not as a “Star Wars” fan, but as a fan of director Tony Gilroy. For the first time I realized how big this “Star Wars” world is, the “Star Wars” universe-and what narrative opportunities there are, even though the stories play far away in a galaxy. They are topics that keep returning. It was a huge chance with Tony Gilroy. How was that when the passive viewer has previously switched the role to the active producer? Especially with the knowledge gaps? It’s not as bad as it sounds. Several years ago I produced the British cult series “Doctor Who” without having seen one episode beforehand. Ultimately, it is always about the connection between the audience and history – no matter in which world or galaxy it plays. As long as it is relevant, it will work. And that works with “Andor”? I think yes. You don’t have to be a “Star Wars” fan of the very beginning. It’s not just about making long-established supporters happy, it is also about addressing new people, opening the “Star Wars” world for those who have not yet touched them. Perhaps also out of fear that you have not known enough of “Star Wars” so far to get in so late. But if I have made it, the audience also manages to the topic that “Andor” is the low-threshold approach, so that non-connoisseurs can also get in? It is a story about revolution. At first glance, it’s about Cassian, he is the protagonist, the center of history. But there are so many other figures with different backgrounds, completely normal people in special circumstances. By chance, the story is playing in a distant galaxy, but could also play at home at home. Then she would only be less exotic and would have fewer show values. They are producers of the series. I often have the impression that the spectators don’t really know what a producer is doing. How would you describe your job? As a producer, I have an overview and I feel responsible for everything. I creatively support the directors and screenwriters so that they can implement their vision. As an intermediary, I am functions between the many departments that are available on such a film set, have a wide variety of tasks. The finances, for example, that we stick to the given time frame – but the good thing about the job is: I am never alone, and if I put together a good team in advance, I am only the added value at the end of the day. There is a difference for you whether the way is going through the medium of cinema or on TV or streaming? Cinema. Of course, I wish all viewers the largest play as possible, but my challenge as a producer is always the same, whether film or stream. With “Andor” alone we had 140 sets in two studios, 24 locations in real locations, the costume team only created over 700 costumes for the speech roles. And then came the author strike that slowed us down, then the acting strike. A “Star Wars” series is also a huge undertaking. How big is the pressure from outside by fans, how big the fear of making mistakes? I learned to put it off. Otherwise I would get insane. We have a man on the set who really knows everything about “Star Wars”: Pablo Hidalgo. You can always turn to it, with every question that is as ridiculous. We need employment for extras in the background. Maybe they play cards. What kind of cards could that be, does that make sense? A call to him and the thing has been clarified. Actors often let a memory go with a set, but keep silent for fear of the producer. They don’t have to have this fear. Hand on heart – did you let a souvenir go with you? I would never steal anything! As a producer, I have to go a good example.
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