How did you like Linz in general?
I liked it very much! I've been to Vienna a few times but I didn't really have a picture in my mind of what Linz would be like. I thought it would be very pretty and I was correct. It reminded me of Sheffield, the city where my girlfriend Lucy lives. Much like Linz, Sheffield is the UK city of steel and it also has a thriving arts scene. Linz has a slightly nicer looking waterway; Sheffield has many fine rivers, but they’re not quite the Danube.
Did you get a chance to explore Linz during filming?
My girlfriend and I stayed for about a week. We filmed from Monday to Thursday, and on Friday we had a photo session on Pöstlingberg. Lucy did most of the exploring in the daytime while I was filming. She visited places like Lentos and Parkbad. I managed to explore the streets near the hotel that I was staying in – Spittelwiese and Landstraße – so my main exploration was shopping. I found a very nice linen jacket.
In the evenings, after I had been released from my duties on set, Lucy and I looked for food that accommodated both of our dietary requirements (dairy-free and gluten-free). We wandered around and found charming squares with some very nice places to eat. By the church (Mariendom) we discovered Paul’s Steak & Veggie. Every night we had a different thing and it was all delicious. We enjoyed Deli Linz and Stadtliebe, as well as the vegan ice cream at Senza! I was also very excited when we drove past the Haribo factory on the way to a new shooting location! „Kids and grown-ups love it so, the happy world of Haribo!”
How did you like the Cevapcici and Bosna?
Well, here’s the thing – when you’re filming with food, you’re usually not allowed to eat it. So with the Bosna the instruction was „We've only got one, so don't eat it.” However, I really wanted to eat it when they handed it to me. It looked delicious. It smelled delicious. It was hot. But after about five or six takes, it was stone cold and soggy… Who wants to eat a cold Bosna? Plus, it was a good thing I didn't eat it because I don't think a Bosna is gluten-free. I also didn’t try the Cevapcici but I assume they were very good – my co-star kept grabbing little pieces off the plate and ate them between takes, which I thought was very naughty. The one thing I did get to eat while filming was caviar. In the dream-like scene where I'm being very wealthy someone hands me a spoonful of the stuff. I was supposed to stop just before it reached my mouth – but I couldn't resist and ate some. And everybody went „NOOO!”
Do you remember any filming locations in particular? Were there any places you especially liked?
On the first day we shot the final part of the film: the big party in the church where we met the mayor, the Bürgermeister himself. So that was going from just arriving off the plane to this enormous party with loads of extras. It was like, „Oh, okay. This is day one. Where do we go from here?“ That was very memorable and exciting!
We did quite a few scenes at Mural Harbour, which was very nice. Hanging around there with all these giant cranes and boats on the river and people flying little model helicopters and things like that.
We also went to the gorgeous Botanical Gardens. I got to spend about an hour walking while they were setting up the camera. It was sunny, the plants looked great and I loved exploring all those different sections. I had a lovely time walking around. Then I got the phone call: „We need you now. Come in and take all your clothes off. In this scene you're on drugs.”
Apart from dining out, did you and your girlfriend get a chance to experience Linz as a couple?
On the first night, Lucy and I walked through the main square, the Hauptplatz, and up over the river. Then we walked down to the Donaustrand and enjoyed looking at the river, with the illuminated buildings on both banks. That was special and very nice! When we went up to Pöstlingberg to take photos for the Linz campaign, we were amazed by the stunning panorama that opened up. What an incredible view over Linz and the mountains in the distance! At least, we thought those were mountains, until the photographer told us: „No, those are tiny hills. You can’t see the mountains right now, they're obscured by clouds.” After the photoshoot, we decided to go back to town on our own. We took the cute tram, the Pöstlingbergbahn. That was wonderful. It's just a half an hour trip, but it was really pretty. We don’t have trams quite like that here in England.
Would you consider visiting Linz for a short trip again?
We are considering it! We had a lovely time and made some great friends there, such as a certain hundred-year-old mechanical fire-breathing dragon. So of course, we must return to visit my good friend Lenzibald!
Der Schauspieler, Musiker und Grafikdesigner Matthew Kaufman wurde in London geboren und lebt in Manchester und Sheffield. Er arbeitet seit 2005 professionell als Schauspieler und hat in mehr als 40 Fernsehwerbespots im UK und in Europa mitgewirkt. Im Juni 2023 stand er in Linz für die Rolle des „Otto“ vor der Kamera, der im Verlauf des Spots zum „Prinz von Linz“ gekrönt wird.
Ein Gastbeitrag von "jungskommunikation".
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