Vienna Blood’s Star Juergen Maurer Talks About Its Third Season

New Insights Into Oskar

Vienna Blood‘s third season will air on BBC Two in December and here’s its star Juergen Maurer talking about it…

How do you approach coming back to your character for Season Three?

I don’t really have to reacquaint myself with the character it’s more like getting back to something you know very well already, which is really a feature that I love about this series. Mostly it’s getting into the costume and Oskar kicks in immediately. That’s very nice.

Does Oskar’s personal life get any better in Season Three?

All we know up to Season Two is that Oskar had a sad past with his wife and his late daughter. In Season Three, we’ll experience Oskar from another side. I think he’s a straightforward, protective man who just wants to be with somebody he can love, adore and protect. He wouldn’t go and search for a date, but if it falls into his lap, as we say, I think he would take it. And there might be someone showing up in Season Three which is very exciting for me!

In Season Three how does Oskar’s relationship with Max change?

Oskar’s starting to pick up psychological ways of thinking that makes their relationship more fluent. The disagreement between Max and Oskar in the first episode of Season Three is about the enjoyment Max has discovering a connection between sexuality and violence in a sadistic murderer. Oskar is very much repelled by that. He was a soldier in a war who was used to violence and even brutality and killing. He’s capable of doing those things. But he’s very disturbed by his friend’s excitement and that’s where they split. This story gives an insight into Oskar’s inner life. It’s a really interesting, exciting part of this film.

How does Oskar feel about psychoanalysis?

In the first season, psychoanalysis for Oskar was like magic. It was like juggling or a card trick. With more and more experience, he finds out that it’s a very rational way of solving crimes and I think he gets more into the way of thinking of a modern criminologist or a modern policeman. Once or twice in Season Three, Oskar processes things psychologically in a way that surprises Max. And that makes Oskar very proud!

What do you like most about Vienna Blood?

It is very rich in every direction and in every area. It has beautiful sets and costumes and Vienna in the period is amazing optically. And the stories are very well written, which is the essence of every good film. The stories are not shallow. Some of the stories we’re about to experience go in a more sinister, darker direction and I like that a lot. I like to watch shows like this myself. Vienna Blood delivers everything that I demand from a good series. And Vienna around 1900 was the most amazing time in the most amazing city of the last 200 years so. How could you do any better?

How do you find working in English?

Aside from an audible accent that will never go away! While German comes to me quite naturally, with English I must go the extra mile in putting expression into the language. We have a very excellent voice coach, Eleanor Boyce, who is on set being very supportive. That comforts me and makes me confident. And it’s exciting to work in English for a bigger audience.