Christian Friedel on Fabian’s Diva Dreams

The last time most people saw Christian Friedel, he was playing the high-ranking Nazi officer Rudolph Höss, who lived next to and served as the commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Beyond a haircut with shaved sides, that role didn’t require much of a physical transformation, and yet, the actor is almost unrecognizable when he first appears in Season 3 of “The White Lotus,” having traded in that character’s haunting darkness for the (mostly) endearing neuroticism of resort manager Fabian.

When we meet Fabian, he’s trying to remain dereferial panicking about the leisurely pace at which his boss, White Lotus owner Sritala (Lek Patravadi), is getting glammed up before the quickly approaching arrival of their newest guests. His flattery is over-the-top once they make it to land, but on a dime, he launches into uptight admonishments of his staff — a comedic rhythm that Friedel found relieving after starring in Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning Holocaust drama.

From Germany, Friedel hopped on a Zoom with Variety to dive into Fabian’s sweet but tortured psyche.

For many viewers, especially in the U.S., “The White Lotus” is the first time we’re seeing you since “The Zone of Interest.” How has your life changed since that film and its Oscar run?

It was one of the most important projects of my life, and not only as an actor. I also learned a lot as a human being, so to promote the movie worldwide and in the States was a great gift. And yeah, things are changing. The recognition is changing. I came from my first shooting days in Thailand to the Academy Awards — that was really a crazy time, and looking back one year later, I realize it finally. To be a part of an amazing series like “The White Lotus,” I’m so grateful. After the intense time of “The Zone of Interest,” I was searching for the opposite of that. From the dark into the light, from a very serious character to a funny one. It was my first project where everything was in English, and that was a challenge and a gift, to do with such a great cast and crew and such a great director, Mike White.

How was the transition from playing your “Zone of Interest” character to this one? Fabian is definitely comedic, but it seems there’s some darkness inside him too.

That’s true. He’s far away from home, searching for spirituality. He thinks he’s in the middle of everything, and everything’s OK, but inside of him, there’s a little storm. He’s nervous. There’s a lot of secrets about him. I really like that energy and the comedic potential in the little scenes Mike wrote for this character. It was a joy, and so different after the intense work for “The Zone of Interest.” My character in “The Zone of Interest” is hiding something, but we know who he was. With Fabian, we have a lot of fantasy about the character. We have a little story about him. And In Episode 7, Mike gave me a great gift. I cannot tell what it is, but let me say this: it’s a typical German melancholic note.

What did you know about the role before you were cast, and what attracted you to it?

I had only two scenes, and I didn’t know what was going on, but I felt the potential of the character. Then Mike changed it a little bit, because he always changes a bit once he knows the actor. He wanted to give Fabian more background. He’s fascinated by his boss — he’s a fan. Sritala is a role model for him. In the first scripts, he was only a professional, but now there is a dream inside of him.

So you think he’s really into the wellness stuff?

He wants to be. Mike said to me that he has this German melancholy inside of him. He wants to be a good general manager. He wants to make things perfect. And we see this in the first episode he’s just changing his tone [when talking to guests versus] staff. Maybe he’s a two-faced man. He’s really, really full of ambition.

Of all the guests, he’s obviously most interested in Jaclyn (Michelle Monaghan) and her friends, since she’s a famous actress. What’s going through his head when he’s talking to that group and they encourage him to perform at dinner along with the rest of his staff?

I think the three girls inspire him to perhaps make his dream come true. He likes the ladies a lot. Maybe he has a crush on one of the ladies — we don’t know! Yeah. The ladies said it like small talk — “You have to sing!” — but something is changing inside of him. I love this moment when we see him lip-syncing with Sritala’s song. That was just spontaneous; Mike creates a lot of space for improvisation. Sometimes it’s hard to stay professional way and serve the people and not to talk about your private life, and maybe this was a new step.

How much time do you think he spends on his music?

A lot of time. But only in his private room. I really like the musical moment. This character is really strange, so how is his music? What’s he searching for? What’s inside of him? I think when he’s at home, he’s making music the whole day, because there’s a dream to be a little bit like Sritala, this diva. Her aura — he’s so fascinated, but he’s too shy for that. But maybe he’s a talent; maybe he’s not a talent. We’ll see.

Are there any other memories that stick out for you about your time on “The White Lotus”?

I didn’t make it to the premiere in Los Angeles, but I hope that I can see everyone. Lek, who plays Sritala, visited me and watched a theater show here in Dresden. I played Macbeth. And Jon Gries and Jason Isaacs came and watched a show. I played Hamlet. Both theater evenings were together with my band, Woods of Birnam.

We were like a family [in Thailand]. Everyday, we had rituals. We loved the sunset, swimming in the ocean, dinner. We had a really great karaoke evening. I was singing with Natasha [Rothwell]— we sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” We were all really thrilled to be a part of this.

This interview has been edited and condensed.