Franka Potente turns 50 - Germany's coolest Hollywood export
She is a star and the center of one of the greatest German film successes of the past few decades, yet she felt almost erased from the screen in the past 15 years. German Hollywood export Franka Potente (50), who became globally known in the late 1990s through Tom Tykwer (59)'s Berlin Thriller "Run Lola Run", was once predicted a huge film star career. On July 22, 2024, she will turn 50.
After running through Berlin in Doc Martens to find 100,000 Mark, she acted alongside Johnny Depp (61) in the cocaine film "Blow" and with Matt Damon (53) in the action thrillers "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy". However, she failed to make a big break in Hollywood at that time - possibly because Potente was too unconventional for the factory.
Since her major film career stagnated, the now 50-year-old has been seen in various US TV productions. In Los Angeles, she raises her two daughters, Polly and Georgie, with her husband Derek Richardson (48).
International Classic Film "Run Lola Run"
Tom Tykwer's "Run Lola Run", made by him and Potente after the shoot, remains a thrilling Berlin film with a pulsating soundtrack, a quirky heroine in a raver look, and formal brilliance. Potente became an international superstar overnight from the most successful German film in the US since Wolfgang Petersen's "The Boat".
She moved to Hollywood and didn't submit to the mechanisms and constraints of the factory. So she publicly criticized Hollywood's portrayal of women, appeared in sneakers to film premieres, revealed her character's death in the second "Bourne" installment, and responded wittily to a journalist during the "The Bourne Identity" era when they commented on her supposedly thick waist: "That Matt Damon could fall in love with a woman with my behind - the whole world is grateful for that."
Switching to TV and Family Founding
In Germany, Potente had already achieved everything by that time, receiving Bambi and German Film Award for "Run Lola Run" and another German Film Award for Stefan Ruzowitzky's still worthwhile Slasher "Anatomy". However, her major film career slowed down after "The Bourne Supremacy" in 2004.
For Oskar Roehler (65), she filmed in Germany with her "Run Lola Run" co-star Moritz Bleibtreu (52) the Houellebecq adaptation "Elementarteilchen" in 2006 and stood before Steven Soderbergh's (61) camera for "Che - Guerrilla" in 2008. Between 2010 and 2016, the native of Dülmen was not seen in any film at all. The period of screen obscurity ended with James Wan's (47) horror sequel "The Conjuring 2".
What did Potente do during this time? In 2012, she married American actor Derek Richardson. Their daughters were born in 2011 and 2013. The family lives in Los Angeles.
A return to Germany was ruled out by the German Hollywood export in 2016. "Our lives' center is in the US. Work and life happen here for us," Potente revealed to spot on news agency in an interview at the time. Additionally, her husband doesn't speak a word of German.
Besides, Potente was frequently seen in US television productions. For example, in "House, M.D.", "American Horror Story", the US remake of the Scandinavian crime series "The Bridge - Transit into Death", or the grandiose, mystical historical series "Taboo" with leading actor Tom Hardy (46). A remarkable acting career. However, she could never quite top her initial success.
- Despite her international success with "Run Lola Run," Franka Potente struggled to make a big break in Hollywood due to her unconventional nature.
- Born and raised in Germany, Franka Potente moved to Los Angeles in the aftermath of her major film career stagnation.
- Franka Potente's Hollywood career included acting alongside Johnny Depp in "Blow" and Matt Damon in "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy."
- Franka Potente's outspoken criticisms of Hollywood's portrayal of women and her choice to wear sneakers to film premieres were unconventional for the industry.
- Franka Potente turned down an offer to return to Germany for filming in 2016, citing that her family's life was centered in the US.
- Franka Potente's husband, Derek Richardson, does not speak German, which also contributed to their decision to remain in the US.
- Franka Potente has had a prolific career in US television productions, including "House, M.D.," "American Horror Story," and "Taboo."
- Despite her numerous TV roles, Franka Potente has not been able to replicate the success she had with "Run Lola Run."
- As Franka Potente turns 50 in 2024, she continues to maintain a successful acting career in the United States, defying expectations and forging her own path in Hollywood.
