One of the wonderful things about learning another language—like German—is that it opens the door to a new culture full of diverse ideas, people, and perspectives. Actress Vicky Krieps embodies this ideal. Fluent in several languages, she has not limited her film performances to just one.
This month, dive deeper into the world of Vicky Krieps and enhance your German language skills with films featuring her stellar performances!
Get to Know Vicky Krieps
Vicky Krieps was born on October 4, 1983, in Hesperange, Luxembourg, to a Luxembourgish father and a German mother. Her roots in the arts come as no surprise: her mother studied at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, while her father—originally a manager for a film distribution company—later became the director general of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture.
Krieps completed her secondary education at the Lycée de Garçons de Luxembourg and pursued acting at the Conservatoire de Luxembourg. She continued her studies at the Zurich University of the Arts and performed at the Schauspielhaus Zürich.
Fluent in German, Luxembourgish, French, and English, Krieps has built an impressive career across multiple languages and film industries. Her breakthrough role came in the 2017 film Phantom Thread, where she starred opposite Daniel Day-Lewis.
Today, she resides in Berlin with her husband and children.
Das Zimmermädchen Lynn
In the 2014 comedy-drama Das Zimmermädchen Lynn (The Chambermaid Lynn), Krieps stars as the titular character. Lynn, a painfully shy hotel maid, finds escape in her job by observing the lives of hotel guests. She secretly spies on them and even rummages through their belongings.
One day, while hiding under a bed, she witnesses a dominatrix with a client in one of the rooms. Intrigued, Lynn seeks out the woman and sets up a meeting, which leads to unexpected discoveries about herself.
Was hat uns bloß so ruiniert
In director and writer Marie Kreutzer’s 2016 film Was hat uns bloß so ruiniert (We Used to Be Cool), three couples—all expecting children—try to maintain their stylish, carefree lives. Young, successful, and stylish, they believe they can navigate parenthood without sacrificing their comfortable, “cool” lives. However, once the babies arrive, reality sets in.
Krieps portrays Stella, who, alongside her partner Markus (played by Marcel Mohab), attempts to share domestic duties equally and reject traditional gender roles.
Corsage
Krieps reunited with director and writer Marie Kreutzer for Corsage, a 2022 biopic where she plays Empress Elisabeth of Austria (better known as “Sisi”) as her 40th birthday approaches.
What should be a time of celebration is decidedly unhappy. Her marriage with Emperor Franz Joseph is struggling and their youngest daughter is ill. On top of that, Elisabeth is struggling with her self-image: she worries about her weight and her appearance.
Practice, practice, practice! Discover more German actors and actresses previously featured.
Photo used courtesy of Vicky Krieps’ official website. This post contains affiliate links.
