In our series “Life After Football,” former Hamburg and Cologne midfielder Jimmy Hartwig shares insights into his retirement from professional football. The three-time Bundesliga champion talks about figures like Günter Netzer, his experiences with racism in football, and his thriving career in theatre and film.
bundesliga.com: Jimmy, your acting career has now spanned more years than your professional footballing career. How did you transition into theatre and film?
Jimmy Hartwig: I already had some contacts in television, but my move into theatre happened entirely by chance. In the early 2000s, I was doing an interview at the famous Berlin restaurant Ciao Ciao, close to the Schaubühne theatre. Suddenly, Thomas Thieme, a renowned German actor, came over to my table and spoke to me. He was a Hamburg fan, even though he’s from East Germany. About six months later, he called me.
bundesliga.com: To discuss HSV?
Hartwig: No, he wanted to know if I could picture myself in a Bertolt Brecht play.
bundesliga.com: What was your initial reaction?
Hartwig: I asked him, “Where did he play?” [laughing]. Honestly, my knowledge of German theatre was poor back then, so I had to do some research before committing.
bundesliga.com: Your acting debut eventually took place in 2002 at the National German Theatre in Weimar.
Hartwig: Yes, I played `Businessman Mäch` in Brecht`s `Baal`. Three years later, I took on the role of `Herzog Suffolk` in Thieme`s `Margaretha. Eddy. Dirty Rich.`
bundesliga.com: How did you become such a proficient actor?
Hartwig: Thomas Thieme, whom I consider the best German actor, was an excellent mentor. He taught me all the subtle details. It`s similar to a football coach showing you how to execute a perfect one-two pass. For instance, always support your fellow actors, avoid speaking too quickly, and remember that the audience remains in their seats until the play is finished and your job is done.
bundesliga.com: What aspects of acting appeal to you most?
Hartwig: I`m someone who constantly generates new ideas and is eager to develop them. My time as a footballer – winning titles, the European Cup, playing for the national team – feels like a completely different era now. Film and theatre are where my heart has been for years. New projects are always brewing in my mind. I know podcasts are popular now; I`m considering a format without a studio or script, just going out and letting people express themselves. We`ll see what happens.
bundesliga.com: Which former footballers or coaches would you have liked to perform alongside on stage?
Hartwig: My friend Franz Beckenbauer, as he probably possessed the talent for it. Or Günter Netzer. For the great Ernst Happel, I even have the perfect part in mind: `Adam`, the village magistrate, in Heinrich Kleist`s `The Broken Jug`. Like King Oedipus, Adam is forced to pass judgment on a crime he committed himself. What a concept…
bundesliga.com: As a tough-tackling, dynamic midfielder for 1860 Munich and Hamburg, did you feel like you were playing a specific character on the pitch?
Hartwig: I didn`t have to, but I did. As an illegitimate child with dark skin, I faced everyday racism from a very young age. I was unwanted even before I was born. My mother`s father was a terrible Nazi who threatened: `If that boy is born, I`ll put a pillow on his face!` It didn`t improve when I started playing football; it got worse. I was labelled the black guy with limited intelligence but lots of muscle – someone who could run but wasn`t expected to speak. I wasn`t afraid to speak my mind despite that, and now I understand that was my way of preventing myself from being crushed by it all. Once, 20,000 Bayern fans subjected me to racist chants. When you go through something like that, it either destroys you, or it hardens you and motivates you to show all the idiots what you`re capable of someday.
bundesliga.com: Is theatre what truly matters to you now?
Hartwig: Absolutely. It gives me immense satisfaction when fellow actors or audience members appreciate my performance and give positive feedback. `The old footballer Hartwig is on stage now` – who would have imagined it?
bundesliga.com: What parallels do you find between football and theatre?
Hartwig: Quite a few, actually. The stadium and the stage. The team and the cast. The playmakers and the leading actors. Both professions are about entertaining spectators. You get your name chanted if you perform well, and in theatre, if the applause continues, you keep taking bows.
bundesliga.com: Your last Bundesliga game was 37 years ago. Unlike most former players, you still receive regular applause. Is that perhaps the appeal of acting for you?
Hartwig: I recently played golf with Thomas Müller. Naturally, we talked about his future after Bayern. What you really miss when your career ends are the matchdays. The final coffee together at the hotel. The journey to the stadium. The massages and bandages. Then, on Saturdays at 3:30 PM, walking out onto the pitch in front of 50,000 people. You never replicate that feeling. If you don`t have a clear plan for when you hang up your boots, you`re in trouble. I personally fell into a deep despair because I expected the hero-worship to continue even after I stopped playing. But it doesn`t. I`ve stumbled many times in my life, but thankfully, I`ve always managed to get back up. And that`s the crucial part. Theatre and film have given me a completely new sense of self-assurance. People used to think I was clueless, but you can`t perform Shakespeare if your head is empty. I saw my old friend Kloppo the other day. He greeted me with: `Oh, Mr. Actor!` That`s how people see me now: as an actor, no longer solely as a footballer. That fills me with pride.
bundesliga.com: Both athletes and actors thrive on acclaim. What is the ultimate compliment you can receive?
Hartwig: When someone who knew me as a footballer sees me perform as an actor and says: `You`ve remained humble.`
bundesliga.com: Finally, what`s more rewarding: a standing ovation after the final act in the theatre or scoring against Bayern in front of 70,000 fans?
Hartwig: Both are incredible. A few years ago, I played Emperor Joseph II in `Amadeus`. After one performance at the Luisenburg Festival in Wunsiedel, we had to come back on stage ten times, and the applause lasted for 15 minutes. It was an open-air stage, but in that moment, it felt like winning at the Bernabéu.
