Romantic stories with a bite

How did you join the series and where did you film?

Nathan Nill: I came on board at the end of 2018. The team of writers Bastian Köpf, Daniel Scheier and Thomas Mielmann and Executive Producer Andreas Banz from Kundschafter Film were already working with NDR, FFHSH and nordmedia on the film.Nordlichter support programmein dialogue. We continued to work on the material under high pressure until the summer of 2019 and shot the eight episodes in Hanover and partly in the Harz Mountains in the autumn. As a Hamburg native, I've often looked for locations in the Hanseatic city in the past, so it was exciting for me to get out and tell a story in a different city.

What attracted you to the material?

Nathan Nill: I like melancholic and tragic characters - and that's where I saw potential in the script. That's the basis for good humour. They're not the shining heroes. Characters who are somewhat marginalised and, in Samuel's case in particular, don't embody a typical ideal of masculinity. I also liked the idea of telling a romantic story. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Comedic films can be biting, relevant and very controversial. (laughs)

How did you make the series your own, i.e. how did you break away from the scripts?

Nathan Nill: The original idea was very much orientated towards the sitcom format. Together with the team, I then tried to incorporate a more serious tone into the story and give the characters several dimensions. In the summer of 2019, a fourth Script Writer, Anika Soisson, came on board to bring a female perspective to the development of the material, which was very important to me.

I also like quirky worlds, which we tried to realise at one point or another. And I wanted to show what love is all about - unconditionality. You can feel that in the character of Lina in particular. Her role is not so easy because she has a certain ambiguity and towards the end, abysses are revealed in her character.

Which character in the series is closest to you?

Nathan Nill: I think there is a little bit of yourself in every character in the end. You deal with the characters and their idiosyncrasies over a long period of time. In a format like this, where a large part of the humour develops from the characters, that's incredibly important. It's important to me not to make fun of any of the characters, however remote they may be.

Did you have series or film role models?

Nathan Nill: There is no specific role model. But of course we also looked around, for example in the Netflix series Maniac with Jonah Hill and Emma Stone, who live in their own retro future world in the series. I also took another look at one or two of the Coen brothers' films.

Big Dating is the second series that you have directed after "Komm schon". What experience did you gain on "Komm schon" that you were able to contribute now?

Nathan NillUnlike in film, you accompany the characters over a very long period of time - and the dramaturgy is completely different. With "Komm schon" I had the opportunity to learn what it's like to take a whole ensemble on this journey. That has definitely helped me now. But I've also brought people from the "Komm schon" ensemble into my new team, such as lead actor Ole Fischer (Samuel) and Victoria Trauttmansdorff from Hamburg, who plays his mother Gisela in the series. That's just great fun.

How did the casting go? Because you already knew many of the actors.

Nathan Nill: That was very different. We approached some people directly, for other roles we went through a normal casting process and looked to see which actors would fit together and complement each other. Marion Haack accompanied the process with great dedication right from the start.

Were there any bizarre/funny incidents on set?

We had a lot of fun filming the episode at the esoteric yoga camp with all the crazy characters there. The atmosphere definitely transferred to the team. (laughs)

Your series tip for the dark winter months after Big Dating?

I've heard that the fourth season of "Fargo" is coming out soon. I'm really looking forward to it, and I can also recommend the series "Sucsession" - really good entertainment.