Interview with Luise von Finckh who plays Clara Weiss in Vienna Blood

Do you enjoy playing Clara Weiss?

Clara is such a great character. She’s fun. She’s provocative and flirty but she’s also smart. I really enjoy playing Clara.

What does this fourth series hold for Clara?

I’m very proud of Clara’s development. Whenever I read the scripts I’m so delighted that Clara’s always braver and taking more risks. That’s all thanks to our writer Steve Thompson. I think it’s nice [this season] that she is an antagonist to Oskar and Max in a way. Clara is not really friends with them but they need her. They really take notice of her this season.

Is Clara a big risk taker?

I feel Clara is taking every risk for her independence and her freedom that is worth taking. She broke off the engagement with Max Liebermann because she felt it wasn’t right and wasn’t happy with it and she started building her own career because she didn’t want to depend on men. That’s very brave for her especially at that time. Then breaking into her boss’s office [this season] is also a way of trying to help a situation.

Who is braver Luise von Finckh or Clara Weiss?

I would say Clara takes more risks than Luise, considering the period and what she’s doing at that time. I’m very proud of her: the way she lives her life and has this romantic situation going on without trying to get the man back. She accepts that it is the way it is. For that reason, I think she’s braver than I am.

What do you enjoy about working on Vienna Blood?

As a viewer, Vienna Blood is such a nice show to watch because you get to see this period – the opulence, the culture, the costumes and all those nice spaces we’re working in. As an actor, it’s even greater because you wake up in your normal life in the morning, you go to set, get into this beautiful costume with beautiful hair and then go to the greatest venues and even watch an opera. You get paid for that! To come to a set which is stunning compared to some modern shows is a completely different feeling. It’s an amazing atmosphere.

Do you have a favourite location?

I really enjoy shooting in Schloss Belvedere [Belvedere Palace] which is right in the heart of Vienna. We always have to shoot around the times when the tourists come so we either shoot early in the morning from 4am till 6am or in the evening. You’re there in your costume in a different period. It’s very nice to experience that in such a magical and historical place. This season I had a beautiful gown and we were riding in a car not a horse carriage and it was dark… it was just beautiful!

Why do Clara and Max struggle so much with their relationship?

It’s Max’s problem not Clara’s! Max must accept that Clara is not only a romantic partner but also a business partner. He must also accept her independence. On the other hand, I feel they can both be very happy with what they have because they’ve known each other for such a long time. They love each other and have this business partnership. Why do they have to put a name on it? Why do they have to decide if it’s love or business? It’s working out well the way it is. They’re there for each other and they like each other. I think it’s a modern love – they’re having a ‘situation-ship’!

What’s it like to work on an international set?

It’s very nice to work on an international set. It’s very inspiring and seeing how people from different countries work is very interesting for me. I do have to admit that Conleth and Charlene are the funniest people on set.

The fourth series of gripping crime drama Vienna Blood (2 x 90’) – written by acclaimed screenwriter Steve Thompson (Sherlock, Prime Target, Deep State,) and based on the bestselling Liebermann novels by Frank Tallis – will air on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two.

Filmed in English and on location in Vienna, series four is directed by Umut Dağ (House of Promises, Breaking Point) with Matthew Beard (The Imitation Game, Dracula, Magpie Murders) and Juergen Maurer (Vorstadtweiber, Tatort) reprising their roles as crime-fighting duo Doctor Max Liebermann and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt.

The fourth series, unlike the previous three series, features a single story – entitled Mephisto Waltz – told over two mysterious and thrilling episodes.

It’s Vienna, 1909 and the double murder of an arms dealer in police custody and a senior public official has shaken Vienna to its core. Doctor Max Liebermann has only just returned from a lecture tour when Inspector Rheinhardt asks for help in what could be the most dangerous case of their career. Oskar and Max discover a conspiracy that leads to the heart of government. Can the Freudian psychoanalyst and detective do enough to stop a seditious mole known as ‘Mephisto’ from bringing the Austro-Hungarian Empire to destruction? And will their lives ever be the same again?

Sue Deeks, BBC Head of Programme Acquisition, says: “This is such an exciting event – a Vienna Blood case so big it needs to be told over two thrilling episodes. What a treat we have in store!”

Carlo Dusi, Managing Director of Endor Productions, says: “We could not be more proud of this special new season that we have produced with our friends at MR and brings a thrilling new storyline with the highest of stakes to fans of Vienna Blood. There truly could be no better showcase for the combined talents of our wonderful writer Steve Thompson, brilliant director Umut Dag and incredibly talented cast and crew, led as ever by the unique pairing of Matthew Beard and Juergen Maurer. It has been an honour and a pleasure to work again with our partners at ORF, ZDF, BBC, PBS and Red Arrow Studios International in bringing the luminous characters and world originally created in Frank Tallis’s Liebermann Diaries to the screen, and we are sure that audiences will not be disappointed.”

Oliver Auspitz and Andreas Kamm of MR Film add: “We can’t wait to bring this very special season of Vienna Blood to a worldwide audience. Having one case spanning two episodes will push Max and Oskar to limits never seen before. Thanks to our trusted partners Endor Productions, Red Arrow Studios International, ORF and ZDF. With the support of Austria’s rebate system FISAplus, Television Fund Austria and TV-Filmfund Vienna and all the creatives involved we’re delighted to continue this (hi)story!”

Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia, VP Scripted Acquisitions & Co-Productions, Red Arrow Studios International, comments: “We are thrilled to return to early 1900s Vienna for Max Liebermann and Oskar Rheinhardt’s most ambitious and consequential case yet. Vienna Blood has been a hit around the world, from the UK to the US and from Austria to Australia and we cannot wait to bring this compelling new season to global broadcasters and their audiences.”

The producers of Vienna Blood are Jez Swimer for Endor; Oliver Auspitz, Andreas Kamm and Catrin Strasser for MR Film; commissioning editors are Klaus Lintschinger and Kerstin Bertsch for ORF and Wolfgang Feindt for ZDF; executive producers are Steve Thompson; Carlo Dusi for Endor; Rodrigo Herrera Ibarguengoytia for Red Arrow Studios International and Hilary Bevan Jones.

Other funding partners include FISAplus, Film in Austria (ABA), Televisionfund Austria, TV-Filmfund Vienna and Land Niederösterreich.

Red Arrow Studios International will distribute the series globally.

Season 4 of VIENNA BLOOD arrives Sunday, August 4, on BBC iPlayer & BBC Two at 9pm. The series is set to be distributed globally, and previous seasons are currently available on Acorn TV, Prime Video, and Apple TV+.