German Actress Sibel Kekilli recently sat down with State Secretary Michelle Müntefering to discuss Wunderbar Together and her experiences working in film and television on both sides of the Atlantic. Best known for her role opposite Peter Dinklage as Shae in the first season of Game of Thrones, Kekilli also starred on the long-running series Tatort as Sarah Brandt and won the 2004 Bambi award for Best Shooting Star for her performance in Fatih Akin’s Head-On.

Kekilli’s role in Game of Thrones brought her fame in the US, which ended in her joking around with former President Barack Obama about the fate of her infamous character. “That’s precisely what art is and what art does,” Kekilli told Müntefering, “It brings people together.”

During her career in Germany and the US, Kekilli noticed differences in how German and American actors approach their jobs. “[The American mentality] is really different than Europe or the German film business,” she recalled. “In Germany, we love to have discussions. We love to talk first about everything and then maybe start to do the steps. What I have learned from the Americans: they’re just doing it.”

These different mentalities don’t get in the way of great filmmaking. In fact, Kekilli maintains that they make it even better.

“Of course we need each other. The film business for example is changing. It’s getting more international. So it’s a good thing for us as well. This multicultural relationship – this is the best thing that could happen to us.”