Ex-GDR agent, underage prostitute, wannabe influencer—few actresses have played such diverse roles so early in their careers as Jella Haase. With the Netflix series Kleo, she is now gaining international fame.
Jella Haase can change from pouting teen to siren, from loud-mouthed troublemaker to sensitive lover. Her ability to transform shines in arthouse films like Berlin Alexanderplatz or Combat Girls, in mainstream comedies like The Goldfish or The Perfect Secret. That light-footed, chameleon-like quality is a through line in her career. During an interview with Fräulein magazine, she described her fashion sense as a “mix of daring and delicate”—true for her acting style as well.Without Acting Training to European Shooting Star
Performing in theatre as a child, Haase was born to act and have fun doing it. The German words Spieltrieb, Spielfreude and Spaß—all communicating the joy of experimenting and transforming—reoccur when she talks about her craft. Without ever attending acting school, she has been performing at the famous Berlin Volksbühne for years and was recognized early on with newcomer awards, including the European Shooting Star at the Berlinale 2016.Suck Me Shakespeer: Outsourcing Chantal
Her most memorable role is Chantal, the brat high schooler Haase got to create over a decade ago in the hit film franchise Fack Ju Göhte (aka Suck Me Shakespeer). The politically incorrect school comedy has gone down in history as the fifth most successful post-war film in Germany, not least for Haase’s uproariously funny supporting character. Haase embodied her dumb and dumber role so enthusiastically that it became an instant and beloved cult figure.In 2024, “Chanti” received a feminist fairy-tale treatment in the spin-off Chantal im Märchenland (Chantal and the Magic Kingdom). The film, which centres Haase’s now older but little wiser character, had the year’s best opening day in German theatres, surpassing even Barbie’s market share. Previously, Haase had garnered much attention with the film Lieber Thomas (Dear Thomas). She received the German Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Katharina Thalbach, the actor-girlfriend of dissident GDR poet Thomas Brasch.
From Kleo to Päpstin
German history also played an important role in the wild genre mix Kleo: the series, praised by Stephan King and often compared to Killing Eve, is set shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In this setting, former spy killer Kleo embarks on a revenge spree against the people who conspired to betray her. An idiosyncratic character, Haase even sees connections to her most recent film role: “Chantal and Kleo are both independent and non-conformist. They don't care about social conventions, which is liberating,” she told the German Press Agency.Whether Kleo will translate into a lasting international breakthrough for its lead actress remains to be seen. Haase just wrapped her third movie with director Leonie Krippendorf, after the queer coming-of-age story Cocoon and the mental health drama Looping: Gepellte Haut (Peeled Skin) is coming out in 2026. Before that we will see her in Ach, diese Lücke, diese entsetzliche Lücke (Oh, this gap, this terrible gap), with more arthouse in her future, teases Haase. She is also taking on the title role in the remake of Die Päpstin, which is being released as an ARD series.
Jella Haase Personal Life: Berlin Wit With Attitude
Haase keeps her private life under wraps. However, she has revealed that she is vegetarian, goes on annual fasting hikes, and over-packs when she travels. Occasionally, her Berliner Schnauze shines through in her appearance—a direct manner that is also expressed in her outspoken political stance, such as most recently at the Bambi 2024 awards ceremony.After receiving the award for Best Actress for Chantal and the Magic Kingdom, she echoes Margot Friedländer's appeal to be human and calls on everyone not to lose their “moral compass in times when right-wing populism is flooding the web and minds.”
January 2025