1/6
Leading actress Dominique Devenport on the set of «Davos».
With a budget of over 15 million, “Davos” is the biggest and most expensive SRF series of all time. Filming is currently underway in the canton of Graubünden, last week in the former sanatorium on the Schatzalp. Dominique Devenport (26), who was born in Lucerne, plays the main role of the nurse Johanna Gabathuler, who gets caught between the fronts of spies working in Davos during the First World War. Over Christmas she shone for the second time in the RTL series “Sisi” as the Austrian empress.
Ms. Devenport, why are you on such a streak right now?
Dominique Devenport: You should probably ask my karma (laughs). In acting, work and happiness go together. I also know this from colleagues who have been in the business for a long time. Suddenly everything comes at once, there is no regularity or balance. But the next lull will surely follow. Arches are normal in our industry.
The Swiss Hollywood director Marc Forster, who grew up in Davos, said on Friday in Blick: Success is 80 percent hard work and 20 percent luck…
I can sign that. Work comes first, then happiness. And if the ground is not laid, luck will not bring you anything either. You always have to have a base level so you can hit the ground running when it arrives.
Personally: Dominique Devenport
Dominique Devenport is the daughter of an American father and a Swiss mother and grew up in Lucerne. She made her debut in 2012 in the SRF drama “Nebelgrind” and was also seen in the bestselling film adaptation “Nachtzug nach Lisbon”. In 2021 she completed her studies at the famous Otto Falckenberg School in Munich (D). In the RTL series “Sisi” she embodied the Austrian empress for the second time at the end of 2022. She considers her punctuality and politeness to be typically Swiss, while what is American about her is her direct and open manner.
Dominique Devenport is the daughter of an American father and a Swiss mother and grew up in Lucerne. She made her debut in 2012 in the SRF drama “Nebelgrind” and was also seen in the bestselling film adaptation “Nachtzug nach Lisbon”. In 2021 she completed her studies at the famous Otto Falckenberg School in Munich (D). In the RTL series “Sisi” she embodied the Austrian empress for the second time at the end of 2022. She considers her punctuality and politeness to be typically Swiss, while what is American about her is her direct and open manner.
First twice “Sisi”, now “Davos”. Are you fixated on historical fabrics?
It’s definitely a subscription (laughs). I’m not sure why that is either. A lot of historical material is currently being filmed, a real trend. If you search for actors for such productions today, you will automatically find the names of those who have just been seen in such a work. If I had done a lot of contemporary work before, I would probably be less suitable.
Have you ever been interested in history?
Yes. I love illustrated books from the early days of photography and I can completely lose myself in them. I find it fascinating to look at the people who recently lived on the same world as us and yet look so different.
In “Davos” you embody the nurse Johanna Gabathuler around 1917. What kind of personality is she?
Johanna is a very wild character, a woman who wants to emancipate herself from her homeland, the mountains. She feels restricted, her options are limited. And she’s a nurse. She is a doer, a helper, she tackles and helps and takes responsibility.
Can you see blood yourself?
We’re not shooting with real blood, and the injuries are fake. That’s why I don’t mind. But I don’t know how it would be otherwise.
Do you find it easy to think back to that time at the start of a day of shooting?
On historical shoots we are transformed; we wear costumes and are longer in the mask. This helps to set yourself in your head. And I can also hold on to the extras and props.
You have been living in Germany for a long time. Do you have a previous relationship with the current filming location?
I know the canton of Graubünden from skiing holidays. But I only got to know Davos while working on the series. I will probably stay in Germany for a while longer. The supply situation is simply better there. And I worked hard to be able to speak High German without an accent. I would be afraid that I would lose that if I came back to Switzerland.
“Davos” is expected to be shown on SRF 1 and Play Suisse in winter 2023/24.