OTTO SANDER
March 1994
Otto was promoting Wim Wenders follow up to Wings of Desire … Faraway, So Close! And he had top billing. He and his wife had a suite in the plush Okura Hotel, one of Tokyo's finest. The interview and shoot were conducted there, in the living room. I was trying out a new lighting set up and thought it would work well with Otto, extenuating the character of his face.
He didn't do much in the way of international movies following Faraway, So Close!, and so had limited exposure in English speaking regions of the West. His star still shone brightly in Europe though, acting in mostly German TV and movie productions.
His very recognisable face and gentle demeanour always take me back to his angel Cassiel in Wings of Desire. Quietly spoken he was a real gentleman and no fuss.