Maximilian Mundt on how he landed the main role for "How to sell drugs online (fast)"

We got into a zoom call live from his flat in Hamburg with Maximilan Mundt, the German actor who plays a regular high-school tech nerd who's selling drugs out of his bedroom, Moritz! Maximilian’s on screen presence and obvious talent have made him the topic of lots of conversations. As one of Germany’s hottest young actors, many people believe that he’s well on his way to building a strong legacy. He told us about the new season of Germany's number 1 Netflix show "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast), how he landed the role and his many talents from photography to set designing.

How has it been?

I am preparing for a new project right now, I can't really say much but all you can see is I have straight hair, it's not Moritz's hairstyle anymore.

Let's dive into Season 3 of How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast), what is this season about?

This season is about being responsible for your own actions, I think for the first time Moritz has to be responsible and also has to handle with the consequences of his actions and he realises that nevertheless how hard he tries to pretend that he doesn't need anyone to reach his goals he actually really needs his best friends and the people he loves.

Is there anything you have in common with Moritz you think?

Moritz is very shy but he gets to build up his massive empire which is crazy. I was the same kind of guy in school, I was a little more quiet and weird and not one of the cool guys or sporty, I was more by myself and I think Moritz and I share this will to reach the goals. I wouldn't go over dead bodies like he does, he's very reckless.

I've just found out that How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) is based on a true story, unbelievable!

Well, it was a good marketing strategy. If you've seen the documentary on Netflix you can see that it's not actually the same. We were just inspired by the fact that a teenager was selling drugs from the internet by himself, that is already something special. It's interesting to know that this really happened and it's not made up.

The season went number 1 on a lot of countries on Netflix, did you expect that?

I didn't expect that at all, in general, I didn't even except we would be in the top 10 in Germany because I thought that the show was very sweet, it was a little project, I didn't really know if it was going to be funny. The Germans are not really known for being funny or have a huge sense of humour. I was pretty overwhelmed actually. So many people liked it, and I was surprised to see that a big age range of people is into it.

How did you start acting and how did you land the role of Moritz?

We had this show called "Dark", the first German Netflix show which was very successful and I was so mad that I didn't get invited for the audition, I didn't even know that someone was auditioning for a Netflix show produced in Germany, after that, I understood that someone was auditioning for "How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast)" and I was still not invited. Suddenly, I got a quick call from my agent saying we got invited for the audition of the main character's best friend so Lenny, Moritz was already cast. I prepared my part for Lenny and then I played with him, we had a nice energy, then I left and 20 minutes later the production company called me and asked me to go back and have a look at Moritz's lines and I didn't want it because it wasn't fair, but at the same time I wanted it because it was the main character of a Netflix show and I yeah, I got the part.

Have you always wanted to do this?

I was always an actor, I was not a paid actor, I was just acting and entertaining my family and friends and making up new stories in stage plays. I think I have always wanted to do something, to express myself on a stage to show people my view on the world.

Coming to the end of season 3 it looks like this is the end of the tv-series, but ... (spoilers alerts!) ... what is next?

I don't know, I hope that the journey will continue because I think there is a lot more to tell about the story, there's this big thing of Lenny telling Moritz "I'll get you out of prison" and you can see Moritz selling drugs from prison. In the documentary you've seen, Maximilian also probably did the same thing. Normally, your school time should be experiencing some stuff, finding out where to go and then real life starts after that and that's where it gets excited. Moritz has already had his exciting time in school and now it's all over and now normal life begins. I think they can't stop doing what they did.

I know you're also passionate about photography, do you enjoy being behind the camera more?

I like being in front and behind the camera. I try to get as much on both. I also love set design and set dressing. I am always commenting even for example what I am wearing to make my character better.

I have a lot of friends who are into short films and I always help them with set designing or make up artist. I have this group of friends who love to do this weird stuff and are always busy doing creating costumes or building a set.

Is there anything you're currently watching on Netflix?

I was pretty hooked up by Outer Banks, I started the first season a month ago, it got me instantly and I was pretty happy that the second season had just come out so I didn't have to wait that long. That was a pretty nice show and actors, a nice energy.

How are you going to spend the rest of your summer?

I am currently writing for a new short film, it's about visibility and being invincible, kind of like superpowers but living in our society. I am shooting that in September. At the end of August filming starts for this American co-production so we're going international (laughs).

"How To Sell Drugs Online (Fast) - Season 3 is out now on Netflix

Words by Sal F.

Photos by Max Sonnenschein