WARUM ???

In Memorian of Jonathan Brandis

Sei nicht verzweifelt, wenn es ums Abschiednehmen geht. Ein Lebewohl ist notwendig, ehe man sich wiedersehen kann. Und ein Wiedersehen, sei es nach Augenblicken, sei es nach Lebenszeiten, ist denen gewiss, die Freunde sind.
(Richard Bach)

Am 11. November 2003 hat sich der Schauspieler Jonathan Brandis in seinem Appartement erhängt. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt war er gerade mal 27 Jahre alt.

According to police, a friend of Brandis' called 911 from the actor's apartment just before midnight on November 11 to report that Brandis had attempted suicide by hanging. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital but he died the next day.

Brandis got his show-biz break at the tender age of six when he landed a recurring role on One Life to Live and appeared in numerous commercials. He moved to Los Angeles with his family at age nine, and made guest appearances on shows such as L.A. Law, Who's the Boss? and Murder, She Wrote.

He racked up leading roles in movies such as 1991's The Neverending Story 2: The Next Chapter and Rodney Dangerfield's 1992 comedy Ladybugs but was relegated to secondary roles in more recent projects, including the Farrelly brother's Outside Providence in 1999 and Bruce Willis' WWII action flick Hart's War in 2002.

He was an only child, who is survived by his parents, Greg and Mary Brandis.

Ich muss dazu sagen dass ich schon immer ein Fan von Jonathan war, kein absoluter Fan, aber doch Fan. Niedlich und süß fand ich ihn, vor allem seine Augen haben mich fasziniert. Eines Tages als ich mal wieder planlos durch das Internet gesurft bin, habe ich mich an ihn erinnert und seinen Namen in eine Suchmaschine eingegeben. Und dann kam auch schon der Eintrag: Jonathan Brandis hat Selbstmord begangen. Ich konnte es einfach nicht glauben und war fassungslos, auf eine Art und Weise bin ich es jetzt noch immer. Zu dem Zeitpunkt als ich von seinem Tod erfahren habe, war er bereits mehrere Monate tot. Dazu muss ich sagen dass ich sehr gerne MTV und Konsorten und Blitz usw. sehe, aber in KEINER einzigen Sendung habe ich etwas von seinem Selbstmord gehört. :-(

Ich kann einfach NICHT verstehen warum er dass getan hat. WARUM? Will ich in die Nacht hinausschreieen, aber es hört mich keiner. Habe ich überhaupt das Recht traurig zu sein, nur weil ein Mensch tot ist, den ich nicht mal wirklich gekannt habe? Ich weiß es nicht.

Ich denke selbst öfters an Selbstmord. Aber jedes Mal wenn ich mir sage: "Jez machst du wirklich Schluss!" Dann kann ich es doch nicht tun, irgendwo tief in mir drin lebt wohl die Hoffnung dass mein Leben irgendwann mal besser wird. Dass ich mich irgendwann einmal besser fühle. Sterben will ich ja eigentlich auch gar nicht, ich will nur nicht so weiterleben wie bisher.

Hat er es getan weil er in letzter Zeit nicht mehr so erfolgreich war? ( - Und ich war NIE erfolgreich und lebe noch immer..... ) Ach, ich weiß es nicht. Letztendlich kann man in einen anderen Menschen nie hineinschauen.

Ein paar Interviews von Jona:

JONATHAN BRANDIS troubled by youth-traumas!

What is it like to be allready a sexsymbol at 20?
Jonathan: Well, I don't consider myself a sexsymbol, mind you! And it doesn't really occupy my mind, girls being crazy about me and buying all kinds of magazines that I happen to be in. I don't like to trouble myself about it, although I do think it is kind of funny. It's of course understandable that people want to know about actors in their favourite series. However, I hope I am also judged on my accomplishments as an actor and not just on my pretty face!

Well, you can forget that, I fear. But otherwise you can allways try once to look as bad as you possibly can!
Nice tip, thanks! It does happen by the way that some days I don't look my very best. Mostly that's on Saturday. I'm standing there with my new clothes on, in front of the mirror and I also don't really feel like going out. You can really see it at once. But I think that you just can't hang around at home on a saturdayevening. When you're young, you should live out every weekend. Even if you look like a scarecrow, you just gotta go!

So you are not vain?
Well, sometimes I am, sometimes not. It depends what kind of mood I'm in. One time I can stand fiddling in front of the mirror for an hour and another time I think: well hack, this is just the best it can get. Only if I have to go to work I really try to look fantastic.

Did you ever look like a ghost in front of the cameras?
As an actor you have one great fear: pimples! At around 15 I was very sensitive about that. But almost everybody gets them and you just have to get through them. I admitt that it isn't the most enjoyable period in your life. I do remember that I was sitting in the make-up chair before the shoots for a commercial or film or other, and I thought: Sometime soon they are going to make a close-up of me and millions of people can see how many pimples I've got on my cheeks.

Truly, was it really that bad?
Worse! I even had nightmares about it. I dreamt that my whole back was full of bulges, growing ever larger by the minute. I did try to squeeze them and you know what came out? Gallons of that white smuch. That maybe was the worst thing that ever happened to me. For weeks I thought about the possibility of this fantasy becoming a reality. Still every morning I take a peek at my back just to be sure none of those red rascals have appeared. Weird isn't it.

Very weird. Any more crazy things happened in your youth?
Next to the things everybody does like smoking and drinking behind your parent's back, I did forge a drivers license when I was sixteen. I happened to think that roaming around in a car was incredibly cool. I did do that untill my carreer seriously started to get underway. Then I stopped with those more dangourous passtimes. You can not really do that when you are working on movies and series that millions are invested into.

Don't you hear a lot about drug abuse in your occupation...
Can be, but I never indulged in those kinds of things. Never had any interest in it. All right, I admitt, I did take a small joint once, but I soon realised what the consequences would be when I would begin taking harddrugs.

What do you actually do when you have a day off?
Although that doesn't happen often lately, I like to read exciting thrillers and those kinky magazines. No, not Penthouse or Hustler, they are too much for me. Or I go play some basketball and I follow a fitnessprogram because I think my body could use some more muscles. Fitnessing is not going so well yet though, I happen to be more than just a little bit lazy.

What is being planned in the area of work?
Before the start of the new season of SeaQuest, I play in the tv-made movie 'The Good King'. The story was situated in the Middle Ages, so it was a definite challenge for me. I do look forward to doing things in the future that I haven't done before. Do you know what I have always dreamt about? Playing a serial killer!

Well, isn't that every actor's dream?
Hahaha! No, I really think it would be a great experience. Furthermore I will just have to see what the future will bring me. But a change of food whets the appetite. By that I mean that I would like to do as many different things as possible. But first I still have some time left to enjoy my rest in LA, so I can visit some friends for a change. In the movieworld you see so many people that you only know superficially or from saying hello to, that you're glad when you can go out for a night with your real friends!

REMEMBER ME

Remember me with smiles and laughter,
Because that is the way I will remember you all.
If You can only remember me with tears,
Then don't remember me at all.

Jonathan Brandis: No Kid Anymore

A new look at a long-time favorite

His soft-looking, shaggy hair is gone, replaced with a new slicked-back look that immediately makes him look closer to his 19 years. His face looks different, too, and it is, because where once he was clean-shaven, he's now sporting touches of a beard and mustache.

Jon lives by himself in an apartment and is not as shy as he used to be when it comes to approaching girls -- or anyone, for that matter. He's matured into a very capable, independent young man who has plans for his future that include writing and directing as well as acting.

OK, so Jonathan has changed a bit, but inside where it really counts, he's still the same terrific guy he's always been. Some things just don't change, like being a warm and caring individual, treating others with respect and consideration, being a good listener (and a good shoulder to cry on), and being close to his fans.

PLAYS THE TRUMPET: Qualities like these are what make Jonathan's supporters cherish him, and you can be sure that as he gets older, these traits will only get stronger and stronger!

Jon's career seems to be getting stronger and stronger, too. Did you know that he would also like to get involved in casting, and maybe even music? "I've played the trumpet for five years," he says with a smile lighting up his gorgeous blue eyes, "and I love working behind the camera!"

So, although we'd rather see him in front of the camera, there's no telling what the future will hold. Whatever direction his career and personal life take, and no matter how his physical appearance changes, he'll always have "the right stuff!"

ONE-ON-ONE WITH JON:

Is acting on TV different than acting in movies?
Jonathan: Yeah! Definitely, definitely. Film is much more dramatic, and it's much more down-to-earth and lifelike. I think that we're living feature films every day, you know, in our own lives. So it's a little different. I think you have to be a little more hyped-up in television or commercials. You have to have a little more energy and project yourself a little more energetically.

What would be your ideal role to play?
My ideal role? An "Indiana Jones"-type character. I would love to do that. I remember when I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark and I just wanted so badly to have that outfit, and to have that whip, you know, and just swing on vines and stuff! I'd love that type of role. I'd have fun with any period piece like that.

You've talked about going into different areas of filmmaking. Do you see yourself giving up acting to pursue those other things?
I can't give a time. Maybe I won't. I love acting right now, and I can experiment a lot with it. But eventually I want to go into writing and directing.

Do you ever see yourself as a role model?
Um, yeah. It's tough to recongnize yourself sometimes as a role model. I don't know if I can honestly say I am. I think to some extent I am. I mean, I try to say the right things and give the right advice. But still, I'm only a person.

When you think of a role model, who comes to mind first?
I think of somebody who's proven himself. I can't think of a particular person, but I think of somebody who's proven himself and deserves to be where they are right then and there. Someone who's worked hard. I think that my biggest role models are people that have maybe struggled for a while and then finally gotten to their destination.

Is there one person who's had a really big impact on your life?
Actually, it was somebody that I never met. It was my great-grandmother, my father's grandmother. She was so much like me, I think, because she was so interested in show business, and she wanted to be an actress so badly. I can't really look up to her in the way that I would another person if I met them. But from what I've heard, she knew everything. She memorized facts, and she memorized books about television. That's just the way I am. it's kind of interesting. She's not really a role model, but somebody that I can relate to in a way.

JONATHAN BRANDIS
'I used to be a brat!'

What kind of person is Lucas, your character in "SeaQuast DSV"?
Jonathan: He's an intelligent little guy and the submarine crew in the end allways come to him for advice. That crew is kind of his family because his parents left him when he was very little, and he allways missed his father and his mother that way. He is really very clever, but not always taken seriously because of his young age.

The show is being produced by Steven Spielberg, the famous director. What does the filmset look like?
It is a gigantic submarine. Because the series is situated in the next century, and for the most part under water, there are many innovative technical gadgets. It's a kind of StarTrek. When I first came there, I was really impressed myself.

You work and live in Hollywood, so you must regularly run into famous people. Do they have any effect on you?
Absolutely! I was sooo nervous when I met Steven Spielberg for the first time. I had been looking forward to it for ages, and then, when the time finally came, I was nothing more but a giggling wreck. He has been my idol for as long as I can and care to remember.

Which famous actors have you met allready?
A couple of years ago the film The Flinstones was recorded in a studio next to SeaQuest, so I saw John Goodman, Halle Berry, Rosie O'Donnell, Liz Taylor and the rest then. I am allways enormously impressed when I meet celebrities, but now that I'm working in show-biz myself, I'll have to try and hide it a litte...

What do you do on the set in your sparetime?
We're in Universal Studios, and in between I have been to Universal Park several times to try out the rollercoasters and so on. Or I take a spin on a bicycle. And sometimes I sit down to write, because that is what I like to do more and more in the future. So in the end I can than do more than just acting. By the way, I have allready once written a script for an episode of SeaQuest.

What has been keeping you busy before all this?
I have allready played in several movies, like 'The Neverending Story', 'It', 'Ladybugs', 'Sidekicks' and 'The Good King'. Furthermore I played some guestroles in series like 'Blossom', 'Life Goes On', "Saved by the Bell' and 'Growing Pains'. I would like to direct in the future, but I am in no hurry with that.

Busy little fellow. Do you have time left for a girlfriend?
Ehhhh, no. Not at the moment. (is now dating Tatyana M. Ali - red.) But I think it is allright when you're seriously busy with your work. I would expect that from my girlfriend too. I like strong girls, as long as they don't get snappish. And furthermore I think it important that you are good buddies and she does not get angry when you don't have your day.

What do your father and mother do by the way?
My mother is my manager and so knows exactly what I do and so on. It's very handy, mind you! My father used to be a fireman and now has his own company. He makes cookies: those are very popular in America.

What were you like at school?
Wild and very disobedient. I attended a very small junior high and specially in the end that became a disaster. The principal was pretty senile and a drunk, so the children more or less runned the school. We were in charge. In the end we did have to pay up for a lot of broken windows and had to repaint large parts of the school ourselves. But we did have a lot of fun, hahaha.

Did you have bad grades?
No, because I also realised that you had to study. Specially in show-biz discipline off course is very important. When me and my friends were making trouble, the teachers often asked: "Do you do that on the filmset too?" I used to say: "No, I behave completely different there, but then there I get payed for it." Hahaha!

Name: Jonathan Gregory Brandis
Date of Birth: April 13, 1976
Place of Birth: Danbury, Connecticut, USA
Hair Color: Dark Blond
Eye Color: Blue
Height: 1.75 meter (5"10')
Weight: 65 kilo (135 pounds)
Body Mark: He's got a little scar on his nose, just near his eye.
Residence (1997): Los Angeles
Pets: A cat (Marbles), A parakeet (Ernie), and a dog (Megan)
Worst to do: Get up Early !
In Love/Engaged/Married: dating Tatyana M. Ali
Favourite TV Show: Melrose Place
Favourite Music: U2, Jimmy Hendrix
Admiration for: Steven Spielberg(he likes especially his first movie "The Duell", Val Kilmer, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Connery, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Schneider.
Car: Silver Nissan Maxima (he's had this since he got his licence). Now living in Orlando, he drives a Gold Toyota Camry to the set.
Biggest Nuisance: Girls that I like, and ain't interested in me.
Catchwords: Sometimes I'm a lucky dog, pretty smart and a little bit balmy.
Hobbys: Poolbilliards and watching movies (he has seen Jurrasic Park at least six times)
Strange Hobby: Long phone-calls

Am Ende haben die Lektionen der Vergänglichkeit mich dies gelehrt: Durch Verlust entsteht eine seltsame Form der Fülle; die Verzweiflung mündet in einen unstillbaren Hungen nach Leben. - Gretel Ehrlich

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