Gays of our Lives (March 30, 2009)

Chatting with … Dennis Grabosch

Before there was Forbidden Love’s Christian and Olli or As The World Turns’ Luke and Noah, there was All That Matters’ (Alles Was Zählt) wildly popular gay romance between Deniz Öztürk (Igor Dolgatschew) and Roman Wild (out actor Dennis Grabosch). While the sexy, steamy romance between Roman and Deniz ended long ago, fans still hope for a reunion between the couple. But will it ever happen?

We chatted via e-mail with Dennis Grabosch about the popularity of the couple, if they’ll ever reunite, his decision to come out as an openly gay man, his recent marriage – and more!

Note: This interview was conducted before the news about the character of Roman getting a new lover.

AfterElton.com: Since the character of Roman is a professional ice skater, I wondered if you already knew how to skate or did you have to learn to do it for the part of Roman?
Dennis Grabosch: I am definitely not a skater. Anything that involves dancing to music, whether on ice or in a club, is not my greatest talent. Maybe it is because I have two left feet. So you can imagine my surprise, when our marvelous casting director from Berlin, Charlotte Siebenrock, winked at me and told me not worry, she could see a hidden talent for skating. I think I did so well mostly because I have an innate desire not to let people down, and Charlotte believed in me, so I couldn’t let her down. I had a talent that I clearly couldn’t see, but the pressure was on, and I had to do it, do it well, whether I had two left feet or not.

AE: Were you originally brought on as a love interest for Deniz, or vice versa? How did the idea for that storyline originate?
DG: Funnily enough, just before they brought Deniz in, I was already preparing to leave the show. Mainly because for most of Season One, I had the feeling Roman was the most redundant character in the show. Of course I didn’t know at the time what they had been quietly and secretly planning for my character.

I think in dramatic terms, the appearance of Deniz gave my character justification to be on the show. It made Roman a bit more real, more vulnerable, and gave the character depth. But also the turbulent relationship with Deniz marked the end of Roman’s innocence, and introduced him to the real world and its disappointments. Poor Roman, life is never easy when you fall in love with a bisexual man.

Roman & Deniz