Creators and actors of ‘Sam -- A Saxon’ talk about the series

Sam (Malick Bauer) in Sam-A Saxon. PHOTO © THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
Sam (Malick Bauer) in Sam-A Saxon. PHOTO © THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

Creators and actors of ‘Sam -- A Saxon’ talk about the series

By Tia Carol Jones

“Sam – A Saxon” is a human story. A global story. A Black German story.

The story about the East Germany’s first Black policeman, Sam Meffire, was first told to Tyron Ricketts by Meffire himself back in the early 2000s. More than 20 years later, the story became a Disney + series that is available on Hulu.

“When I heard his story, I thought, this needs to be on the screen,” Ricketts said.

Meffire was a police officer in Dresden in 1990 and he details his story in the autobiography, “I, a Saxon.” In 2006, Ricketts was an actor on a show called “Leipzig Homicide” where Joran Winger was the producer of the show.  Ricketts and Winger tried to get the show off the ground then, but they weren’t able to realize it. With Black Lives Matter taking shape globally, streamers have been more inclined to tell more diverse stories. Ricketts got Chris Silber on board and Disney + and Hulu picked up the story. “Sam – A Saxon” was the first Disney + original out of Germany.

“We were very happy that Disney picked our show to be the first original because it went along with Disney’s very open approach to diversity and inclusion.  We were happy that we had such a big player to put the power they have behind it,” Ricketts said.

The show is about belonging, finding a home, which is something Ricketts believes people can relate to universally. The main character is German, but society and the system he lives in doesn’t accept him the way he is, which is a struggle that is still prevalent.

Ricketts believes that if more stories were told from different perspectives, it would make the world we live in better. It would result in a story that is a German story, but one that works universally.

“The world is very diverse, and I think if we find a narrative of the world from those diverse angles, hopefully it’s going to create a more peaceful world where we all get along a little better,” Ricketts said.

There were extensive interviews with Meffire and he would look at the evolving script. He was also the first person to see the final version of the show. Winger and Ricketts watched all seven episodes with Meffire. Ricketts described it as “nerve racking,” and that at the end of the showing, Meffire was silent.

Winger said that when he drove Meffire back to the train station after the screening, he revealed how touched he was and how emotional it was.
“He felt like, of course the show is a fictionalized version of his life, so we’re not accurate, but we try to tell the psychological truth. He felt like we had basically succeeded in telling the different emotional states throughout the journey,” Winger said, adding that Meffire was also happy about the depiction of his father, who was killed shortly before Meffire was born.

Paula Essam, who plays Sabine, believes the show is very important to Afro Germans because the search for a home always continues. Even 30 years later, the themes of not knowing where a person belongs or knowing where you are from, but the society where a person lives reflects something different, is something that still affects Afro Germans even today. Essam added that it was important for Afro Germans to see depiction of themselves in the 1990s, because the show is the first time people of color are seen in a historical context.

“That’s very important and empowering, too, because it gives you a sort of legacy in the country you want to belong to,” Essam said.

Ivy Quainoo, who plays Jenny, was intrigued that there was a German show that wanted to tackle the topics of the early 1990s and how Black people in Germany and immigrants who came to Germany were treated. During the audition, she was touched by the fact there was an effort toward intersectionality.

Malick Bauer, who plays Sam, described being in the series as a doubtful dream come true. To get such a story, which was politically relevant and emotionally thrilling, was nice for him.

“We’re currently at that stage of diversity and inclusion where when you do tell stories about diverse people, or people from marginalized backgrounds, they tell them very safely, and they don’t want to make any mistakes,” Bauer said.

At the same time, Bauer is an actor, who comes from a theater background, and he wanted to delve into character, peel away the character, see the mistakes and the redeeming qualities. For him, to get to go on the ride of portraying Meffire was special to him. The show also pays homage to Meffire’s father.

Bauer was able to connect with Meffire, who gave Bauer a tour of important stages of his life, as well as the raw file of his book to read. It enriched the character for Bauer, along with the scripts that were written by Ricketts, Silber and Winger. Bauer also did research on the historic context of the time, before and after the Berlin wall came down in 1989, as well as talking to people from the former GDR.

Quainoo believes the series gives people the courage to write more stories by Black people for Black people, which is important for accuracy and more relatability.

“To me, I hope it’s not just about proving to white Germans, that oh yeah, we’re here, and we can do this, but also give Black and brown writers and people in media and film the tools and the strength to get into the business more fiercely,” Quainoo said.

Bauer added, “Basically, you have to see yourself with some representation of self to have the audacity to become the next version of that.” Bauer made his portrayal of Meffire his calling rather than a job because he knew it was historical.  He said, “if you get to do it, you better carry the torch.”

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.