Diane Kruger On Ageing, Dressing For The School Run And Sharing Beauty Secrets With Her Daughter

Diane Kruger is in her confidence era. There’s the fact she has closed the door on playing the ingénue – ‘I have more to bring to a role today than when I was 20,’ she tells me of her upcoming multi-part role in David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds (a sci-fi based on the death of his own wife) – and becoming a mother in her forties means she has little time for self-doubt. ‘Those less confident days do exist but, with a family to look after, I don’t dwell on it.’

With golden hair and steely blue eyes, Kruger is instantly recognisable thanks to roles in blockbusters including Troy and Inglourious Basterds. Having started out as a model in her teens, Kruger, now 47, has been in the public eye for the best part of three decades. These days, though, family comes first.

She is a hands-on parent, cooking every day. ‘We’re healthy, I’m always trying to be rational about what I buy and what we need. I hate throwing away food,’ she says. She tags her four-times-a-week gym workouts on to the school run. The glamour of the hair and make-up chair is a long way from Kruger’s current leading role. Like most parents, the juggle of playground drop-offs and after-school activities means dressing up takes a back seat. ‘I don’t make the same effort I used to every day,’ she says. ‘It would be ridiculous to be in heels at the playground!’

She may be low-key, but beauty rituals are something Kruger is keen topass on to her daughter. ‘It’s really fun having a girl and showing her those things like sunscreen and moisturiser that she doesn’t quite understand yet,’ she says. ‘I have this double shower and we sometimes shower together so she can learn about the everyday stuff.’

Although Kruger splits her time between New York and Paris, we are meeting in Berlin. She is enjoying being back in her home country, catching up with friends ‘over schnitzel’. Claudia Schiffer was her beauty icon growing up. ‘I was obsessed with the big supermodels era.’

It’s another German icon, Schwarzkopf, that’s brought her back. ‘Schwarzkopf has always been part of my life, it’s such an institution here, I thought it was so cool when they asked me to be an ambassador for the For Every You campaign.’ Surely, someone with instant access to top hairstylists doesn’t actually colour their own hair at home? The pros have been helpful, admits Kruger, but ‘in-between appointments I do my roots myself’, she insists.

Hard work and consistency remain her drivers. ‘The one thing that no one can take away from you is your talent and commitment to the job,’ she says. In her fifth decade, Kruger is getting her most challenging roles yet. ‘I’ve learned to be above all the hype and the ups and downs,’ she says. ‘In life you have to learn to be confident in your abilities.’

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