Key members of the ensemble, including Jonas Dassler (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) and August Diehl (Martin Niemoller), have distanced themselves from possible misuses of the film. They stand behind the calls from Bonhoeffer scholars, church leaders, and extended members of the Bonhoeffer family to stop the distortion of Bonhoeffer’s life and legacy to justify Christian Nationalism and political violence. Read their statement below:

Statement of the Actors of the Bonhoeffer Movie (2024)

We, the actors of the film Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin, by Todd Kormanicki are deeply concerned about the misuse of our film and the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Christian Nationalists.

We read the open letter and statement by the Bonhoeffer experts and descendants of the Bonhoeffer family and wholeheartedly share their concerns and condemn any dangerous appropriations.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived in a time when fascism and nationalism suppressed democracy, human rights and ultimately cost millions of people to lose their lives. He spoke out openly about the crimes committed by the Nazis, the infiltration of the church by the Nazis, and assisted victims of this state. After years of living under a dictatorship, and millions of marginalized peoples dead, Bonhoeffer participated in assassination attempts against Hitler (a drastic and final resort). This final action led to his execution in 1945, age 39.

In today’s society, populists and nationalists are not afraid of twisting history and in this case a whole man’s legacy to their inhuman worldview. This reminds us why we did this movie in the first place: the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer teaches us that it is necessary to speak up against any authoritarian, violent attempt to damage democracy and Human Rights.

In his younger days Bonhoeffer was influenced by the African American churches in Harlem, their social activism and strong community bond in the face of segregation – this was an early inspiration for his work. Through this experience he gained the confidence to take a stand against Nazism in Germany. One of Bonhoeffer’s most cherished passages from the bible speaks to the notion of compassion and togetherness in times of adversity, this was his compass until his execution. Here is a short excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Populists and nationalists all over the world are never interested in the meek, in the ones who mourn or the peacemakers. They are not asking ‘why are people fleeing and leaving everything they love behind?’; ‘How can we live together peacefully?’. Instead, they divide us, spread fear, lies and threaten their political opponents by framing themselves as victims and marginalized – a common ploy by far-right groups worldwide. These kind of people, this demagoguery and violent system was what Bonhoeffer spoke up against. Nothing else.

We believe in our movie, which to our belief tells a completely different story to what a radical few want to make out of it.

To us, the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer tells a tale about: speaking up against totalitarian regimes; and acting against systems of lies, bigotry, Nationalism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia. To defend our history and culture from appropriation, historical revisionism. His legacy teaches us to always look out for the marginalized in our society; not to judge people for their race, gender, sexuality and class. Bonhoeffer would not judge how we find love, compassion, solidarity with one another. He would encourage us to find a way we can learn from each other and that our faith, whatever it may be, should never be taken away by extremist demagogues and always lead with Love.

As the actors of this film, we hope this message will resonate with you as it’s the reason we agreed to take on this project and honor Bonhoeffer’s legacy. We distance ourselves from everyone who tries to take this film for narrative to take up arms and harm one another.

Jonas Dassler (playing “Dietrich Bonhoeffer”)

August Diehl (Playing “Martin Niemöller”)

David Jonsson (playing “Frank Fisher”)

Moritz Bleibtreu (playing “Karl Bonhoeffer”)

Nadine Heidenreich (playing “Paula Bonhoeffer“)

James Flynn (playing “Dr. Rascher”)

Lisa Hofer (playing “Sabine Bonhoeffer“)

Felix von Bredow (playing “Rudolf-Christoph von Gersdorf”)

Patrick Moelleken (playing “Walter Bonhoeffer”)