From stage to screen: Conchita Wurst dreams of a villain role

New role

Austrian drag queen singer and Eurovision 2014 winner Tom Neuwirth, who performs as Conchita Wurst, has new creative ambitions: the artist wants to try himself in the role of a true villain on screen. In a recent interview with the German Press Agency, the 36-year-old artist said he wants to delve into the complexity of the human psyche, particularly to explore the boundaries between good and evil.

«I’m interested in what drives people, and where the dark side lives within me,» Neuwirth shared. According to him, acting is an opportunity to discover the most contrasting parts of oneself.

Neuwirth already has experience in both theatre and film. He played Archduke Ludwig Viktor — the brother of Emperor Franz Joseph — in the play «Luzivuzi» in Vienna. According to the Rabenhof Theater, Ludwig Viktor was an extraordinary personality with a free spirit, and Neuwirth admits he feels close to this character.

The singer will also appear in the film «The Blood Countess,» directed by Ulrike Ottinger. The film tells the story of the legendary Erzsébet Báthory, who was accused of murdering young girls in order to preserve her youth. In this project, Neuwirth took on several roles — from the host of a vampire ball to an androgynous singer and even himself.

Despite not having a formal acting education, the artist is actively developing in this new direction without leaving music behind. On July 11, he will perform in Germany with the program «From Vienna with Love,» together with the Mecklenburg State Orchestra, on the open-air stage of the Schwerin Theater.

As a reminder, Conchita Wurst became internationally famous after winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014, representing Austria with the song «Rise Like a Phoenix.»

Photo: Instagram @conchitawurst