Ever since the release of “Pitch Perfect 2,” series producer and star Elizabeth Banks knew she wanted to do something more with German a-cappella group Das Sound Machine.
It took some time and a concept twist, but that idea finally led to “Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin,” which finds Adam Devine’s titular character teaming up with Flula Borg’s Pieter Krämer to try and make it big in Germany. The two, who riff-offed against each other in the past, are now partners — working with franchise newcomers Sarah Hyland and Lera Abova to take on Jameela Jamil’s German pop star Gisela in a battle for stardom.
Borg told TooFab he “can’t believe” he’s back in black for the new Peacock series, debuting November 23 on the streamer.
“I still can’t believe I was in “Pitch Perfect 2” at all! I know it’s been some years, but still, I can’t believe this” he exclaimed when we spoke to him ahead of the debut. “It’s been such a wonderful launch of my career, so the fact that it’s now giving me this again, I can’t believe I get to be on this wonderful TV show based on the character from that film. Wonderful, and so fun, as you could probably see, we had very fun time filming this.”
But viewers will see a softer and more relatable side of Pieter this time around, after he suffered his own embarrassing career setback in the time between “Pitch Perfect 2” and the new series. Borg was thrilled to explore a richer version of the character.
“It’s very nice. There’s so many films and things where a person starts out bad guy and then goes good,” he said, before specifically calling out “The Terminator” films with Arnold Schwarzenegger. “He starts helping with the T-1000, and now [Pieter] starts helping out with Adam. Gisela is the T-1000, my ex-girlfriend.”
“You know you always want to try something new, so to flip it and give him some depth was very fun for me to perform,” he added.
Pieter’s wardrobe also gets quite a makeover this time around, as the leather paneling and mesh tops are (almost) long gone.
“In the beginning, there are subtle meshes. Very subtle part of my outfit, which you barely notice, but I would say you don’t want to layer mesh,” he joked. “So it was nice because, as you will see, he starts to evolve a bit because Pieter starts out in a rough time. It’s not the best time in Pieter’s life when we start the show, and I would like to think that things start to get better as we progress, and you start to I think feel for him a little bit, which is nice.”
While Bumper may be a fish out of water in Berlin, Borg is from Germany, so being able to film the show on location in his homeland was another aspect he loved about the series. Surprisingly, it was the first “real job” he’s actually filmed in Germany — adding, “I won the lottery … not that 2 billion Powerball, but something!”
Since appearing in “Pitch Perfect 2,” Borg has gone on to do voice work for projects including “The Boss Baby: Back In Business,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet,” “Tangled: The Series,” “Lucky” and “Trolls World Tour.” He also bulked up considerably — putting on 25 pounds of muscle — to play Javelin in the first act of “The Suicide Squad.” Anyone who’s kept an eye on his Instagram page — filled with workout videos alongside his “training partner” Yolanda — knows he’s kept up that physique since.
“You know the reason I have it still, is because it helped my brain to work out,” he told TooFab. “Our industry is chaotic with no structure, nothing predictable, with just no idea what will happen.”
“But I do know that I can work with my trainer and very good friend Paolo Mascitti 3 days a week, pump some irons, let Yolanda humiliate me, and I’ve already had a complete day,” he added. “So that’s why I keep doing it, for my brain.”
“Pitch Perfect: Bumper In Berlin” hits Peacock on November 23.
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