Philip Höfer

Introduction

The character of Philip is introduced together with twin-sister Emily (Anne Menden) to cover the past and dual life of their father Hannes Bachmann (Klaus-Dieter Klebsch). The twins also reinserted a new teen scene, with both characters being only fifteen years old and going to the local school. Jörn Schlönvoigt made the character with his portray about a troubled young boy believable and clicked with the rest of the cast, while the role of Emily would need years to find a great fan base.

Personality

As a handsome young boy living in comfort, Philip showed his side as a rebel, when he found out the truth about the dual life his father was living, with having three other children and a former wife. This fact builds a long going tension between Philip and his half-brother John (Felix von Jascheroff). Philip can be very stubborn in the beginning, showing that he is the one in charge over his own choices. In the inside, Philip is shown as teenager that is very unsure of himself and having nobody as a role model. With his father needing to earn his trust back, Philip seems alone for sometime. Over the years, the character develops in a much more confident person, with an emotional side which can make him very vulnerable.

The rebel

Philip is a fifteen-year-old boy, living with his twin-sister Emily and his stepfather Georg Bernard (Holger Hauer), a diplomat. Their biological father hasn't been in contact with them for years and their mother Lydia left the family to find herself on a trip through India. Philip has a dog, named Gonzo. A present he once got from his father, which is why he adores that dog. But Georg doesn't like Gonzo at all and wants to get rid of him, because he thinks Philip couldn't care less. When Gonzo attacks John one night, Philip flees with Gonzo and leaves an injured John behind. Meanwhile his sister Emily became friends with John and his friends and Philip gets into a fight with John, when they both see each other again at the café Mocca. Philip wants to give him his bike as an apology. But Georg thinks the bike was stolen and catches John with it. Eventually the truth comes out and Georg tells Philip that he has to give up his dog. But because of Lena's (Ute Kargel) help, Philip can keep Gonzo after all. But the war between John and Philip continues. When Philip finds out that John is working for a cleaning service, he books him to him look ridiculous in front of his sister, who already has a crush on John. But John surprises Philip, when strips for him instead; making him feel uncomfortable. Christmas is on the way and Philip and Emily are sad that they haven't heard a word from their parents, not knowing that their father is living in Berlin and that they are closer to him than they think. To get his mind off of things, Philip helps Tim Böcking (Oliver Bender) to prove that Marc Lüders is a con artist, going after Lena's money. They find evidence that ties Marc to a dubious online community. But he already knows that Tim and Philip are after him, which leads him to kidnapping Gonzo. After Marc left town, Philip finds out that his father is living in Berlin. Hannes has a lot of explaining to do, when he reveals that Philip and Emily aren't his only children. He tells them that John, Lena and Ben (Peer Kusmagk) are their half-siblings. Frustrated and angry with Hannes, Philip gets the shock of his life when he finds out that Emily and John are having an affair. He goes to John and tells him about their father's lies and that he finally has to keep his hands away from Emily. John is in shock when he walks out in the middle of his finals and beats his father down. The entire family is left shattered.

When Georg is about to leave town and wants the kids to move to Barcelona with him, Hannes wants to offer Emily and Philip a new home. All three of them moving in a little apartment, causing a lot of tension between them and showing Hannes the years he missed to become the father figure both needed. Philip seals himself off and becomes a member of Patrick Hansen's gang. He tries to get connection with the guys and wants to find people he can count on. His new friends are causing Philip a lot of problems with school and he impends to repeat a school year. John tries to help his little brother and wants to build a relationship with him, but Philip still makes it difficult for him. He can't getaway from his circle of friends and even joins a test of courage with an U-Bahn run. When a member of the gang dies, Philip has a hard time dealing with his sense of guilt. When John still tries to interfere in Philip's life, the brothers get into a huge fight on a roof with Philip's dog Gonzo falling down and ending up dead. The hate that Philip feels for John becomes really huge and he challenges John into doing a run with him too. Emily, Lena and John's girlfriend Paula (Josephine Schmidt) jump on the rails to stop the brothers, but an U-Bahn is already close behind them. They all can rescue themselves into an empty shaft. While John is seriously hurt, they can't reopen the door and are locked up. The search for another exit, but they only find corpse, which is telling them that the shaft was shut down a long time ago. John's physical condition gets worse, when Emily and Paula have a fight and Paula finds out about John's affair with his half-sister. Meanwhile, Senta (Hanne Wolharn) and Hannes start missing the children and Hannes begins to search for them. When he discovers a surveillance tape, he can find them and John can be rescued at the very last seconds. The resent adventure brought the siblings closer and Philip finally makes peace with John, while Emily reconciles with Paula.