To be specific, Kretschmann has played a Nazi solider in: Stalingrad (1993), Krigerens Hjerte (1994), U-571 (2000), The Pianist (2002), In Enemy Hands (2004), Downfall - Der Untergang (2004), Head in the Clouds (2004), Eichmann (2007), Operation Valkyrie (2008), Laconia (2011), Stalingrad (2013 - yes, a second movie called Stalingrad), Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)…. And that’s just the times he was a literal Nazi, and not a vaguely fascist German character.
On the other hand, there have been actors that play Nazis all the time.
https://gamerant.com/the-truth-about-hollywoods-favorite-nazi/
To be fair, if you’re a character actor in Hollywood, can you really afford to be turning down parts merely because they’re typecasting you?
As long as people are making media with Nazis in it, someone’s gonna get cast to play the Nazi. Might as well cast someone who understands the role.
It doesn’t mean they believe in it, which is discussed in the very article you linked.
It sounds like he’s come to terms with it.
Missed conspiracy and enemy at the gates, shame