Scandinavian film industry must collaborate, says Harry Hole director

Director Øystein Karlsen, known for *Harry Hole* and *Exit*, explains why the same Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish actors keep reappearing in his productions, calling for stronger Nordic cooperation in filmmaking.

In an interview with *Dagbladet*, Karlsen, 54, confirmed that the recurring cast across his series—including *Dag* (2010) and *Exit* (2019)—is no coincidence. His latest project, the Jo Nesbø adaptation *Harry Hole*, drew nearly 5 million views in its first three days on Netflix, becoming the platform’s most-watched non-English series over Easter.

“From the start, we wanted to create a kind of Scandinavian universe,” Karlsen said. He pointed to Danish director Anders Thomas Jensen as another example, frequently casting Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas in films like *Riders of Justice* and *The Last Viking*.

### A familiar ensemble
Many actors from *Dag* and *Exit* return in *Harry Hole*, including Tobias Santelmann, Agnes Kittelsen, Anders Baasmo, and Danish star Jesper Christensen. Swedish actor Simon J. Berger, who played a shady financier in *Exit*, now appears as Martin Aminov in *Harry Hole*.

Karlsen cited practical and creative reasons for the recurring cast: “When I write the series myself, I know their rhythm, how they speak. And when people have worked together before, the set atmosphere is less nervous.”

For *Harry Hole*, he collaborated with Nesbø, who had specific ideas for the cast, such as pairing comedians Linn Skåber and Henriette Steenstrup as a quirky couple. Meanwhile, international backers Netflix, Universal Studios, and Working Title pushed for bigger names, leading to the casting of Swedish-American star Joel Kinnaman (*House of Cards*, *Snabba Cash*) as the villain, Tom Waaler.

### Mixing stars and newcomers
The series also features lesser-known talent, like TV host Thomas Seltzer in his acting debut. “Both Jo and I knew Thomas beforehand, and he surprised us—there’s a refreshing, life-weary charm when he turns it on,” Karlsen noted.

He also enjoys seeing actors shift between roles of varying prestige. Ellen Helinder, who played a sex worker in *Exit*, now appears as a forensic technician in *Harry Hole*. “Letting people move between high- and low-status jobs is very interesting,” he said.

### A call for Nordic unity
Karlsen described his vision for *Harry Hole* as an “110 percent Oslo” that feels more international—a “Scandinavian melting pot.” But achieving this requires resources and collaboration.

“We’re so few in Scandinavia that we *have* to work together,” he argued. Instead of competing with multiple series, he believes Nordic productions should pool their efforts: “They need to be spread out less. Not just because of the money, but because we’re simply not sexy enough on our own.”