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.”