From starring in the serialized version of Faithless and Hamlet on stage to a small role in an indie film set in 1870s Wisconsin, it’s hard work for you…
– Haha, yes, but also something I appreciate. After all, playing Hamlet was a marathon that required absolute presence and energy for a long time. With a small film role, it’s important to quickly get into the character and make an impression in a short time. I enjoy switching between big and small roles and see it as a challenge to contribute to the whole, regardless of the size of the role.
What attracted you to the role of Harlow? “A prayer for the dying”?
– I was contacted by director Dara Van Dusen a few years ago and from the first conversation I felt like this was something special. Her vision and the way she talked about the project made it clear to me that I would take it on. My role is admittedly small, but Harlow is still somewhat of a hub in the story because he works at the telegraph station and provides all the information.
Set five years after the American Civil War, “A Prayer for the Dying” centers on a war-traumatized Free Church pastor and sheriff who struggles to hold a settler community together when a deadly epidemic breaks out. How do you assess the political relevance of the film today?
– It revolves around questions of community, morality and responsibility – both towards the family and towards society. It is an apocalyptic story of biblical proportions and reflects how we rise and fall with one another. At the same time, I prefer to let the work speak for itself and not add too many of my own opinions. As an actor, it’s important to me not to preach, but to portray and let the viewer draw their own conclusions.
You recently appeared in the British film “Wicker” with Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård – are there any similarities between the films?
– Both films have a kind of fable feel and dare to vary form, even if they are very different in tone and plot. “Wicker” is based on a short story and is set in a kind of timeless, fairytale England where everyone in the village has special names. Olivia Colman plays the “Fisherman’s Wife” who asks the “Basket Maker” – played by the great Peter Dinklage – to create a husband for her out of wicker – and Alexander Skarsgård is the result! I play The Bottle Washer myself, which is actually my first real comedic film role. It’s exciting to be part of an international film community and not just play a Russian assassin or something.
Facts.“A Prayer for the Dying”
Dara Van Dusen’s feature film debut “A Prayer for the Dying” celebrated its world premiere in the “Perspectives” section of the Berlin Film Festival. A British, Norwegian, Greek and Swedish co-production.
In the cast: Johnny Flynn, John C. Reilly, Kristine Kujath Thorp, Gustav Lindh and others.
The film is based on Stewart O’Nan’s novel (1999), which centers on Jacob Hansen (played by Johnny Flynn), a severely traumatized Civil War soldier who is now sheriff, pastor and undertaker in the small immigrant community of Friendship, Wisconsin, which is dominated by Scandinavian settlers.
When the city is hit by a diphtheria epidemic and looming wildfires, he must choose between protecting his young family or defending the immigrant community that gave him a second chance.
Read more about the Berlin Film Festival:
Bella Ramsey on the new film: “The best thing I’ve seen in my career”
Kim Ekberg: “I want to make a Svenden experimental film for the whole people”
