Review Tales

In my quest to introduce Danish cinema to international viewers, I will give you the 5 best currently active Danish actors to look out for when you are hopefully exploring Danish films to watch yourself, and three performances for each that I would like to highlight. These are listed in no particular order, and it is my own opinion and you may discover other Danish actors you think are better.

1) Søren Malling

Søren Malling is a man who has featured in many different genres, and has a large filmography that consists of a mixed bag, but the times he has featured in a not so good film, these films have not been bad because of him. More often than not he brings a brilliant performance with incredible range. 

He can be funny, wholesome, angry, evil, and so much more, and no matter what type of role he plays, he brings his all with a great deal of professionalism. His highlighted performances include ‘A Hijacking’ (2012), ‘1864’ (2014, mini-series), and ‘The Investigation’ (2020, mini-series).

2) Mikkel Boe Følsgaard

Mikkel Boe Følsgaard is an actor with not too many credits, but the few films he has featured in have had great performances from him. He has a very good range, and the potential to get even better. Some highlighted performances of his include his role as a family father who discovers that he is transgender and becomes his children’s mother in ‘A Perfectly Normal Family’ (2020), the clinically insane King Christian VII in ‘A Royal Affair’ (2012), and the vengeful sergeant overlooking German POWs in ‘Land of Mine’ (2015). 

3) Pilou Asbæk

Pilou Asbæk is my personal favorite of all Danish actors because besides being a damn good actor, he is also a very charismatic and kind person. He does often feature in English language films and TV, having featured in ‘Ben Hur’ (2016) and 9 episodes of ‘Game of Thrones” (2011-2019), but a lot of his international roles have been okay at best, however, when he acts in Danish films he goes from an okay actor to one of the best. 

His emotional range is impeccable, and his characters often have a secret emotional and vulnerable side to them, that comes to light through his amazing performances. His highlights include ‘A Hijacking’ (2012), ‘Sex, Drugs and Taxation’ (2013), and ‘April 9th’ (2015).

4) Nikolaj Lie Kaas

Nikolaj Lie Kaas is a very diverse actor. His first ever feature film was ‘The Boys from St. Petri’ (1991) when he was just 17 years old, and he started off great. He has often featured in comedies as a less intelligent side character, but in 2011 he featured in the biopic ‘A Funny Man’, starring as the beloved Danish comedian Dirch Passer, who struggled with depression and alcoholism as he tried and failed to become a serious actor, and this role being Kaas’ first serious role was a wonderful metaphor for his own career, but unlike the man he portrayed, he succeeded in breaking into the serious roles. 

He has not completely strayed away from comedic roles but maintains a good variety in serious and comedic films. Highlights of his include ‘A Funny Man’ (2011), ‘Riders of Justice’ (2020), and ‘The Green Butchers’ (2003).

5) Mads Mikkelsen

We all know and love Mads Mikkelsen, and he really needs no introduction, but this list is not about highlighting lesser known actors, it is just about highlighting the best, and we cannot deny that Mads is among the best. Some would say he is the best, I would argue otherwise, but he is definitely deserving of being on this list. 

While you all likely know most of his best work already such as ‘The Hunt’ (2012), ‘Pusher’ (1996), and ‘Another Round’ (2020), I believe I can highlight some of his lesser known performances. I would like to focus on his more comedic roles from early in his career to show his brilliant range from comedy to drama, with my three highlights of his being ‘Flickering Lights’ (2000), ‘The Green Butchers’ (2003), and ‘Adam’s Apples’ (2005).