Danish Originals

From his home in Århus after a performance of Ludwig Holberg's theater play Jeppe på Bjerget, Roskilde-born Danish actor and director THURE LINDHARDT talks about the craft of acting, the necessity of collaboration and letting go of one's ego, and other nuanced differences between working in theater and in film. He talks about the high-budget Ron Howard film Angels & Demons, revisits di...

From her home in Copenhagen, Rødovre-born, Danish singer-songwriter KIRA SKOV talks about her deeply personal new memoir Liv forladt about music, life as a musician in 1990s Los Angeles and London, and the silver lining in loss and grief. Kira talks about musicians who have inspired her, her spirit animal that accompanies her in her writing, the detrimental 2017 sudden death of her husband and col...

From his home studio, Hørsholm-born, Burbank, Los Angeles-based BAFTA-winning Danish composer and sound designer JESPER KYD recalls his part in the European demoscene in the '80s and '90s that took him to Boston, New York, and eventually Los Angeles. Jesper revisits his hit franchises Hitman, Assassin's Creed, and Borderlands, and shares thoughts about his more current ventures in film...

From her home in Indianapolis, Glostrup-born, Herlev-raised Danish-American singer songwriter ANITA LERCHE describes her roles as acclaimed performer of Punjabi music, global ambassador of Punjabi culture, Grammy voting member and Recording Academy's Chicago Chapter Board governor. Alongside her contributions to world, new age, classical, pop, and jazz music, Anita talks about her mark on trad...

From his office in Holmen, Århus-born, Gilleleje-raised, Copenhagen-based Danish director of the National Film School of Denmark KRISTOFFER HEGNSVAD shares his thoughts on the school's role in training students from its nine departments to achieve their artistic best and to work collaboratively. He revisits his work as a filmmaker, film critic, and author, his three iconic documentaries, and d...

From his home, Copenhagen-born and -based Danish vintage clothing store owner and PhD fellow JESPER RICHARDY talks about the life cycle of textiles. He shares his thoughts on quality, and on the systemic changes needed in the fashion industry as it concerns sustainability, circularity, waste, capitalism, and consumerism. Jesper talks about the evolution of his three different ventures, in Copenhag...

From her San Francisco office, American journalist and author JEANNE CARSTENSEN discusses her new non-fiction book A Greek Tragedy: One Day, A Deadly Shipwreck, and the Human Cost of the Refugee Crisis, that portrays, through firsthand accounts, the largest single-day loss of life during the modern European refugee crisis on October 28, 2015. Jeanne shares thoughts on the timelessness of this very...

From his home in Østerbro, Copenhagen-born French-Vietnamese-Danish jazz bassist, composer, and band leader CHRIS MINH DOKY shares his journey that included a multicultural musical upbringing, becoming the house bass player at Copenhagen's La Fontaine at 17, and moving to New York at 18 to be closer to the music he loved, which resulted in a 30-year stay. Chris talks about discovering Miles Da...

From his home in Hornbæk, northern Copenhagen-born, retired Danish pilot, airline captain, and businessman PERCY BECK RØRVIG recalls living in Manhattan at an early age, joining the Danish Air Force at 18, starting a 30-year long career at Scandinavian Airlines at 24, and piloting the CPH-JFK route for years. Percy calls New York his second home, having lived there for several periods. And he talk...

In Los Angeles for Noma's 16-week Silver Lake pop-up residency, Seoul-born, Fjerritslev-raised Danish restaurant co-owner PETER KREINER revisits his path running the influential establishment ranked #1 in the world five times. Peter shares his insights, on leading Noma with its philosophy on culinary innovation through foraging and fermentation and its approach to creating unforgettable experi...

From her home in Culver City, Næstved-born, Los Angeles-based Danish bakery owner and head baker KAREN HANSEN recalls her journey arriving in LA in 1977 as an au pair to her current venture with the beloved local favorite, Copenhagen Pastry. Karen talks about being a resourceful self-starter and checking in with her instincts. And she revisits her very different prior businesses, a residential hom...

From her studio in Copenhagen, Lyngby-born Danish composer and cellist JOSEFINE OPSAHL talks about her dual roles as a classical music composer and a cellist who performs with live electronics and sound design. She elaborates on performativity, the forces of life that are at stake in her music, and her breaking down genre boundaries and dissolving physical ones. And Josefine traces her creative jo...

From her home in Long Beach, Sønderborg outskirts-born Danish global life sciences and diagnostics legal executive VIBEKE HOLST-ANDERSEN talks about her 13-year tenure with the international Danaher Corporation, first in Denmark, then in the US. She revisits her considerations as a Danish legal expert working in the US, and her experience passing the California Bar Examination only as a challenge...

From his home in the Bay Area, Hellerup-born, two-time Grammy-winner Danish-American violinist and composer MADS TOLLING shares highlights of his career playing with bands and leading his own groups, the Mads Tolling Quartet, and Mads Tolling & The Mads Men. At his core a jazz violinist, Mads credits his training at Boston's Berklee College of Music, and talks about blurring musical bounda...

From her home in the Santa Monica mountains, Aarhus-born, Los Angeles-based Danish-Swedish ceramicist, curator, and bookseller LENA TORSLOW HANSEN revisits her first passion with clay and her roles with some foundational exhibitions: "A Broad Spectrum" (1984), "Golden Age in Danish Painting" (1994) as well as the 28 for the cultural festival "Scandinavia Today" (1982–1983)....

From his home office in Gentofte, Sønderborg-born and Copenhagen- and New York-based Danish photographer JENS HONORÉ talks about his work with the Roger Federer Foundation and his books A Place to Dream (2018) with SOS Children's Village and The Right to Food (2021) with the nonprofit initiative JUNKFOOD. He discusses the importance of connecting to people, using his photography for social goo...

From his home in Israels Plads, Soviet Union-born, Copenhagen-based Danish American businessman and startup investor ILYA KATSNELSON recalls arriving in the US as a refugee at the age of ten, his formative years in Wisconsin, and moving to Denmark, later surviving a German maximum security jail when the Russian state issued a retaliatory Interpol red notice against him. Equally, he talks about his...

From her home in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, Copenhagen-born, New York-based Danish-Scottish documentary film producer and director MAIKEN BAIRD talks about her latest film on Palestinian American scholar Edward Said that is entirely archive-based. She revisits her iconic works, such as Client 9 (2010), Venus and Serena (2012), Oscar winner Icarus (2017), and Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich (2022...

From her home in Copenhagen, Fuglebjerg-born Danish arts and culture advisor FREDERIKKE MØLLER talks about her recent position with the Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. facilitating Danish arts programming and dialogue in the US. Frederikke shares her thoughts on the changing US cultural scene under the Trump administration, and describes her current initiatives with Seattle's National Nordi...

From his home in Concord, Massachusetts, New England-born former US Ambassador to Denmark RUFUS GIFFORD recalls his start in politics, his ongoing connection to Denmark, and his work under Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He describes the current problematic chapter in transatlantic relationships, exemplified by the tensions with Denmark and Greenland, the MAGA movement in the US, and his passion to he...

From her home in Østerbro, Copenhagen- and Madison, Wisconsin-based Danish author PERNILLE IPSEN talks about her book and collective memoir My Seven Mothers: Making a Family in the Danish Women's Movement which is an English translation and adaptation of the 2020 Montana Prize Danish original. She describes her mothers' roles in the 1970s Red Stockings and Lesbian Movements, and traces the...

From her home in Mar Vista, Los Angeles, Ølstykke-born, Málaga, Spain-raised Danish photojournalist METTE LAMPCOV discusses her work in California documenting climate change and the work of undocumented agricultural workers. With expertise in water, forest, and fire ecology, she revisits her work on the Salton Sea and the Sequoia National Forest. Throughout, Mette shares her thoughts on the state...

From a recording studio in downtown Copenhagen, Siberian-born Danish journalist and author of I, Putin , SAMUEL RACHLIN recalls his parents' journey back to Denmark from exile, when he was ten. He talks about his natural urge to understand Russia, discovering the US in 1976, and his roles as the first news anchor for TV2 in 1988 and the first Washington Correspondent for TV2 in 1990. Returning...

From his home in Copenhagen, Gladsaxe-born Danish actor LARS MIKKELSEN talks about his role as Captain Anderson on Frankenstein (2025). He recalls his start as a street performer before Shakespeare sent him on his path to acting. Of his long career, Lars reflects on the TV series Sherlock, The Killing, and Borgen that brought him attention abroad and that led to the American series House of Cards....

In her West Hollywood family home, Germany-born, Southern California, Newport-Beach-based Danish-Brazilian entrepreneur NATASHA FISKER talks about her newest business venture, the science-backed skincare brand Checked Out that promises health and wellness that works overnight. Natasha further shares her thoughts on multiculturalism, her background in fashion technology, and the evolving trends of...