Molly Blixt Egelind
Molly Blixt Egelind is an actress to watch out for and this week she takes on the biggest role of her career in Love Is All You Need.
The movie sees her team up with director Susanne Bier as well as actors Pierce Brosnan and Trine Dyrholm a is released on Friday.
We caught up with the actress to chat about the movie, working with Susanne Bier and what lies ahead.
- Love Is All You Need is your new movie and is released in UK cinemas this week so can you tell me a little bit about the movie?
Basically it is a story revolving around a young couple who are about to be married, I play Astrid the female counterpart. They are very young and very much in love and are going to get married in the south of Italy.
This marriage brings together both of their families (laughs) and both families are quite interesting (laughs). Astrid’s parents have just broken up because her father has found another woman while Patrick, my fiancé, his father (Pierce Brosnan) is a workaholic and insensitive guy.
- You take on the role of Astrid in the movie so what was it about the script and the character that initially drew you to the project?
It was the first part I had been offered that really had some meat on it in terms of challenging scenes that I could read from the script.
Astrid has a very interesting development through the movie as the wedding moves closer and closer. She starts off so in love and a little bit naive about what she is getting into.
But she is completely in love and is excited as she is about to embark on a new chapter in her life and so she is so full of pure joy. And then everything just slowly comes apart and it was interesting to follow that character through that story line.
- You have slightly touched on my next question as you say this is the first character that you have played that has some meat to it so how exciting was it to get on to the set and really get your teeth into this role?
It was very exciting. Working with Susanne Bier (director) is very rewarding as an actor because she expects so much from you - she has wonderfully high expectations.
She is tough too as she pushes you until you reach what she knows you can do. So it was really… I was working so I wasn’t just going in and delivering a line and then calling it a day (laughs).
It was tough and challenging but in the most wonderful way. I learnt a lot from those five weeks of filming, I really did.
- You play the daughter of Ida, who has been suffering from cancer, and just split from her husband so how important is that relationship to the story? And how do we see that mother/daughter relationship evolve throughout the film?
They know each other so well Astrid and Ida and I think that that really shows because there are some situations… Ida is just trying to strong; she has gone through this gruelling chemotherapy and everything seems to be going as it should but then her husband has left her.
She is just being a trooper for her daughter because the wedding is important thing. So she is really gritting her teeth to get through it and smoothing everything over so that nothing goes wrong.
But Astrid just sees through her completely and I think that that is the mark of a truly loving relationship, when someone calls your bullshit.
- Ida is played by Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan is on the cast list as well so how did you find working alongside these two very experienced actors?
It was very exciting, of course, and I learnt a lot from observing them and working alongside them and yet I wasn’t intimidated by their experience.
I just saw it as an opportunity to gain something for my own work; you are only as good as the people that you play with. It was a wonderful opportunity to work with them.
- The film is set in a sunning location so what was it like filming there? And what was the feeling like on set - you look like you had a lot of fun?
We really did. We spent five weeks there and most of the crew were Danish and we were all away from our families and homes so there was a camaraderie.
When we were done filming we would go to dinner together or go to the beach together because we only really had each other. So we developed a nice little movie family (laughs).
I was one of the first actors to arrive in Italy and the first day I had half an hour off and I just took a stroll through these lemon plantations. It was just wonderful and it really put me in the mood - t really was like stepping into a postcard (laughs).
- You have mentioned Susanne Bier already and she is in the director's chair for the film and she has been behind films like Things We Lost In The Fire and After The Wedding so how did you find working with her?
She is one of the best directors that we have in Denmark and at first I was completely honoured to be considered from the part and I was just over the moon when I found that I had got it.
Working with her was very challenging because she really wants her actors to deliver. But apart from being really serious and quite economical she is also very on schedule all of the time.
But on top of being such a professional, goal-orientated women she is a big joker - she is addicted to teasing people (laughs). She loves teasing people and making fun and so there is a little kid hidden inside her and that is a nice combination.
- And how collaborative a filmmaker is she?
She is very collaborative. We never sat down and talked about the character she never said that Astrid needs to be like this or like that. The scene is born from both her and the actors - you go in and do what you think the scene is about and then she gradually directs a little bit this way of a little less of this.
So it really is a common brainchild. She is very collaborative to some of the other directors that I have worked with.
- How have you found the response to the movie so far?
It has been a huge success in Denmark and I have been nominated for two awards from my role (laughs). That has been just amazing.
Now it is taking off abroad and has been sold to over a hundred countries, which is mind blowing to think about.
I know it sounds weird but for it was just a really nice summer in Italy with these wonderful people and now to think that so many people across the world are going to see this movie is mind-boggling. It’s amazing it really has been a ride.
- You have worked predominately on Danish projects are there any plans to perhaps move into American cinema?
It has always been a dream of mine - I guess for any actor Hollywood is the Holy Grail. It would be a dream come true if I could branch even to other Scandinavian countries, or Britain or the States. Let’s see what happens.
I don’t have a career plan that says ‘ok, let’s take six months out and go to L.A.’ - I am also in acting school here in Denmark.
So, for now, I am just letting the movie unfold and then we will see what happens. I hope it is going to be possible for me to work abroad some day.
- Finally what is next for you?
I have two more years of acting school - which is taking up much of my time right now. It is a huge priority to develop my craft and expanding my skills all of the time.
I am looking for a new project - I have a few things that might happen over summer but nothing is official yet. I am still looking for the next thing.