“Bastarden”, interview with director Nikolaj Arcel and actor Simon Bennebjerg

With Bastarden – The Promised Land, screening in competition at the 80th Venice International film festival, Danish director Nikolaj Arcel is back at directing a period film with Mads Mikkelsen playing a captain, in 1755, with a seemingly impossible goal: to build a colony in the name of the King.

Inspired by Ida Jessen’s novel, Nikolaj Arcel’s intention was to tell an epic tale, with the structure of a classical film: “The way we tell the story is old school cinema“. As Arcel then points out, the film aims at showing us how you can never know which direction life is gonna take you.

As the villain of the story, Arcel chose Simon Bennebjerg, who describes how he approached the role, trying not to judge his character’s evil behavior and getting at the core of the reasons why he is who he is.

The post “Bastarden”, interview with director Nikolaj Arcel and actor Simon Bennebjerg appeared first on Fred Film Radio.