The first time you see Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value you want to catch her, hug her, slap her (as her character requests), or do anything to calm her down.
Reinsve plays Nora, an actress suffering from horrific stage fright moments before she steps on stage in front of an audience to play the lead in a new play. Nora doesn’t fear failing; she passed that point some time ago. What freaks her out is the risk of losing control over her deepest emotions and being reminded of her vulnerability.
The reason for Nora's turmoil is twofold. Her mother recently died, and she has to deal suddenly with her estranged father Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård). A once celebrated filmmaker, he lays claim to the family home and, in painfully ignorant ways, tries to reunite with Nora and her married younger sister, Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas).
Still traumatised by Gustav’s abandonment of the family years ago, Nora resents his presence and refuses his offer to star in a new film he has written for her. She also senses his manipulative charm. For all her anger, there is a deep, ancient sorrow in her eyes.
It’s not the first time that Reinsve has given a revelatory performance in a film written by Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt and directed by Trier. She was sensational as the emotionally and professionally unmoored Julie in the duo’s The Worst Person in the World (2021), her breakout film.
Reinsve originally met Trier and Vogt during the making of Oslo, August 31 (2011), in which she had a small part. In the following decade, her stage career shifted into high gear. She has appeared in a range of Norwegian television and feature films, including four 2024 releases: Thea Hvistendahl's horror mystery Handling the Undead (2024), Aaron Schimberg's grotesque comedy A Different Man, Piero Messina's sci-fi romance Another End, and Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s psychological drama Armand.
PAMELA JAHN: Do you suffer from stage fright as badly as your character Nora Borg does at the beginning of Sentimental Value?
RENATE REINSVE: No, fortunately not. When I was younger, however, I found it much more difficult to fully immerse myself in a character and consciously search for emotions within myself that might not be good for me at that moment. I have played many roles in which I felt disconnected from my feelings. And that is exactly what Nora experiences in the film. Her greatest fear is to let herself go, to be angry or sad, and so she tries to escape from it.
What has helped you personally to feel more confident on stage or in front of the camera?
Working with certain theatre directors and filmmakers like Joachim Trier, who put aside all vanity and ego to create something that feels real and authentic. It can quickly backfire when you develop a character that is different from yourself but is supposed to appear like a second self to the outside world. For me, creating this illusion believably for the audience is the great secret of this profession.
It sounds like an intimate process.
Yes, which makes it all the more important to work in an environment where you can show your vulnerability. To be honest, this time I was quite nervous about filming with Joachim again. Since The Worst Person in the World, he knows me inside and out, both as a person and as an actress, and I knew that he wanted to challenge me emotionally with Nora even more than he did with Julie in the previous film.
Both roles were written for you. What makes you such a good team?
It may sound rather negative to outsiders, but we hardly need to talk to each other any more, and can communicate almost without words. Sometimes a brief glance or simply remaining silent is enough. It also has a lot to do with the atmosphere Joachim creates on set. It's very inclusive, very rhythmic. Joachim always says he would prefer to compose his films like a good LP, with lots of hits that you listen to on repeat. That's how the individual scenes are designed, too; there's a certain beat that's already written into the script and carries over to the set in a similar way.
What distinguishes Joachim Trier and his co-writer Eskil Vogt, especially in the development of female characters? They seem to really understand women.
The stories they tell are always about the human experience itself, whether male or female. Their perspective is universal, and they are very open to constructive criticism. That's not a given, unfortunately.
Do you have a specific ritual before you go on stage or in front of the camera?
I believe in chaos and surprises. For me, it's best to leave everything to chance and not control anything. I learned that from my character Julie in The Worst Person in the World: just accept life with all its twists and turns and surrender to the circumstances. Nora is a bit like that too, but less free in her thoughts and actions.
Are there any other parallels between Nora and Julie?
That's hard for me to say now. Nora is still too close to me to be able to analyse her in detail. But she seems more mature than Julie. Nora carries a heavy emotional burden. On the one hand, she struggles with her grief over the death of her mother, and on the other, with the unhealthy family dynamic of being the daughter of a successful director who cannot deal with his own children.
Elle Fanning plays your counterpart in Sentimental Value – a Hollywood star who wants to shoot a European film in Oslo. Was it the other way around for you?
It has always been my dream to act in a French film – and that hasn't changed. Hollywood is exciting, of course, but I think there are very few good auteur filmmakers in America.
When did you actually discover acting?
I started acting in a theatre workshop when I was nine. That's when I knew: this is me. But the feeling of exclusion still didn't leave me. Learning something well is a lonely process. You need space and time to think and study on your own. I'll never forget that no matter how old or established I am.
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