Netflix just keeps on coming with more and more Nordic goods – and what we are finding so exciting is that they seem to be delivering series’ that we didn’t even know anything about before they’re released! So this one came as a pleasant surprise. ‘Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes‘ is a twisted horror with a heavy dose of Nordic black comedy.
We spoke to one of the lead actors of the show, Elias Holmen Sørensen, who plays the character called ‘Odd’, about what to expect and whether Skarnes is really a nice place to go visit…
Elias, you first appeared in one of Netflix’s early originals, Lillyhammer; how exciting was it to be back doing something new with Netflix?
I got the part in April 2020 I think, and COVID had just made every actor on the planet into an unemployed wreck!
The fact I had a job was unreal in itself. And on Netflix? That still hasn’t totally settled in I think. During production, it was easier just to think about it as any other tv show, but now that the release is closing in the nerves are coming, I have to admit.
Norway’s a small country. If five hundred thousand go watch your movie that’s a huge hit! Netflix is a whole other ballgame..!
So, what is the story with Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes?
We follow Live who wakes up at the coroner after being pronounced dead and starts to struggle with unquenchable bloodthirst, and the uneventful little town of Skarnes goes from safe to unsafe very fast!
It’s in many ways a vampire/nordic noir story. Someone called it “Northferatu”. Not a bad summary actually.
It’s in many ways a vampire/nordic noir story.
And what is your role in the series?
I play Live’s brother Odd (yes it’s a real name in Norway), the town undertaker who has his own struggles. You see, no one dies in Skarnes. In many ways it’s true. Most of those who now are at death’s door were born in 1930.
Not a good decade for babymaking! Depression, war on the horizon, not to mention polio and other diseases we now have beaten with vaccines! So the real world funeral business is in the middle of a drought, and they are all silently waiting for the Boomers to start dropping. A bit macabre, I know, but girls gotta eat, hehe. Maybe Live and her new needs can help her brother out..?
You see, no one dies in Skarnes. In many ways it’s true. Most of those who now are at death’s door were born in 1930…the real world funeral business is in the middle of a drought…Maybe Live and her new needs can help her brother out..?
By the sounds of things we might want to avoid Skarnes for a little trip – where are some of your favourite places to visit in Norway?
Hehe, It has to be said that Skarnes is NOT a scary place in real life! If anything it’s too safe! The Glomma River runs by and they have an ice cube factory. That’s it really.
As for a recommendation, I would say Skrova Lighthouse in Lofoten! My dad lives there and runs a small inn on one of the islands. Go check it out! They have a ghost and everything!
www.skrovafyr.no
What have you got coming up next?
Right now I’m playing Laertes in Hamlet at the National Theater in Oslo. It’s good to be back on stage after a long lockdown! But my heart belongs in film and TV, and if Post Mortem goes all right I would love to make more!
Finally, What was the last TV Show or Film your watched, book you read, and album you listened to?
Hehe, the last film I watched was The Peacemaker from 97, with Nicole Kidman and George Clooney. Amazing film as long as you don’t expect anything!
Book, Brambly Hedge, I read it for my daughter. Best book ever!
And the last album I listened to was A Plague Tale: Innocence (Original soundtrack). I love film and game scores and this one is one of my new favorites!
Interview by Alex Minnis
Images from the TV series provided by Netflix
Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes is out on Netflix from the 25th August!