Currently on BBC iPlayer, along with brand new Prisoner which we’ll talk about in a moment, there is a drama comedy film called Denmark, which stars Rafe Spall as a man called Herb whose life has fallen apart. He decides it’s a good idea to go to Denmark to get himself arrested and spend some time living worry-free in a Danish prison because apparently Danish prions are rather nice.
Having watched two episodes so far of the new award-winning Danish series Prisoner (Huset in Danish), we can see that it is certainly not always the case that Danish prisons are the haven that Herb dreamed of!
Prisoner is a brilliant catch for BBC, giving UK audiences the opportunity to see why this is one of the most talked-about shows in Denmark. The Danes are great at creating gripping, thrilling dramas, and this one features an ensemble cast including favourites such as Sofia Grabol and David Denick. Another star at the centre of the story is Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt, who plays mysterious new prison officer on the block, Sammi, fresh from training and keen to make a positive difference. Nordic Watchlist spoke to Youssef about making the series and what it means to have it released in the UK.
Nordic Watchlist: Tells us a little bit about your character and what to expect from him?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “My character, Sammi, is a new prison guard and just graduated. He thinks he has everything figured out and knows how it all works but he quickly finds out it is nothing like he thought it might be. He is very ambitious and wants to get high up in the system – when he meets someone he used to know in the prison he discovers a way to use him for his own gain.
He also doesn’t get on too well with everyone in the prison – he is very narrow minded and believes in the punishment the inmates should receive by doing things by the book. With the prison coming under threat from closure, things need up to be ramped up a little within the prison with major repercussions for both the prisoner guards and the inmates.“
Nordic Watchlist: I read that you wanted to make your character almost robotic in a way -why was that?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “It was my way of making sure I could match up to the people in the series. I wanted Sammi to be a little bit strange, being strange can be the scariest thing to people, and I felt this worked. A lot of people had said how they have felt empathy for his character – they follow his way because his morals feel right, but the way he achieves them is not necessarily so.“
Youssef has done wonderful work with his character, bringing to life someone hard to read, adding mystery, and generating a sense of dread over where all his actions are going to lead.
Nordic Watchlist: We get the impression that Sammi is a bit of a badass too – in the first couple of episodes we see him working out a lot and keeping strong. How much physical work was expected of you for the role?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “I had done some boxing before but that was many years ago so I had that in me, but the physical thing about bulking I had no idea about. So I had this personal trainer work with me for 4-5 months – most of which was spent with me trying to understand the whole process.“
Nordic Watchlist: You are rubbing shoulders with a seriously impressive cast here; but is it true that some of the inmates in the series are actually former prisoners?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “Most of them had experienced the system one way or another. The directors wanted to find someone who wanted to act but the also look the part so they knew what to do which can always be a challenge.
These guys were just amazing, they were so invested in the roles and over the next six episodes how everything makes sense for them. The funniest thing was that off set they were so sweet and nice – then we would start filming and suddenly they become the scariest guys!”
The series is directed by two directors, each doing three episodes apiece; Frederik Louis Hviid who was involved with the excellent Shorta film; and then Michael Noer whose upcoming film Birthday Girl will be out later this year and a director who was also behind the brutal prison drama R: Hit Hard, Hit Fast and the Papillon remake too (there is a theme here surely?)
Nordic Watchlist: What was it like working with both of these directors?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “They both had the same goal in way, they are such huge movie lovers and know so much. Their dedication to the project was just incredible to be a part of, however, they both worked in such different styles which was interesting to experience.
Frederik had everything planned out – he had probably thought of about each scene at least a millions times. He was strict in a free way – like he knew what he wanted and had all these notes with him so had everything was planned out.
Michael, he would shout in lines he wanted to see, even if it was a bit strange. For example he asked me to tell one of the inmates in the scene that I loved him and I was so confused because this wasn’t part of the story but what he was after was the reaction – he was already editing in his head how the scene would look. When I finally got up to speed with how it worked, it was fascinating.“
Nordic Watchlist: How important to you is it to have this series reach a wider audience now it is available in the UK?
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt: “It is totally amazing, Frederik had called me and asked if I was as excited as he was – and of course I was – but I never thought this series would get such a big following even in Denmark. It is a pretty harsh series but it ended up being really popular there and I think the UK are going to really enjoy this too.“
Prisoners is something we have perhaps been missing when it comes to Nordic TV series. We have some big names starring, such as Sofia Grabol and David Denick, in a storyline that we have not seen these actors involved in before which makes the series really engaging.
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt‘s performance is a fascinating one and we hope to see much more of him in the future after his big break with this series.
With Sidse Babett Knudsen premiering her new film in Berlinae with Sons, Gustav Mรถller’s follow up to The Guilty, which is also a prison drama, we have to wonder whether a new Nordic genre might be emerging in 2024.
Prisoner is available now in full on BBC iPlayer and airs weekly on BBC Four from 9:00PM on 24th February.
