Scan Magazine
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Cover Story
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Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt
Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt Coming to terms with my own identity was critical for my portrayal of Sammi Playing the lead in Denmark’s newest hit series, Huset, Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt looks set to become the new star of Nordic Noir. He may not have the sweater of his co-star Sofie Gråbøl, but see if his sorrowful brown eyes won’t make up for it. By Anders Lorenzen
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Photos: HEIN
The name Youssef Wayne Hvidtfeldt, may not be familiar to many outside Denmark. Even in Denmark, the 35-year-old Danish/ Moroccan actor was not widely known until recently. That was, until he played the main character Sammi in the massive Nordic noir hit series Huset (Prisoners). When the show aired on the Danish public broadcaster, Danmarks Radio (DR), last year, the Danes were swept away by the combination of grim prison reality and the pained stare of Sammi’s brown eyes. And, as the BBC and Canal+ are among the broadcasters who have acquired the rights to the show, the rest of Europe will soon be able to sit down and enjoy its highly addictive Nordic grimness. On the back of his performance in Huset, Hvidtfeldt is considered one of the most promising actors in Denmark. But despite having a packed schedule, the busy actor found time to sit down with Scan Magazine for a conversation about
identity, family, ambitions – and how he landed the top role in Huset. A massive hit In Denmark Huset was nothing less than a massive hit, reaching a whole new demographic of young people for whom Huset was their first acquaintance with DR drama series, “I met so many young kids on the street recognising me and asking – aren’t you the guy from Huset?,” smiles Hvidtfeldt. But Nordic noir fans should not worry – the series’ popularity among young people is not an indicator that it lacks depth or darkness, on the contrary. Set in a Danish prison, the series tackles the contagious subject of the welfare of not just prisoners but of the people who look after the prisoners, the guards. Thus it was vital for the participating artists to recognise their roles in shaping the debate on the issues: “You need to have some sort of overview January 2024
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Issue 162
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