Guts, curiosity and unwavering dedication are key to Trine Dyrholm’s unrivalled position in Danish cinema. The 36-year-old actress consistently takes on challenging roles, the kind it takes personal courage to solve. Continually expanding the range of her talent, she has been rewarded for her efforts with several Bodil statuettes, the highest Danish film award.
"She can't stand a false note - she won't tolerate it." Annette K. Olesen about Trine Dyrholm
“I never worked with an actor or actress as generous as Trine,” Annette K. Olesen, director of "Little Soldier", says.
“When she agrees to something, she agrees unconditionally. She has the courage to open the floodgates. She always strives to remove any obstacles within herself. She can’t stand a false note – she won’t tolerate it,” Olesen says. She previously directed Dyrholm in "In Your Hands" and is repeating that successful collaboration in "Little Soldier".
Dyrholm’s broad-shouldered, long-limbed physique makes her utterly believable as a hardnosed soldier returning from war with a baggage of posttraumatic stress disorder.
Dyrholm has been keeping busy ever since she, at age 14, took third place in the Danish qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1991, she had a dramatic breakthrough in a TV drama, "Cecilie", and won her first Bodil that year for her leading role in "Spring Tide". Over the course of the 1990s, she kept landing bigger roles. She had parts in Thomas Vinterberg’s first two films, "The Greatest Heroes" and "The Celebration" (1998), the latter a worldwide hit for the Danish Dogme film movement. When she wasn’t busy with the popular Danish TV series "Taxi", she tended to pick big parts in small, difficult films, as she continually honed her gift.
Since 2000, Dyrholm has shined in a new standout role almost yearly, picking up the pace a notch or two in the last few years. In 2004, she had her big dramatic breakthrough in Annette K. Olesen’s prison drama "In Your Hands". Two years later, she starred in Pernille Fischer Christensen’s "A Soap", which won a Silver Bear and for Best First Feature in Berlin. In 2008, she starred in three distinctive films – Pernille Fischer Christensen’s "Dancers", Annette K. Olesen’s "Little Soldier" and "The Unseen" by Norwegian director Erik Poppe.
So, it was hardly a surprise when Copenhagen’s internationally recognised NatFilm festival last year picked Trine Dyrholm as its first Danish cover star ever. She has movie star looks but never lets that get in the way of her obvious dramatic talent.
“She is supremely intent on crafting a truthful expression,” Olesen says. “Anyone can imitate emotions, but reproducing them is another story”.