Laura Munsterhjelm: “Education, training and fluency in English are essential”

What did you do in Cannes?
Laura Munsterhjelm: I have been coming here for more than 15 years and my mission is to connect and re-connect with people I know. I was the first agent from Scandinavia to come here. I used to co-own a modelling agency in the 80s, with models from Finland who worked internationally and I dreamed about doing the same with actors.

When did you create the company?
LM: It’s my 21^st year. I had a small part in a Finnish film in 1994 and one of the leading actors asked if I wanted to become an agent. I said you have to find me 50 more actors and then I will consider. He came back 3-4 months later and said I have spoken to other actors and we can start! So I started in 1995 with 50 actors only from Finland, such as Irina Björklund, Jonna Järnefelt. After Finland, I opened up to Swedish talents and many signed up such as Eva Röse, Samuel Fröler who saw me as a kind of Moomin mamma. Then I went to Norway where some big names joined me such as Sven Nordin. 

How do you choose your talent?
LM: I go with my gut feeling. I can sign people who have never acted if I see something in them. I sometimes ask them to do self-tapes or tests. But if I see something in them, I offer to represent them. We sign new talent every year but try to limit our intake to focus on our roster and support them as best as possible.

I guess technology has made your work easier, with the ability for actors to do tests on Skype, self tapes etc…
LM: Self-taping has changed a lot. Earlier, nobody had a camera if you wanted to do an audition. I flew many times to Stockholm with my husband’s camera and put the actor on tape, then flew back to Finland to do the editing, changed the material to the US system, then sent it by post or UPS and waited for people’s responses. Now, you can shoot with the cameras and you have the auditions at once. It has widened the possibilities for actors to be seen.

How do you help actors work outside Scandinavia?
LM: If an L.A.-based casting director emails me, asking for a specific role to fill, we look who is available, who would be most suitable and send CVs and showreels. But nowadays our reputation is so good that we don’t have to send so much stuff. They trust our opinion and recommendations. If our actors are interested in international jobs but are not ready, we prepare them, help them to get rid of their accents etc.

I do believe in the right timing and in hard work. Today some actors dream of fast stardom, of having millions of followers on social media. That’s not the way I work. I want to find the talent and help them grow.

Indeed the notion of stardom and celebrity has evolved with social media…
LM: Yes. I tell actors it’s not about the followers on Instagram. It’s about you improving your acting talent, improving your accent and acting, that’s how you get the roles.

You represent only two directors: Peter Franzén and Dome Karukoski. Would you be interested in widening to more directors, scriptwriters?
LM: No. I could even sign much more actors, but why? I love working closely with my actors. We often have friendly relationships, hang out with each other.

Do you have an exec producer’s role on some films? Do you package projects the way US agents do?
LM: In Scandinavia, talent agents don’t really get a credit for their work unlike in the US. But I don’t mind. I just enjoy putting people together and finding financiers. I don’t need a credit for that.

How did you meet Alicia Vikander and how do you work together?
LM: The film Pure by Lisa Langseth was in a casting process when Samuel Fröler called me about Alicia. We immediately clicked. With my team and Alicia, we all look at scripts. Sometimes she’s the fastest reader and says ‘no it’s not for me’ before I have even started.

What makes her stand out?
LM: She is a hard worker, and at the beginning, if she needed to be somewhere, she would always make herself available. But it’s also about taking the right decisions at the right moment. Sometimes a film gets bigger than expected and reversely, some films don’t do as well as anticipated.

When Alicia got her first audition abroad for a studio film, she was among four candidates screen tested. A girl with a bigger name got the part, but Alicia’s name suddenly popped out on casting agencies’ listings in L.A. and people started to become interested in this new girl from Sweden. Then A Royal Affair came and her name became more and more familiar. But again, she is extremely good and a hard worker.

Would you say that the collaboration with international agents has changed a lot and that there isn’t the competition there used to be?
LM: Yes it’s changed totally. 20 years ago if someone from LA signed a European talent, they would push away the local agent. But you can only do that once. You will never get an actor from that agent if you do this. Today, everyone is more open and flexible. UK/US talent agencies all want the next Rebecca Ferguson, Alicia Vikander. They appreciate what we do on a local level. The most successful actors are those whose talent rep teams work closely together.

Within Scandinavia, talents travel much more as well, both on film and TV drama…
LM:  Absolutely, co-productions are much more common than a decade ago and that helps Scandi talent to work across borders.

In terms of fee, how do you charge when you ‘share’ an actor with a foreign agent? Is the going agent rate 10%?
LM: It depends. In the US, by law it’s 10%, but in Europe it varies. I don’t want to go into this because I only know my business.

I guess some of the big advantages of Scandi actors is that they are often fluent in English and versatile, they work on stage, film and TV…
LM: Yes this has changed in a decade and youngsters are much more fluent in English. It has to do with computer games. In London and L.A., casting directors are more open to foreign actors.

TV Drama has created more opportunities for actors…
LM: Yes absolutely. If actors are attracted to TV drama, it’s because scripts are good and all actors want to work on great material.

What tips would you give newcomers who want to make it in film and TV drama?
LM: Film and TV drama education, training in acting, and fluency in English are essential.

Finally, can you tell us what some of your talents are doing?
LM: Alicia and Rebecca’s careers are at a special level. But to mention some other of my clients, there is Aliette Opheim [Thicker than Water] who worked last year on the US TV show The Patriot and is now doing season 2. Krista Kosonen [soon in Zaida Bergroth’s Miami] has a tiny part in the new Blade Runner film, Dilan Gwyn is in an ABC show called Beyond, Peter Franzén will do Underground with Ben Kingsley directed by the Norwegian Pål Oie, Amalia Holm Bjelke [The Eternal Road] did the web series Black Pills for Luc Besson, Ulric von der Esch is in the BBC series The Durrels, we have Eddie Endre and Rune Temte in Fortitude, Sara Soulie does the female lead in Arto Halonen’s The Guardian Angel and many of our actors are in The Last Kingdom.