Actors Mikael Persbrandt (Beck, In a Better World), Pelle Heikkilä (The Hunters, Jordskott), Sophia Heikkilä (Welcome to Texas), Néstor Cantillana (Los Debutantes), director Mika Kurvinen (Welcome to Texas) were on hand to promote Invisible Heroes.

We sat down with them to discuss the superb series and first fully-fledged artistic and financial drama collaboration between Finland and Chile, spearheaded by Yle Drama as part of its international offensive. Liisa Penttilä-Asikainen of Kaiho Republic produced it, in partnership with Chile’s Parox.

The six-part series co-penned by Tarja Kylmä and Manuela Infante, tells the extraordinary – yet little known - heroic action of Finnish diplomat Tapani Brotherus (Pelle Heikkilä) who, working in secret, helped secure asylum in Europe for more than 2,000 Chilean political dissidents whose lives were under threat following General Pinochet’s military coup in 1973.

Pelle Heikkilä’s wife actress Sophie Heikkilä plays Lysa Brotherus and Mikael Persbrandt is Swedish ambassador and human rights activist Harald Edelstam. Néstor Cantillana plays Franco Pavez, a commercial attaché working for the government of Salvador Allende.

The series will premiere on Yle April 21, 2019. It will then air on SVT, DR, NRK, RÚV, and Chilevision.

Pelle Heikkilä, did you know about Tapani Brotherus’ heroic endeavour before making the show?
PH: No I didn’t. I was first contacted four years ago by Jarmo Lampela [Yle Head of Drama] and asked if I would be interested in this show. I said yes! I then read a book about Tapani Brotherus and I was amazed. Today when someone saves a frog it goes on social media immediately and the world knows about it! But Brotherus’ heroic actions had been kept secret for decades. It was humbling to hear about those awe-inspiring heroes.

Sophia Heikkilä: I didn’t know about it either. I did research and was fascinated by the story and happy that Pelle and I could do it together.

The series is predominantly in Spanish language. It must have been an incredible challenge for you…
PH: It was very difficult. Michael, Sophia and I had eight lessons of Spanish before we left for Chile. During that time I learnt…una cerveza por favour! It was a tight schedule after we got a greenlight and before the script got translated. Everyday for 4.5 months I had to learn my lines. Plus I had lines in four other languages - Finnish, Swedish, German and English. It was tough but I had great support from my fellow Chilean colleagues like Néstor.

Under extraordinary circumstances – the military coup by General Pinochet - Tapani Brotherus turns into a hero. What do you think of his transformation and achievement?
PH: Having a family was very important for him. Still out of empathy and generosity, he decided to protect in his own home several Chilean refugees. That was remarkable. Harald Edelstam was an inspiration for him and he taught him how to play the system.

Mikael Persbrandt, how was it for you to play Harald Edelstam, an iconic person, who was close to Olof Palme?
MP: He was close to me too:) It’s a big responsibility to interpret a well-known historical person. I have played Dag Hammarskjöld who was more established on the world scene. Harald was rather unconventional; he had a direct line to Olof Palme and didn’t go through Foreign Affairs. That was not appreciated of course. It was a great character to portray. If the characters in the series are invisible heroes, Harald was the visible hero of this epic story. He was also like a mentor to Tapani.

The series deals with governments and individuals’ ability to welcome refugees which should resonate with viewers especially in Europe…
MP: History is there to teach us lessons but we seem not to learn them. It is therefore essential to tell those stories.

Néstro Cantillana, how important was it for you to be part of Invisible Heroes and to tell that slice of history, so tragic for Chile? How do you think it will be received by your compatriots?
NC: It was hugely important for me. The story of Invisible Heroes is the story of one life who saved thousands of other lives. That part of our story is very painful and still ultra sensitive for us. The military who killed people during the coup, are old men today, and there is a campaign going on to force them to tell where the thousands of prisoners who disappeared under General Pinochet actually are. The series will undoubtedly raise much debate.

The series pays a magnificent tribute to Nobel laureate in Literature Pablo Neruda who was a close friend to Salvador Allende. It must have been moving for you to experience the staging of the funeral of Pablo Neruda…NC: Absolutely. Pablo Neruda was an iconic person for Chileans and the scene where the Nordic diplomats attend the funeral and celebrate his life is very moving. He was a great poet and politician.

How was your experience of working with the Finnish crew?
NC: It was an amazing experience. We live so far from each other, but after only ten minutes, we were friends. I feel very close to my Finnish colleagues.

Mika Kurvinen, how did you share your directing duties with your Chilean colleague Alicia Scherson?
MK: I’m concept director and we started to work together early 2018. At the beginning I thought it would be easier for her to direct the Chilean actors and for me to direct the international cast, but after one week, we understood that we had to share everything. When I arrived in Chile the very first time, I understood very fast, that we Finns shared the same melancholy with Chileans. Although I don’t speak Spanish, I had a fantastic assistant translator who helped with the dialogues, although when you work with actors, the language is not so important.

How long was the filming and how often did you go to Chile?
MK: I travelled three times to Chile. We shot around 66 days there and an extra 3-4 days in Finland.

Weren’t you tempted to use archive material?
MK: We researched a lot with archive material, but decided to use it only for the intro, to get the feel and tools for the audience to watch the show. We didn’t want to mix the real material with the fiction, although it’s based on true events. We did use selected archive clips in 2-3 scenes where you have people watching television, and then of course, the radio is authentic sound material. In the same way, we decided not to get input with the real couple Tapani and Lysa Brotherus whom we met at the premiere of the series a week ago.

What is your best memory from working on this major international co-production?
MK: It was exciting to work with major scenes with more than thousands of people on the set. Everyone was very professional and worked together as a single unit, although there were multiple languages and nationalities. We shared a feeling of synergy and togetherness. We had an amazing cast and I was hugely privileged to work with them.

Yle’s drama is looking outwards these days and collaborating in major ways on the international scene. That must be thrilling…
MK: Yes. Finland had tried to be part of the Nordic noir trend. This series shows that we can tell different and exciting stories to international audiences. We have great professionals. It’s just in the nature of Finns to be low-key. But now we can say-we can do it!