Carmen Curlers creators on DR Drama’s electrifying show

Freely inspired by the real trailblazing Danish electric hair curlers invention which changed women’s looks and place in Danish society before conquering the world in the 1960s, Carmen Curlers is the latest drama temptation from writer Mette Heeno (Snow Angels, Splitting Up Together).

Heeno and producer Stinna Lassen (When the Dust Settles) tell us about the series set in the swinging 60s and spanning three seasons of 8 episodes. We follow the main character Axel’s success story from 1963 when he launched his revolutionary invention in Denmark, with the help of Birthe, an energetic farmer’s housewife, until 1969, when the business is turned into a global enterprise with a 3,500 workforce.

The ensemble cast takes in Morten Hee Andersen (Deliver Us, Ride Upon the Storm), Maria Rossing (Snow Angels), Lars Ranthe (Another Round), Signe Egholm (Borgen), Rosalinde Mynster (Seaside Hotel, Darkness-Those who Kill) and Mille Lehfeldt (Nothing’s All Bad, Happy Life).The concept director is Natasha Arthy (The Rain, Fighter).

DR Drama’s premium series is co-financed by NRK, SVT, RUV, YLE, with support from Nordisk Film and TV Fond. DR Sales handles sales.

Season 1 just premiered in Denmark and season 2 is scheduled for the fall 2023.

We spoke to Heeno and Lassen.

The Carmen Curlers were such a revolutionary invention in the 1960s. I remember my own mother and grand-mother who used them. What about you?
Stinna Lassen: Yes of course! My grand-mother had these. When people discuss the show on social media, so many of them remember the 'papillot' or curlers with fondness and some women say they still have them. It was an amazingly solid invention. More than 50 years later it still works!

Mette I believe you’ve been carrying this story for 10 years…
Mette Heeno: Yes. It was actually director Kathrine Windfeld [she passed away in 2015] who first came up with the idea 10 years ago with the intention to make a feature film and I then came on board as scriptwriter. I knew nothing about the Carmen Curlers and certainly didn’t know that it was a Danish invention. But I loved the initial idea, and the real-life story of Arne Bybjerg, a man with big dreams whom everyone thought was a bit crazy, because he spent a lot of money developing this electric curler in the 1960s. He was the only one believing in this.

After doing research, I realised it could be a much bigger story, about women entering the workforce and being liberated in the 1960s, a time of major social changes and economic boom. So we decided to make it as a TV series.

It must have been a huge challenge - going from a two-hour feature film to a series of 24 hours. Who was in the writers’ room with you Mette?
MH: I’m the head-writer but I collaborated with Anna Bro, Andreas Garfield and Line Mørkeb on the storyline.

SL: DR had a great belief in the series. When we started, we were supposed to do only one season and story-lined it for 10 episodes. Then DR came back to Mette and I to see if we could expand the material as they felt it had so much potential. We then pitched it for three seasons and were given the greenlight.

MH: We’ve had a lot of creative freedom and trust from DR.

How did you expand the core of the story?
MH: It was very important for us to have the right beat of the workplace, so the curlers factory is at the core and around it is the stories of the various characters. Next to Axel’s story, to have a female perspective, we’ve invented the character of the farmer’s wife Birthe and also gave Axel’s wife a bigger role.

SL: The show goes from 1963 to 1969. When Axel invests in the Carmen Curlers’ factory, until its sale [to Clairol in the US]. So many important things happened in the 60s-women’s lib, the rise of the unions. A lot of these themes are crucial to understand today’s society-gender issues, work conditions etc. We put all these themes into context and expand them.

MH: It is actually scary that some themes developed two years ago, such as abortion are back in the headlines in the US. We’re going back to the 60s!

Could you give more details about the main characters?
MH: It was very important to keep the authenticity of the 60s and therefore portray the characters as they would have been at the time. Axel’s personality is actually based on the true Arne Bybjerg. He is the only character in the series inspired by the real-life person as he was such a fascinating man. He was charming, ambitious and came from a poor background. He was driven not by money but by the desire to prove he could achieve something exceptional. He wanted recognition.

Is Arne Bybjerg still alive?
SL: He moved to Australia in the 70s, after he sold the factory. We haven’t met him in person but are in contact with his family. It was a wonderful process to meet them, to introduce them to the show. They also know it is a fictionised version of reality.

How much research did you do and did you meet people who worked at the factory at the time?
MH: We did a lot of research on the times, the politics, people’s working conditions. For me it was especially hard to recreate the farmers’ lives as I know nothing about it!

SL: But I do and I’ve explained to Mette how to grow potatoes, drive a tractor etc. It is a big part of the story as Birthe is one of the main characters. She represents the farmers housewives who at the time, gradually became independent women, earning their own wages. Some of them became middle managers in the factory.

In the series, Birthe is very content with her life, but when her husband gets sick, she needs to get a job. No one wants to hire her as she has no education, but Axel sees the potential in her. They become business partners. He could not have done it without her.

MH: We’ve met quite a few people who worked in the management of the Carmen Curlers factory and some former workers. What’s really interesting is that they all have different views of life at the factory - with time, they’ve probably added some glitter. Many were in their 20s then, and this is when they had their first job, met their husbands, had parties, got drunk!

SL: The people we met had saved a few souvenirs from the factory like bags, punched cards etc. They were proud to work there. The factory was such a big deal for the community.
When the Americans of Clairol took over the entire work environment changed and the free spirit that existed before was gone.

There is another key character: the antagonist Poul played by actor/director Christian Tafdrup. How would you describe him?
MH: He is another fictional character. When we visited the real factory, we could see a house right across and I thought 'Oh my god-can you believe how it must have been to be a neighbour to this massive enterprise'. Poul represents tradition, the former generation. He sticks to his old money, but has no ambition. Axel is the poor guy who has dreams and a vision.

How was the casting process?
SL: We produced the show during Covid. We couldn’t meet people face to face and ordered self-tapes. We felt the actress Maria Rossing would be perfect for Birthe so we had her in mind from the beginning. For Axel, we received 10-12 self-tapes, including one from Morten [Hee Andersen]. He did the audition for episode 2 where Axel is on stage, speaking to his workers. Morten had a slipper that he used as a microphone. It was brilliant. We said that’s the guy, and as a coincidence he does look like the real businessman.

Was the series shot in the real factory in Kalundborg, northern Zealand?
SL: Yes, but also at DR studios and at another factory. We shot season 1 for 122 days.

Tell us more about the style-the joyfulness of the swinging 60s across the costumes, the setting and of course the hair style. Plus there are wild dance scenes. I thought of Hairspray when watching it…
SL: We were fully inspired by the 60s that were so colourful and fun. We wanted to do a show that was larger-than-life, that would truly surprise and entertain the audience. This is why we thought of director Nathasha [Arty]. We had the idea for the split screens, but she brought in the idea for the choreography.

MH: We also worked with production designer Knirke Madelung [Ride Upon the Storm] who was already attached to Carmen Curlers when it was supposed to be a film. Then Rebecca Richmond was in charge of the fabulous costumes and Anne Cathrine Sauerberg of hair design.

Where are you now with season 2?
MH: We’ve just shot two episodes of S2 and are half way through in the writing process.

SL: The show has a great international appeal. In season 1, Axel tries to sell his curlers to the Danes and across the Nordics. In season 2, we will meet the Americans!