The Swedish actress plays the lead in the Norwegian TV drama Atlantic Crossing set to start filming in December for Cinenord and NRK. Alexander Eik directs.

Beta Film handles world sales for the 8x60' series.

Helin will play Norway’s Crown Princess Märtha who fled from Nazi occupation during WW2 to become an influential figure in world politics, living in the White House and trying to persuade President Franklin D. Roosevelt to enter the war. To prepare for her role, Helin polished her Norwegian and took Royal etiquette lessons. 

“This is an extraordinary story about a woman who made a difference in world history”, said The Bridge’s star to nrk.no. For her, it’s about time that “stories about WW2 are told from a female perspective”. 

Creator/director Alexander Eik said the series will focus on Crown Princess Märtha’s political awakening. “She was a woman used to staying one step behind, but who quickly stood on her own feet when she and her children fled to the United States while Crown Prince Olav stayed in London during the war.”

For Eik who spent six years researching the project, Atlantic Crossing is both “a love story and a feminist story, about people who face tough challenges and are forced to change while changing the course of history”. 

The series was co-written by Eik and Linda May Kallestein for Cinenord. It is co-produced by NRK, SVT, DR, Yle, RUV, as well Sirena Films in the Czech Republic, in association with Germany’s Beta Film, and support from the Norwegian Film Institute’s filming incentives.

Nordisk Film & TV Fond granted a record NOK5 million to the series. 

Filming starts next month in the Czech Republic and will move to Norway in February.

The premiere on NRK is scheduled for early 2021.