European Films

David Dencik in Berlin for the Berlin Film Festival. Photo portrait by Fabrizio Maltese for europeanfilms.net. All rights reserved.

The feature debut of director Pernille Fischer Christensen, En soap (A Soap), won the Grand Jury Prize (ex aequo with the Iranian Off Side) and was named Best First Feature at the recent Berlinale. In her grittily filmed chamber piece, Veronica, a pre-operative transsexual played by Danish stage- and film actor David Dencik finds himself in a strange relationship with his sexy upstairs neighbour (Trine Dyrholm). The editor of europeanfilms.net, Boyd van Hoeij, spoke with David Dencik about the differences between working in theatre and film and the difficulties of playing a woman.

Dencik has two careers, one as a theatre actor and another as a film actor, as is often the case in Scandinavian countries, where the film industry alone is not big enough to support the acting professionals. Another typical Scandinavian career-trait is the ease with which he changes countries; he has a career both in Sweden and in his native Denmark. Says Dencik: “I enjoy acting both in the theatre and on film. With films you can work more on the details, facial expressions can be more nuanced and with different takes you can try different things. But much of the storytelling in film is done through elements beyond your control, such as editing. As a film actor you have not that much influence on the final result, so in a way you are working as if you were blind, counting on the guidance of the director."

“This film was a lot more like a play than other films I have done. There was a certain 'staginess' about the script: it had only two people and two places [their respective apartments]. We also had a much longer rehearsal period, which is more typical of theatre, and much longer takes than usual, which also makes it closer to the experience of standing on stage."

On what made Veronica an attractive role for an actor, Dencik is quick to respond: “People who work in drama, be it theatre or film, are of course attracted to these kind of characters because they are inherently interesting and dramatic. By being different from the norm, these characters are an easy way to put that exact norm up for discussion."

The actor tried to find inspiration in other recent films: “In terms of inspiration, the first thing I did when I found out I had to play a transsexual was to go and see Bad Education (La mala educación), to see how it could be done convincingly on film. And then I had to get a full body wax. That was a tough and strange experience. The person who took care of me touched me in places no-one else had ever touched me!" [laughs.]

“It was the first time that I had so much influence on the creation of my character. I worked on her for two whole weeks. Veronica is a name that I came up with, and I also came up with the fact that she likes to cook. I find it fitting for this film that Veronica has no breasts; it suits her character and it is a delicate balance one has to find between real and over the top. When I in character, I was so foolish to think that no-one would realise that I was actually a man. But I was wrong!

“To prepare myself for the role, I also had a 'transsexual advisor' and just meeting her was a mind-blowing experience. She was a great sport as I had a lot of intimate questions which sort of come with the territory. What interested me was how transsexuals perceived themselves. In a way they are all alone, almost outcasts. Just going to a public bathroom can already be embarrassing because they have to choose sides."

Getting into character thus proved more of an experience than usual for the actor, though he was greatly aided by his wardrobe, make-up and hair: “In terms of really getting into character, just putting on the high heels and the wig was a great start. These simple things already made me change my perception of the world. I was, as they say, more in touch with my feminine side and became a little vainer. I am even wearing some make-up today. In a way it was like a small anthropological study made real."

“I do think that things have changed a bit today for transsexuals and homosexuals. They can now be found to work “normal” jobs in schools or kindergartens, something which was unthinkable just 30 years ago. I must confess that I stole that last thought from an interview with Jake Gyllenhaal!” [laughs.]