Norwegian actor Renate Reinsve experienced a moment of profound, physically overwhelming revelation in July 2021. Reading a Guardian review that declared 'A star is born' following the Cannes premiere of Joachim Trier's The Worst Person in the World, her reaction was visceral. "I just started puking," she recalls. The film, her first leading role, had just upended her entire self-perception, launching her from contemplating a career in carpentry to winning the festival's Best Actress prize and international acclaim.
A Star Born Amidst Self-Doubt
Now 38, Reinsve reflects on the surreal whirlwind that followed that Cannes debut. Her performance as Julie, a young woman navigating love and purpose in Oslo, was shortlisted for a Bafta and helped the film secure two Oscar nominations. Despite the accolades, Reinsve maintained a characteristically Scandinavian composure. "You can't take criticism too personally and you can't take praise too personally," she states, emphasising the importance of keeping a level head. Her serene, self-effacing demeanour is a far cry from the typical fame-seeker, a quality that made Julie's search for fulfilment so universally relatable to audiences across generations.
Following a Phenomenon with 'Sentimental Value'
The challenge of following a career-defining role was immense. Her strategy? To pre-empt disaster. For her first major English-language part in A Different Man with Sebastian Stan, she convinced herself it would be her "downfall". The same defensive mechanism applied when she reunited with Trier for Sentimental Value. Returning to Cannes in May with this ambitious film about family, art, and depression, she was "very open to anything". The gamble paid off spectacularly. The film won the Grand Prix, earned Reinsve a Golden Globe nomination, and received a reported 19-minute standing ovation – the third-longest in Cannes history. "You just feel that your face is really stiff from smiling for so long," she notes wryly.
From Outsider to Cinematic Linchpin
Reinsve's path to stardom was unconventional. Growing up feeling like an outsider in a remote Norwegian forest, she was a "quirky kid" drawn to existentialism and David Lynch while her peers favoured pop music. Her youth was marked by rejection, from girl scouts to school, leading to her living alone at 16. Theatre became an escape, but after a decade on the Norwegian stage, she felt at a dead end and considered retraining as a carpenter. Remarkably, Trier called her to offer the role of Julie just one or two days after she had decided to quit acting. He had written the part specifically for her, having been convinced of her potential since her small role in his 2011 film, Oslo, August 31st.
Today, Reinsve finds herself in a position she could scarcely have imagined: a central figure in Norway's burgeoning film scene and an internationally celebrated actor. "A feeling of not believing that you finally feel you belong," she describes, with genuine wonder. While she has taken on US projects like Apple TV's Presumed Innocent, she remains deeply connected to Scandinavian cinema, recently starring in the Caméra d'Or-winning Armand. Together, Reinsve and Trier are not just making personal triumphs; they are actively shaping the identity of modern Norwegian film on the global stage. Sentimental Value is released in UK cinemas on Boxing Day.
