CLAES BANG

IS MAKING A NOISE…

Inever really had that thing where I just wanted to go to Hollywood,” says Claes Bang, 50. Maybe so, but after starring in Ruben Östlund’s art-world satire The Square, which won Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 2017, the Danish thesp is now shooting Lisbeth Salander reboot The Girl In The Spider’s Web. The new Mads Mikkelsen? Watch this space…

What did you like about working with director Ruben Östlund?

I think he’s got this tendency to get under your skin and make you feel slightly uncomfortable with his films. Even though The Square is set in the art world and my character Christian is a museum director, you can identify with him. It’s not like he’s a contract killer and you can’t relate! It seems people feel slightly intimidated by the film.

Particularly the scene with Terry Notary going totally ape. How was that to film?

Incredible. We shot that scene over three days and the first day was actually a full run-through of the whole thing, and Terry did that probably 50 times. I was quite passive, just sitting in a chair watching him work, and he was amazing. Brilliant and slightly unsettling.

Has The Square changed your life?

I definitely have had an increase in interest. It feels amazing. I don’t really care if I work here or in Denmark… I just want to do something interesting.

Were you from a family of actors?

No! I’m the black sheep in that department. My dad was a sales person and my mum worked in an office. I started in an adaptation of Hair.

I was asked if I wanted to be in it and I said, “No! Fuck no! I’ve never acted!” But I tried and I really enjoyed it..

ETA | 16 MARCH / THE SQUARE OPENS NEXT MONTH.