‘P?rni’s’ Henriette Steenstrup on Her Hospital Series ‘Triage’ and Inheritance Drama Comedy ‘Nepobaby’: ‘I Love Mixing Genres’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Norwegian actor turned TV writer-director Henriette Steenstrup says she “adooores” “Ted Lasso,” and it’s easy to see why. Her first gig as showrunner “P?rni,” the Viaplay comedy hit, recommissioned by Netflix for Seasons 4-5, displays similar qualities: a rare ability to mix comedy with heart-warming drama, without shying away from serious issues.
With her upcoming shows “Nepobaby” and “Triage,” commissioned by TV2 Norway, the versatile Norwegian talent named one of Variety’s 10 European TV creators to watch in 2022, will stick to her working formula while exploring new settings. “I love to mix genres,” says the star of “Ragnarok” and “Lilyhammer,” ahead of G?teborg’s TV Drama Vision showcase, where she will deliver a talk later this month and serve as jury president of the Nordic Series Script Award.
More from Variety
Currently in development, “Triage” is set in Oslo at a hospital’s ER department, where nurses are forced to make tough decisions, day-in and day-out. “Triage is just that: making choices – which patient to treat first-setting priorities, which you do in ER and in real life”, says Steenstrup who will play one of the three/four main female characters. As with “P?rni,” in which she had the starring role as childcare worker Pernille, Steenstrup says her intention with” Triage” is “to portray people on the front line, the undervalued and almost invisible health workers.”
To bring maximum authenticity to her script and acting, Steenstrup spent more than 10 days in an ER in Oslo. “It was an incredible experience and I’m so grateful to the wonderful professionals who helped me.”
Thematically, the show will portray various facets of Norwegian society. “It will be a ‘micro-Norway,’ mirroring people’s fears, dreams and main concerns, from aging to mental illness.”
“In a way,” adds Steenstrup, offering a wider take, “healthcare is one of the biggest problems in our society, and a true headache for politicians. You can pour in a lot of money but then, there are always priorities to take.”
To spice up the plot, the showrunner says she’s introduced an element of crime, with one of the nurses lying and hiding a darker side. Asked if she will play the antagonist, Steenstrup promptly says “definitely not! I’m never cast as the mystery woman. I’m not mysterious enough!”
Tone-wise, the show will be fast-paced, suspenseful, with moments of relief. “To survive you need humor, you need to be kind and have empathy. Nurses aren’t just angels in white. They are super-ninjas in white, considering what they have to deal with!” says Steenstrup.
With the first draft of the first season under her belt, the showrunner hopes “Triage” will go into production later this year for her outfit Eldorado Content Club, set up two years ago with “P?rni” producers Ida H?ndlykken Kvernstr?m and B?rd Fjulsrud (formerly at Monster Scripted). “TV2 Norway is our commissioner, but they are looking for partners. It will be on the high-end budget,” admits Steenstrup who says an A-list cast will join the series, and studio work will be needed to build the hospital set.
Meanwhile Eldorado Content Club’s first greenlighted series “Nepobaby” is being edited for TV2 Norway and its distribution partners, Nordisk Film Distribution and French group Oble.
Vivild Falk Berg who plays Steenstrup’s daughter Hanna in “P?rni,” toplines “Nepobaby”’s cast, as 25-year-old Emma, raised by a working-class single mum, who suddenly discovers she’s the daughter of a Norwegian shipping magnate and one of his heirs, with four siblings. Steenstrup is one of Berg’s siblings alongside Nicolai Cleve Broch (“Beforeigners,” “The Sandhamn Murders”), Kristin Grue (“Power Play”) and Helle Ryg Eia (“Peak TV”).
“Nepobaby” “is commonly used in the US to describe someone who benefits from being the child of a celebrity. In Norway, we don’t have that many celebrities,” quips Steenstrup, “but what we do have is quite a lot of rich people. So the true nepobabies in Norway are offspring of rich people,” she says.
Streenstrup who co-created the show with Siri Seljeseth (“Young and Promising”) says “it started out with me wanting to write something for Vivild – she’s extremely talented! – then I came up with the title, and thirdly, I was inspired by an inheritance settlement in my family.” “Basically, it’s about family ties, inheritance, how money can change you and those around you. Anyone can relate to that.”
Quizzed about show-running and the stories that makes her tick, Steenstrup whose acting career in theatre, film and series spans over three decades, says “I’m a fan of all genres and mixing all genres. Just now I’m watching ‘Black Doves’ and love it! I love crime, I love sports stories – I totally adore “Ted Lasso” – I love boxing, gangster movies. The only genre that I’m not so fan of is sci-fi, although I can watch ‘Game of Thrones’ and also love ‘Harry Potter.’”
And Nordic content? “It’s high-end quality,” she says, “from writers, cinematographers to actors and directors. Plus the Nordic view on things has something to offer to all. The Danes and Swedes were champions for a long time, but now the Finns, Icelanders and us Norwegians are coming strongly, and in Norway we’re very good at covering all age groups, including the younger demographic. I think ‘Skam’ was key in opening the doors of Norwegian content to the global market,” she says.
Looking ahead, the bubbling talent, recently handed out Norway’s Telenor Culture Prize 2024 for her ability to “bring comedy into the serious and seriousness into comedy,” says she will continue to play with genres, across different formats, with comedy at the core. “It’s just who I am, I can’t help seeing comedy in everyday life, even in the worse situations and that’s what I like to see on screens.”
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
