Belgrade-born actress Danica Curcic is playing a lead female role in the newest big budget series in Norway called Nobel.
Every Sunday, almost one fifth of the entire Norwegian population gets in front of their TV to watch the much anticipated Norwegian TV drama Nobel. They follow Aksel Hennie who plays a returning soldier from Afghanistan who becomes a pawn in a political international game, but also Danica Curcic, a Serbian born Danish actress, who is playing Adela, a Norwegian-Afghan soldier.
According to Danica, Adela is a very strong woman who has been in Norway for the last eight years. “My character was particularly inspired by Ayesha Wolasmal, journalist and diplomat who was also a soldier in Afghanistan. One of the amazing women I’ve learned a lot from.” Wolasmal plays the role of Wasima in the series.
As the time goes by, the series is being praised more and more and Danica feels proud to be part of the crew. “I also feel proud that we dared with the series to talk openly about complex issues such as the war in Afghanistan, about how violence is necessary in order to achieve peace and what kind of political consequences a war brings.”
But it was not all that easy in the beginning. Being a Danish actress, Norwegian audience did not welcome her nicely. Various media opposed the idea of having a Danish play the lead female role in such a series. But, as the series director Per Olav Sørensen put it, acting should not be judged by passport.
The director liked her so much for the character that he even changed her nationality in the series from Norwegian into Danish. She believes that the inter Scandinavian cooperation in the world of film should be nourished and further developed. “I believe it is a tremendous gift that we can open our borders not only to learn from each other but also develop more.”
The work on the series in Norway did not differ much from what she is used to in Denmark. During the filming, she spent two months in Morocco and one month in Norway. She admits she fell in love with both countries.
Her devotedness to different roles has yielded a few awards, like Danish Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress and Nordisk Film Prize albeit being only 31. These awards have contributed to her self-confidence but are not her goal as such. “I am striving for challenges in my work, I want to keep the curiosity and also to constantly develop with every new project,” she admits.
Danica is also following the Serbian film scene but has not played in Serbia yet. “That is my big dream,” says she. Fingers crossed that her dream will come true one day.
