How did you get involved with the project?
When I first read the scripts, I absolutely loved them. I thought it was so funny, charming and painful and I identified with it a lot. When I learnt there was a book, I read that as well and now they have morphed together - I can’t remember what is from the book and what is from the script!
I really laughed and cried reading both. For an actor, this is such a treat. It is character based and they are so well written. The whole idea of different nationalities and our silly habits and David has just nailed this. I get to laugh at the Danes! Freja is very direct, not extremely polite but honest. Douglas constantly apologises like so many English people. It’s a lovely way of laughing at ourselves.
Tell us about your character Freja.
I play a Danish tourist who meets Douglas in Venice. She’s a divorced dentist who is travelling alone in a sentimental way to find herself. Douglas and his family are travelling through Europe and everything goes wrong in every possible way, so Douglas ends up alone in Venice and ends up staying in the same hotel. I think they understand each other - they are both shipwrecked in different ways. I think one of the wonderful things about the story is that you identify on so many levels. I identify with the story about having children that are coming of age and the feeling of that chapter ending.
How did you feel about filming in different locations?
It’s amazing - how lucky were we? Barcelona and Venice are such a treat but also London! I know for a lot of people that means nothing, but for me it’s very exotic. I love London so much so it was a dream. Apart from being able to visit these spectacular places, it was so luxurious to have good dialogue and long scenes. Working with Tom Hollander was a treat!
What makes Us different from other relationship dramas?
It’s just so well written. I often find reading scripts so dry to tell you the truth - it’s like reading a recipe. However this script is so witty and charming, I read it just like a novel really! David writes so well.
