Vidar Magnussen on NRK’s Canneseries entry Magnus

After State of Happiness which won Best Script and Best Score at last year’s Canneseries, Magnus will be flying the flag for Norway and NRK at this week’s Canneseries.

On Saturday, (April 6) creator/actor Vidar Magnussen, director Geir Henning Hopeland (Lilyhammer, Acquitted), producer Anders Tangen, actors Pål Rønning, Tim Ahern, Lars Berge, Ola G. Furuseth, Preben Hodneland, Aneth Amalia Hoff Larsen, Charlie Hutton, Kristoffer Olsen will walk up the red carpet in Cannes …with a troll... coming straight from Magnus’ extravagant universe. In the six-part series, Magnus Undredal (played by Magnussen) is an unusual detective who tries to solve a murder, using unconventional and absurd methods. He teams up with a suicidal partner and his scrawny young neighbour.

The series produced by Viafilm for NRK was filmed both in Norwegian and in English. Launched in February on NRK, the series received rave reviews.  London-based Hat Trick International handles global distribution.   

Magnus is like nothing else on screens: an odd mix of comedy, drama, sci-fi, crime, and the main character Magnus is a kind of Inspector Clouseau. A true oddball who tries to uncover a crime with the most unusual methods. Where did you get the idea for the series?
Vidar Magnussen: There are indeed references to many things. The idea started out when I was commissioned by NRK to develop a parody sketch of BBC’s Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch. That got a good traction on YouTube. At the same time, I was drawn by the energy and atmosphere of True Detective, season 1. I told NRK I was interested in mixing a silly comedy with a believable plot, that would engage the audience beyond the slapstick dynamic. The concept was to make it as silly as possible within a ‘credible’ universe.

Comedian Peter Sellers who was a master in playing multiple roles seems to have been a huge inspiration for you…
VM: Definitely. He was a great inspiration. With his deadpan humour and darkly comic performances, he gave the impression of a realistic world through comedy.

Very early on, I had the idea to use ‘Peter Sellers’ way of creating different characters, making them ‘blend into the storyline, so that they would be a tool for Magnus in his investigation. We were also inspired by the series Atlanta in the way they use the sitcom half-hour format in a new way. Several episodes in Magnus have their own universe and rhythm.

Was Netflix’s Rick & Morty another influence?
VM: Absolutely. I love the way the characters in Rick & Morty take the consequences of their actions. Morty has a body of replica of himself in his garden and refers to it in several episodes. Crazy characters have to relate to what they’re doing.

As a dark comedy with themes such as bullying, depression, it’s probably more for adults than a younger audience…
VM: We wanted to touch on serious topics, push some situations to their limit to make them comical.

Did the actors contribute to their characters or they just followed your script?
VM: Due to time shortage, the number of short scenes that interacted with each other, and comedy dynamic planned ahead, the actors had to follow our instructions. But all the actors were hand-picked, many were long-time friends, and they loved the project for what it was, a strange but almost believable universe. They gladly went along with it.

How was your relationship with director Geir Henning Hopland?
VM: We are best friends since I was a teenager. I’ve often played in his films or TV series so this was a different situation where I was more ‘in charge’.

How many characters in total do you play? How was the experience with the make-up and VFX work?
VM: I play six characters. I even play a troll! It was immensely fun to do but it took six hours in the make-up chair. We had to do a lot of planning, storyboarding and filmed with just one camera, due to the VFX work that had to be done. We used mostly NRK’s post-production department. It was a long process.

How was it to shoot in Norwegian and English at the same time?
VM: Viafilm used the Norsemen method, with the last frame in English. I had intentionally cast actors who were fluent in English, such as På Rønning, Ola G Furuset whom I know since acting school in the UK. Even the kid who plays Magnus’ neighbour Nikolai is half British [Charlie Hutton]. It was a bit extra work, but it’s interesting to see the finished product. The comedy definitely works in both languages.

Are you already working on season 2?
VM: We’ve been commissioned by NRK to write a second season, so I’m in the middle of plotting the returning season. NRK has been incredibly supportive all along the creative process.

What have you enjoyed the most and what was the toughest?
VM: The toughest was the hours that went into this show. Everything else was quite extraordinary. Just before we started shooting, Geir told the crew: “what we will do for the next month or so is…very strange. But if you go into this fully and completely, you will love it! And indeed, it took some people a while to get into it, but after, it was pure magic, with people discussing the strangest things. Being in that bubble was unique and wonderful.