Molly Blixt Egelind shares her excitement at the film’s worldwide release

Although it’s the old guard who have drawn all the attention for upcoming romantic comedy Love Is All You Need – with talented filmmaker Susanne Bier in the director’s chair and Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan leading the cast – it’s one of the younger performers who we have turned our attentions to, as we were fortunate enough to have a chat with breakthrough star Molly Blixt Egelind on the phone over the weekend.

Speaking to us from Denmark, Blixt Egelind plays Astrid – the daughter of Dyrholm’s Ida – who is getting married in Italy, the setting for much of the antics which take place within the movie.

Turning in an impressive performance, Blixt Egelind tells us about shooting in such a beautiful setting, her excitement at the film’s worldwide release – and working with a director with the credentials of Bier, whose previous title In a Better World won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film two years ago.

Do you think it’s fair to say that your character Astrid represents the more normal character in the film as we almost see this crazy world through her eyes?

Definitely, she is by far the most grounded of the characters and she is surrounded by crazy people [laughs] We can all relate to having family members like that which Astrid. But I think she represents the viewer somehow, she is like looking out at all these people, and you’re right, she is the most normal person in this movie.

It was of course filmed on location, it must have been brilliant shooting in such a beautiful setting in Italy?

It was wonderful, it really was. I remember the first day I arrived and I was with Sebastian – who plays my fiancé – and I remember the first opportunity to get away from all of the hair and make-up people pulling at me, I just took a walk through the plantation with all the lemons, and I mean, it just put me right in the mood. It was like a character on its own, it just was stunning to be in a location like that, I felt very lucky. Of course it was also nice being away with everybody because most of the crew was from Denmark and we had all left our homes and loved ones behind and we only had each other, so that was really a privilege as well of filming on location.

I assume there was some nice, home-made lemonade on set too?

Actually not so much lemonade, unless you count limoncello! It’s a quite sweet lemon liqueur which I had only had outside of Italy before, and the stuff you get in Denmark is icky, but down there it just tastes like fresh lemons and you get drunk, so quickly [laughs]

It must have felt a bit like a holiday for you all, what with such a big Danish cast travelling over to one place, a bit like a summer camp.

It really did actually, and most of us stayed at the same hotel and we got our favourite little restaurant to go to where the owners recognised us so we had extra large portions. Of course I must add that it was rigorous hard work, they were long, long days – but with people as nice as that in such a beautiful country, it kind of felt like a holiday, yes.

Tell me about working with Susanne Bier, because she has quite a reputation for being very intense with her actors – is that the case?

I guess you could say she’s intense, but I see her as just having wonderfully high expectations for her actors. If she has a feeling that you can do something, she’s not going to stop until you’ve done it, which is wonderful because she pushes you to reach your full potential, so it was wonderful working with her. She gives you support when you need it and makes fun of you when you need it, and I learnt a lot from working with her, and she has such an eye for making movies, she’s just always right in her intuition. It is quite remarkable.

With her high expectations, that really must have made you all raise your game?

I think so, and also working with actors who are as experienced as the likes of Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan it really makes you want to give it your all, as best as you can. But I never felt pressured, and I never felt like ‘the new girl’, they were all really inclusive and welcoming, but I really wanted to do my best, of course.

It must have been great to have Brosnan on board? Working with James Bond isn’t something that too many people can say they’ve done!

No it definitely isn’t! I really don’t get starstruck, I wouldn’t say that about myself – but when I met him for the first time, I just couldn’t ignore his charisma. He just had that James Bond aura. But he so down to Earth and very humble and generous, so it was also because of his personality that made it so great working with him.

The film deals with very serious themes yet remains a touching, heartwarming piece – could you tell when you first received the script that this would be a light-hearted production?

I knew what I was getting in to, the script writer has a very personal style of writing lines so I could just hear them in my head straight away, so I knew what I was getting in to.

Is it quite tough to find that balance in a film that is covering severe themes yet is so charming?

Yeah, although I think you should be able to make fun of anything, including cancer and divorce – because I that is how people get through crisis’s in their own lives, with laughter, and it is really important to always remember that. There have probably been hundreds of films about those two subjects that have been made with a very sombre take on it, so I think it’s wonderful to look at it differently.

This is arguably your biggest film yet – you must have been so thrilled to have got involved in this project?

Oh definitely, definitely. Even to be considered for the part… When I found out I had got it I was so, so, so happy. As you say, it really is my first major part and I saw some nice challenges in the script, so yeah I was very thrilled about that.

Is it exciting for you to know that there are posters for this littered all over the London underground, and to know that this film is being seen all over the world?

Wow! It’s mind-blowing. I haven’t got my mind around it yet. We did this in 2011 and it seems so far away and just to imagine how many people are going to watch it is amazing but quite daunting to be honest, because it’s out of my hands now, but I am really excited that it’s going to be a worldwide thing, it’s very exciting for me.

Scandinavian cinema is really booming at the moment, with some amazing Danish films in particular released over the past year – what do you think it is about Danish cinema that has such an appeal to British audiences?

I think that it’s the honest of it somehow. We aren’t afraid to tackle these big issues, and we do it in an honest way, and it’s not brutal. I think it’s a Scandinavian thing, I don’t know. Also, the humour is very characteristic is always there somehow, even in the serious movies.

That is something that Scandinavian films and British films share – being able to find comedy in the strangest of circumstances. So given the fact your English is so good, do you think you’d fit into British cinema quite well? Would you consider working over here one day?

It’s definitely a dream of mine, I would love to. But sadly it’s not for me to decide! I hope that an opportunity opens up because I would love it. As you say, the cinematic language of Scandinavian films and British films are not too far from each other, so it would be a natural step, but I just need someone else to decide that it’s a good idea [laughs]

So what is next for you now? Are you working on anything at the moment?

Nope, at the moment I am just focusing on acting school where I still have two more years left, and that is what is taking up my time right now. But some things may be coming up this summer, but I’m still waiting for things to fall into place, but yeah I’m still waiting for the next project and hopefully something will come along shortly.

Both of your parents are in the industry as well – so was acting something you’ve always wanted to do from a very young age?

It’s always been in my blood, I know that’s a cliché to put it like that, but I’ve always liked to be the centre of attention and I’ve always liked to pretend and to play dress up, peering into my imagination and stuff. But it wasn’t until I was about 18 years old when I decided that this is what I wanted to do with my life. I had a teenage rebel phase, where I didn’t want to be like my parents, but then finally everything just kind of clicked into place and I think, for now, it has been going quite well.

Love Is All You Need Film Page | Love Is All You Need Review

Love Is All You Need is released nationwide on April 19