Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen is Living the Dream

Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen brandishes a cheeky smile when I broach the topic of an 1899 revival, a series I know holds a special place in his heart. Shrugging his shoulders he plays coy, “you never know…”, laughter breaking through his suggestive playfulness. I brace for an exclusive scoop. Headlines conjuring in my mind, follow up questions swirling around my brain — and then he breaks my heart.

“No, I’m kidding, I haven’t heard anything…don’t quote me on that!”

My breaking exclusive instead comes later. For now, his laughter shifts to melancholy whilst matching my disappointment, Afterall ‘that’s just show business’ we agree. Although he adds a touching sentiment; “we left the show with the best memories and the best friendships, it wasn’t [taken] for granted”.

And this becomes quickly apparent in our discussion. Housed within the intimate confides of a two-man Zoom, a 30-minute conversation traversing family, inspirational actors and exciting Natalie Portman-led projects unfolds, and his enamoring wisdom reveals a truth to me: Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen is living the dream. Between starring alongside “titans” Ethan Hawke and Russell Crowe, and raising a young family in Denmark, the 26-year-old actor relishes each individual moment as it comes.

“I’m very lucky to have the best team around me” he says, warmly detailing his support network composed of fiancée Laura, newborn daughter Ingrid and a furry friend, Otto the Labradoodle.

But still, I prepare for a deeper understanding of his artistry. What does Lucas seek in a script? How has his processed evolved from Indie projects to Hollywood? When on-screen is he most comfortable and able to demonstrate an immense talent evident from his youth as a child actor? Instead, his honesty throws me.

“I kinda love when I also don’t have any work.”

Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen’s confession surprises me, but after exploring his plethora of work, beginning acting at just 9 years old, I immediately understand. Best known for a startling run in his early adulthood, featuring in the critically acclaimed Danish political drama Borgen in 2022, The Rain (2018) and, of course, Netflix’s 1899 (2022), Lucas possesses an incredible catalogue of work behind him. Really, it’s about time Hollywood has finally recognised his talent.

“It’s about finding the balance to love work but love not working”.

With New York last week, Brighton this week, then Paris next week, Lucas’s recent achievement offers little time for rest, but he never complains.

Joking about his travels, we land on an severely sensitive topic; How does he cope being away from his dog?

Lucas sighs, admitting it’s tough, but finds solace in the family built around him. “He’s living his best life” he says, staring off in a thoughtful, pondering manner. The way only a dog-owner missing man’s best friend would, confessed to the curse of an actor’s globetrotting travels.

But alas, fresh-faced from a cycling boot camp located in Brighton, England in preparation for his next role, an undisclosed part in Mimi Cave’s Tour De France film, Pumping Black, alongside Natalie Portman and Jonathan Bailey, Lucas indulges me in discussion around his breakout role in 1899, and how hindsight allows him to revisit memories with fondness.

“1899 was a really big thing for me, first of all looking up to Bo [Baran bo Odar] and Jantje [Friese] who were the creators of the show. And I love [their other show] Dark, I was a BIG fan of Dark – I remember with my best friend back in Denmark making a Dark fan video between work!”

Through smiles, Lucas recounts shooting this fan video, unable to recall the deliberateness of the series’ influence – although I think a brief shyness strikes him. Yet, whether intentionally parodying Dark or not, I sense an fiery passion that fuels his craft. And consistent hard work eventually manifested a future role in the Dark creatives next project. “After half a year I got an audition for their new thing [1899], and it was one of those where I’m like ‘I’m never gonna get this, I’m never gonna get this’, and then I ended up doing it, and it was the best experience ever.”

Lucas doesn’t just reminisce in 1899’s shooting, but being inspired by a multilingual cast and a blossoming friendship with director, Bo Odar, citing him as a significant influence on the evolution of his craft.

“Getting to know his style, how he worked, he really pushed me as an actor. I look back at that, and I really feel grateful for that opportunity and trying to make something that’s both technical but also super different from what I’ve done before.”

1899, Netflix’s foreign-language mystery sci-fi series explored a ship full of immigrants travelling to New York, but along their journey they discover their sister vessel, which had gone missing 4 months prior, abandoned at sea. Plagued by constant mystery, they aim to answer the riddles of their true nature, as breadcrumbs of suspicions reveal shocking revelations that question their existence. 

Despite a fanbase feverishly theorizing any lingering mystery from the season 1 finale, set to be revealed through a 3-season plan, Netflix cancelled 1899 shortly after, blaming low viewer completion rates and significant production costs.

Now cancelled over 3 years ago, Lucas has become unafraid to voice candid disappointment.

“I think Netflix was the wrong place for it to begin with. Should’ve maybe been at HBO, I think HBO has an audience that kind of allow themselves to go a little bit further.”

His assessment, whilst perhaps blunt, isn’t outlandish. Upon my suggestion HBO audiences are more patient his body language relaxes, leaning towards the camera, finally feeling heard.

“I know what I’m getting when I watch an HBO show” he agrees.

Elaborating on his argument, his justification meets my ears like a symphony, and I can’t help but uncontrollably nod in agreement.

“The other thing was people finding it hard to, not only with patience, but not have everything served on a platter for them. In a mystery show you leave breadcrumbs, right? And those breadcrumbs are going to allow you to find out where that came from later on and people were just not patient enough to see what that would become. So, people started watching the show and then dropped off.”

Lucas’ honesty stings, because he’s right. Modern television is denied opportunity to breathe or establish an air of mystery in the current entertainment climate. Even billion dollar media brandished as visual rollercoasters, such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, are torn apart by scoopers and spoilers, so what chance does a multicultural, slow-burn, sci-fi mystery stand? Audiences have become so engrossed in phones and immediately accessible answers to the unknown that they’ve lost the ability to enjoy the journey derived from television, immediately demanding the destination and unearned emotion without any of the effort.

His honesty was refreshing, and rather uncommon. Yet something I wholly empathise with. Doomscrolling is skyrocketing, and media literacy is plummeting, how do we stop this inevitable car crash?

Shaking off ill sentiments, Lucas’ charismatic charm returns alongside his warm smile. It’s here he teases me about 1899’s room for revival, but is swift to confirm to truly having heard nothing. Sorry, 1899-ers!

Despite previously professing love for time not working, I’m doubtful Lucas finds himself in this position often.

Booked and busy, with his latest project The Weight now in theatres, a ode to 70s action-led cinema with a gold smuggling heist at the centre, we are quick to approach filming alongside cinematic icons Ethan Hawke (Dead Poets Society) and Russell Crowe (Gladiator).

“Ethan Hawke was one of my idols when I started going into this. Early on watching movies… I just love him. I loved Dead Poets Society. I saw that as a kid and just loved how sensible [it was]. It was kind of a breaking point for me in how films were made.”

It’s easy to see how Ethan Hawke’s ambition has rubbed off on Lucas. The man in front of the camera who revels in character drama and the joys of performance art, unafraid of creative flair and always pushing the boundaries of emotion and possibility. Some might say Lucas takes after him.

“He’s an actor who just wants to play. He wants to find out where all the small little gems lie in a scene and he wants to explore them. He’s so open creatively, [and willing] to explore that with you.”

It’s impossible not to get soaked up in Lucas’ excitement as he recounts watching the first day of shooting, also finding his favorite actor starstruck.

“Even Ethan Hawke was excited to meet Russell Crowe!”

Despite not even being required on-set, Lucas travelled down with his co-stars, fellow members of Hawke’s on-screen heist group, to watch Hawke and Russell shoot their first scene together. Where they savored the opportunity to watch the clash of cinematic titans from the director’s monitor.

“We went on the first day of shooting, we weren’t supposed to be on-set that day and we just went to watch Ethan and Russell do their first scene and that was a really cool pinch me moment. Just sitting with the director at the monitor and watching these two titans go at it, that was cool.”

As cool as this was, Lynggaard Tønnesen doesn’t take notes. Seeing the beauty in their different performances, and acting styles, he can appreciate individuality, just as he understands the need to deliver a specific performance, not necessarily feel it.

“With Ethan its the very playfulness. We’re pretending, we’re acting. You don’t have to feel everything.”

It’s no secret actors are vulnerable in filming, shooting scenes in front of groups of crew members, everybody’s attention directed their way. I curiously ask Lucas how he silences the part of his brain calling this silly, how he hides from potential embarrassment, and the former child actor delivers much simpler advice than I expected.

“You have to forget about it. You’re in a bubble. Of course, that’s also the director’s job to create a safe space for creativity to flow.”

In the middle of his monologue, something occurs to me. Lucas is walking me through his own chain of thought, perhaps a method he developed in his adolescence, or knowledge passed down to him. But he recites the words so easily, so familiarly, I recognise his attachment to them.

“You need to not be scared, you need to be fearless. You have to try something that you know might not work. If you never tried to push that limit, that safety barrier – you have to go beyond it to get that safety barrier moving. If you don’t do that, then I don’t feel like I’m challenging myself. I don’t feel like I’ve moved from before doing that film to the end of that film.”

Putting this theory to the test, Lucas’ biggest boundary pushing challenge came through improvisation, a task suddenly thrust upon him by director Padraic McKinley.

“He said, ‘just tell them a story from back at the farm’. And I was like, okay, back at the farm… and then you just ‘go’. It ended up being in the film, which is awesome!”

Immediately taking Lucas’ advice and pushing my own boundary as a journalist, I pry for an exclusive. Setting my sights on his rumored next film, Mimi Cave’s Tour De France film, Pumping Black, starring Natalie Portman, Jonathan Bailey and Lukas Cage.

His face lights up in, what I hope was, amazement.

“How did you know that?” he asks with surprise. Some secrets are best kept hidden, but not Lucas’, who kindly indulges me.

“The film is going to be a very intense thriller, kind of feels like a body horror, without giving too much away.” Rounding off this information he reveals “The style of the film is going to be very Black Swan, Whiplash”. All the while, my Whiplash poster sits behind me in my office. I’m immediately intrigued.

Physical transformations in film have rewarded both artists and audiences with cinematic classics; Jake Gyllenhaal for his muscular boxer physique in Southpaw, Zac Efron’s Olympic lifting regime in preparation for wrestler Kevin Von Erich in The Iron Claw, and Natalie Portman’s gruelling ballet training regiment for her Academy Award winning performance in Black Swan. There’s no reason to suggest Mimi Cave’s Pumping Black will be any different.

“You’re eating so much [in training]. And at the same time, you’re eating, you’re also losing weight, but you’re building muscle in your legs. So that’s really new”.

Walking me through his training regiment, around 50 to 60 kilometers a day, and enormous quantities of food, Lucas finds diet advice from pro cyclists assisting with his training hilarious, “you can just eat everything you want, don’t think about it, just do it [they say]!”

On critic’s association of physical roles with performance appreciation, I can’t help but ask what Lucas aims to achieve in his career.

“Oh my god. Thats a very big question”. 

Rightfully, he struggles to answer. Who could? Especially a person as modest as Lucas, a fact I’ve come to acknowledge over the course of our conversation. So, we shift the subject, instead focusing on a genre he’d like to sink his teeth into.

“I’m right now shooting another Swedish film. It’s an indie project, but it’s such a heartfelt story about a young man who really loves his girlfriend, but she becomes pregnant, and it creates trouble because he’s afraid that he, by becoming a dad, will turn into his own father. It’s such a slice of life film”.

Not for the first time, Lucas ponders a deeper perspective on a matter. Spoiling me with his wisdom as a recent first-time parent and utilizing his own perspective on fatherhood to gain a deeper grip on his character, understanding what he could ‘miss out’ on. As well as acknowledging the human nature to recoil at change and the alienation of fear.

“You allow yourself to finally be in the backseat, and that feeling not only allows yourself to be more grateful for stuff or be a better version of yourself, but it makes you see things different. Makes you make choices not only for you anymore, but for your family. That’s what I’m trying to get in this character’s head”.

Floored by another monologue of appreciative insight, I struggle to comprehend how he is only one year my senior. So well-travelled and spoken, I listen keenly as if he’s, my mentor. Perhaps we can all learn something from Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen.

This time, it’s my turn to silence Lucas with deep thought, asking A Shot’s signature question ‘If you were a shot in a film, which shot would you be?’

It takes him nearly two full minutes to answer.

“The first one that popped into my head was in [Spirited Away], Chihiro on the back seat, lying with her feet in the air playing with the bouquet of flowers. And then I thought about Lost in Translation, and it would either be the karaoke scene or it would be…”

Lucas trails off, retreating back into his mind, pensive once more. But I understand the connection. His outlooks on life, something I caught in the first minutes of our conversation, are inspired by family and tranquility, satisfied by those around him his career comes secondary, merely a form of artistic expression. His true passion is love.

“We see Bill Murray’s character, Bob, just finally being so happy. And he has this look to Scarlett Johansson’s character that is really so gentle and sweet and, I don’t know, is just full of life. That’s what I really love about it.”

Throughout our conversation, the quantity in which family, or themes around love, acceptance and life’s simplicities, emerge bests any interview I’ve done prior. And I use Lucas’ honesty on the subject to ask what roles he seeks now as a father. If this lifestyle change has shifted what he seeks from his art. In doing so, I accidentally stumble upon an intriguing exclusive.

“I wanna play a King, or a knight, with a sword!”

he almost yells enthusiastically.

I embrace my inner career-advisor, despite having no experience in the acting or management field, suggesting an audition for HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdom’s Season 3 – little did I realise the bombshell Lucas was about to drop.

“I auditioned for that, for Season 1. It was for Aerion Targaryen! … I went to London for, I guess it’s not a screen test, but they flew me over to do an in-house casting. I think I blew it in that room. Or maybe the guy who got it was meant for it. But something like that, something with a sword and a horse!”

Our conversation concludes with a poetic circling back. Suggesting a Season 3 audition for the Game of Thrones spin off, Lucas echoes his earlier sentiment from our previously discussed 1899 revival; “you never know”, he says – once again brandishing a cheeky smile.