Welcome to the 19th installment of ACTING UP, a Casting Networks column designed to call attention to standout performances in TV, streaming and film. Other than spotlighting exceptional work from recent projects, this feature shines a light on how certain actors got to where they are now. Have a peek and then check out these noteworthy performances to help hone your craft.
For nifty 19: Kristofer Hivju plays Michel, the comically unimpressed ski patrol safety chief in the dark snowball comedy Downhill. (Release date: February 14, 2020)
The Performer:
Kristofer Hivju
The Film:
Downhill
The Performance:
Like most of America, the first moment you see Kristofer Hivju on-screen in Downhill, you can’t help but think: Hey, it’s the guy from Game of Thrones!
I love that guy.
With his wild(ing) hair and beard, overflowing masculinity, and obvious resemblance to L.A. Dodgers star Justin Turner, Hivju plays Michel, the mildly annoyed, somewhat amused mountain man put in the position of having to shut down two uptight Americans in Downhill. In what amounts to one of the film’s funniest scenes, Michel fields a complaint from an anxiety-ridden mother/wife, Billie (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her callous husband, Pete, played by Will Ferrell — almost like Frank the Tank from Old School, but 17 years later with two kids and a tired, uninspiring marriage.
See, the day before, their family lived through a controlled avalanche in the Austrian Alps while on their ski vacation. Billie saw the onslaught of snow as the end of the world as she knows it, grasping her two sons for a quick farewell tour — while Pete picks up his smartphone and runs away.
For the rest of the movie, the couple deals with the aftermath of Pete’s curious decision and how it affects his marriage to Billie, family dynamics, his relationship to his boys and… himself.
But, back to Kristofer Hivju.
In what comes down to maybe the freshest five minutes of the film, the mildly amused and somewhat astute Michel sits across from Billie and Pete as they relay their dissatisfaction with how the resort handled — or didn’t handle — the aftermath of the controlled avalanche. Ultimately, Michel gives them a quick lesson in how Europeans do things versus Americans while offering assurances that there was generous signage splayed across the resort warning of such an activity, a point that seems to be in contention.
For Billie.
When Pete asks for some acknowledgement that this was not well-handled, Michel simply responds with, “It was perfectly handled,” much to the chagrin of Billie, who goes on to threaten Michel by saying she’s a lawyer. To that, Michel comes back with, “We are not in America, where you sue because your coffee is hot.” Every retort works Billie up a bit more, while sounding rather reasonable to Pete. Another thing that won’t bode well for them.
In Billie’s utter disbelief that this safety patrol guy ultimately gives zero f*cks about their situation, Billie and Pete abruptly end with Michel yielding nothing in the realm of admission of guilt or apology. It’s a masterful (and perfectly cast) scene for Hivju, who steals it from two all-time comedy legends with his character’s comedic lack of empathy, steely resolve, and inability to feel one ounce of compassion for their perceived plight.
It’s a scene so well-played, in fact, that you can’t help but want Michel to reappear later in the somewhat uneven film…
He does not.
The Career:
During his seven-year run on Game of Thrones as Tormund Giantsbane, Hivju solidified his status as a fan favorite, playing the hirsute leader of the Free Folk. A bloodthirsty character that started in enemy territory and ended as a fierce defender of all things Jon Snow. As a result, his medieval machismo is a thing of legends, ensuring that his likeness will forever be tattooed in the minds of millions of GoT fanatics across the world.
As for Hivju the person, the 41-year-old Norwegian actor has thespian blood running within. As the son of two actors, his road to the screen was paved pretty much from the start. Despite having aspirations to be a musician, he eventually made his way to film, making his American debut when he scored a role in the 2011 prequel to John Carpenter’s The Thing.
Interestingly enough, he soon after starred in the wildly praised Swedish film Force Majeure, the 2014 Sundance Jury prize winner that Downhill is based on. In the original version of this film, Hivju played a different role — that of the good friend who passes through town with his girlfriend only to land smack dab in the center of his friend’s tense marital crisis. It’s the role that Silicon Valley’s Zach Woods plays incredibly well in Downhill.
If you watch Force Majeure, in fact, you can marvel at the softer side to Hivju, more along the lines of the smiling and smitten warrior who falls rather humorously hard for Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones.
In more recent news, Hivju was just added to the cast of The Witcher on Netflix for season two – hence solidifying his return back to the world of epic fantasy.
Now, that makes wild sense.
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ACTING UP – Episode #11: Sosie Bacon & Chris O’Dowd
ACTING UP – Episode #10: Perry Mattfeld & Jason Clarke
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Gregg Rosenzweig has been a writer, creative director and managing editor for various entertainment clients, ad agencies and digital media companies over the past 20 years. He is also a partner in the talent management/production company, The Rosenzweig Group.
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