Achieving international success is something that lots of actors dream of, but it’s not an easy thing to accomplish. Still, Sofie Grabol has managed to do it. Although the entertainment industry in her home country of Denmark isn’t nearly as big as the American entertainment industry, Grabol found international success for her role in the TV series The Killing which was eventually remade for viewers in the United States. Recently, Grabol has been getting even more attention in the United States thanks to her role in the new HBO Max miniseries, The Undoing. Keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Sofie Grabol.
1. Her First Acting Role Was In English
Sofie was born and raised in Denmark and Danish is her first language. Most of her acting roles have also been in Danish. Surprisingly, however, her first acting job was in English. She told The Arts Desk, “I was 17 years and I was cast in a role in a film about Paul Gauguin with Donald Sutherland. That was in English.”
2. Both Of Her Parents Were Architects
Even though Sofie doesn’t come from a family with a history of working in the entertainment industry, her parents were creative in their own right. Both of her parents were architects. Sofie was raised by her mother who remarried another architect after she and Sofie’s father separated.
3. She Won A BAFTA
Even though Sofie acts because she genuinely loves it, she still appreciates having her hard work and talent recognized. Fortunately, she has gotten that recognition several times throughout her career. She has been nominated for and won many awards, most notably a BAFTA in 2011 for Best International TV Show for Killing Eve.
4. She Studied Theology
Sofie Grabol’s path to becoming a professional actress wasn’t exactly a straight shot. During the early years of her career, she was essentially acting on the side while working at a local bookstore and studying theology. It’s unclear whatever became of her theological studies.
5. Her Brother Is A Director
Sofie isn’t the only person in her family who was drawn to a career in entertainment. Her brother, Niels, is a film director in Denmark who has been working for more than 30 years. Over the course of his career he has directed and written a wide variety of projects.
6. She Is A Cancer Survivor
In 2012, Sofie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and surgery to treat the illness and she temporarily took a break from acting. Fortunately, her cancer went into remission and she was able to get back to work the following year.
7. She Didn’t Really Plan On Becoming A Professional Actor
Despite having love for acting, doing it professionally wasn’t something Sofie always saw for herself. In fact, she only got into acting after her mother encouraged her. After landing her first role which was a small part in the movie Orivi, she continued to land roles and eventually realized that acting was her full-time job.
8. She Is A Very Private Person
Sofie has been in the entertainment industry for more than 30 years, but she has never been the type of celebrity who is obsessed with being in the spotlight. In fact, she is almost the exact opposite. She has managed to keep her personal life very private and when she does have interviews or make appearances she likes to keep the focus strictly on her work.
9. She Has Theater Experience
One of the things that’s most impressive about Sofie’s acting journey is the fact that she never went to drama school, but that has never stopped her from getting great opportunities. Sofie’s resume is full of on screen roles, but that isn’t the only acting experience she has. She has also done lots of theater work over the years. Even as her TV and film career expanded, she still continued to act on stage.
10. She Is A Mother
Sofie was married to director and editor Jacob Thuesen for more than 10 years and the couple had two children together. When her kids were younger, Sofie worked hard to shield them from the fact that she was a famous actor. She told The Guardian, “When my daughter was nine or 10, she had a friend whose father is a singer – I was walking with her in a mall, and there was a poster of her friend’s father, who was doing a concert. She saw it, paused, and said: “I wonder what it’s like to have a famous parent like that?” I felt: mission accomplished!” Now that her kids are older they have a clear understanding of who their mother is and what she does.
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