– It is not usual for the public to be allowed into operating theatres, but I was allowed to be there as a researcher, Mads Ousdal tells God morgen Norge.
The 52-year-old is currently featured in the series “RIP Henry” on Viaplay, and ahead of the recording he got to join real surgeons at work.
– It went through the floor. I was prepared for things to happen, but when he opens the knee, unfolds it and picks up the kneecap, I feel that it is getting a little warm, says the actor.
It ended with Ousdal having to get down on the floor and take a break.
– I disappear, and then of course the doctor comes. I get some blackcurrant juice and sit and chat a bit with the operating room nurses in the break room. Eventually I get to go back in and look at the rest.
It was primarily the atmosphere in the operating room that Ousdal wanted to get an insight into, before he himself had to play the role of brain surgeon Henry Johnsen at Odda hospital.
– They are car mechanics, these orthopedic surgeons. They hammer and saw, and it splashes. The brain surgeons are in a class of their own. They care more about the little things.
White male 50 plus
SHOCK NEWS: The character Henry Johnsen is diagnosed with a brain tumor in the TV series “RIP Henry”. Photo: ITV Studios Norway/Viaplay
The 52-year-old describes the series “RIP Henry” as a mix of several genres, but primarily drama. The character is an arrogant brain surgeon who himself is diagnosed with a brain tumor.
– He is a man of my age. Creating sympathy for a white man aged 50 plus in the upper middle class in Norway is difficult, says Ousdal and continues:
– He is probably at the height of his life and has made up his mind about what life looks like. And then he gets this diagnosis. From there the journey begins.
Despite the fact that the actor himself has turned 50, he does not feel that his outlook on life has settled.
– In my profession, we are dependent on opening up the mind three times a year. At least if you are going to the theater and film. But I can probably imagine that some, especially those who work with life and death, have two lines under the answer to what life should look like.
LONG RECORDING: The series was recorded both in Odda and Romania. Photo: ITV Studios Norway/Viaplay
Learned to cut and sew
Mads Ousdal received a crash course in both cutting and sewing ahead of the role, but he did not cut into real human skin during filming.
Mads Ousdal: — I always have to check my bib before I go on stage
– There are real people there, but they have some silicone up there again, with blood pumps and skin and quite real things. I make all the cuts and I sew myself, says the 52-year-old.
He finds the most challenging thing about entering new roles is to give them believable life.
– In a way, it must be a whole person. That’s always the hardest part. And then all these things you learn come as a bonus: shooting a gun, riding a horse or playing the piano. But we soon forget again, that is.
From Odda to Romania
The recording of “RIP Henry” was originally supposed to start in March 2020, but due to the corona shutdown, everything had to be postponed.
– I had a plane ticket to Romania, where our studio was, says Ousdal.
The interior of Odda hospital was recreated in a film studio in Romania, where parts of the filming took place.
– It has been a painful process. There has been a lot of hardship to make this happen, the actor admits.
The scenes outside the hospital were shot in Odda, while the indoor scenes were filmed in the studio outside Bucharest, the capital of Romania. This was, according to Ousdal, challenging at times.
– There is only one clip, and then you have two countries and two different times of the year. It can be demanding at times. This is very much a collaboration.
New TV 2 series took a deep dive into a controversial environment: – We were provoked
Although the character Henry Johnsen at the start of the series hates Odda, Mads Ousdal has a different impression of the town.
– When we first came to Odda, it was absolutely fantastic. We had such nice weather. The Westland offered its best. But it’s funny to stand and shout in the middle of Odda that this is the world’s arsehole and should have been cemented a long time ago, he says and continues:
– We were in Odda for the pre-premiere on Thursday. We all agreed that we have been very well received in Odda, and we might come back.
