Sentimental Value reunites director Joachim Trier with Renate Reinsve and Anders Danielsen Lie but one of the best parts of the film is combining these familiar actors for Trier with other actors. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård and more round out this amazing ensemble put together from casting director Yngvill Kolset Haga. Offscreen Central had the opportunity to speak with her ahead of the film’s release about putting together this ensemble, how casting directors partner with directors, and what the new casting Oscar means to her!

Kenzie Vanunu: Congratulations on the film! I just saw it over the weekend, and you were in the audience for the Q&A after! Sentimental Value marks your third film with Joachim Trier. Can you discuss just your creative language with one another and sort of the start of your process with him on a new collaboration together with Sentimental Value?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: I think always when you work with someone that you worked with before, you start off more direct immediately and because you know each other, which is great if you like working with the person. I definitely like working with Joachim because he takes every little thing about filmmaking so seriously. And then when it comes to what I do, with every little role and that makes me also work harder and search harder because it’s important what I find and the alternatives I give him and show him. It is important and I love to work on projects where you feel useful in a way. That every little in this film is kind of art to us.

Kenzie Vanunu: I love how Joachim works with not only actors across multiple films, but the people behind the scenes too, you, co-writer Eskil Vogt, cinematographer Kasper Tuxen. And this is part of the script too with Stellan Skarsgård’s Gustav working with his team over and over. Was this sort of helpful in envisioning the cast?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: Yeah, in some way! It wasn’t like we talked about it a lot, but it is definitely there the whole way that it’s both theater and film topics .It’s a huge part of this story and this film. And I mean, he knows a lot about filmmaking and I actually come more from the theater side. I know when you work with films, you can work with like a topic you don’t know anything about. And that can be interesting because you have to learn about it if you’re casting like a oil platform, working people like I’ve done some years ago for big series. But also it’s fun when you know what the, you like know the characters, you know what their work is. And I also grew up with many theater people in my family and you have some hooks to put the characters on, which is it’s fun.

Kenzie Vanunu: I know this film was written specifically for Renate Reinsve, does that present a challenge when looking at where to begin with the supporting cast?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: I wouldn’t say it was like more challenging, but just the fact, and it was the same with The Worst Person in the World, Renate was there from the beginning. So then you start building around her. But of course, finding the ‘perfect sister’ that, of course, is a challenge because you need an actress that is as good as Renata and that we believe that they are sisters. It was a big search and took more than half a year. But fun, of course, because the role is a beautiful character and being able to invite people in to audition for what is a really good role is always a pleasure also from my side. But, it is challenging to work with Joachim because he wants to see more and more and more. But on the other hand, I really like the being pushed and that he takes his cast to be so seriously.

Kenzie Vanunu: It really feels like watching a family, which is such a compliment to your work. The minute they’re all like together you’re like, that is the family that I’m witnessing. Like you can feel it between them all and see it visually.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas gives such a beautiful performance. Like I feel like for me, she was kind of my entry because of the character, I’m a sister, but I’m also a parent. So I feel like my sister who is not a parent, our lives are very different, our perspectives, mirroring sort of the sisters here. But Inga’s performance is the one that everybody’s really talking about. I think especially like here in the United States, not a lot of people are very familiar with her as an actor. You said that took such a long time to find her. So in the Q&A I went to, they talked about how her character kind of shifted once they met Inga that at first it was more jovial and she’s like a little jokey and now she’s a little more grounded in the final film. Does that present like a challenge to you when you’re casting that it would like shift so much based on who they find?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: No because I think that’s the way I like to work that okay, you have a script and that’s like the directions you go after. There are the characters and let’s start to find them. But I believe also that it’s an idea of the script and the film is not the script. It’s the story. Then many things will happen on the way, like also the editing process and everything before the film is finished. And the casting is a part of this huge creative process on the film, where the director for the first time sees the characters come alive and hears the lines. And then you can see some people doing a version of the character that inspires you to maybe think differently of the character. And in any way, an actor has their own charisma, their own energy. And sometimes it’s that energy you can use and go in that direction with the character. But in general, I think it’s fun to challenge the directors a bit of who the characters are on paper. Maybe it can be a woman instead of a man. To challenge them and not to just to challenge them, but maybe are there different angles of how to make this a good and interesting group of people together.

Kenzie Vanunu: Yeah, especially with a story like this. The chemistry in building this dynamic between all the actors is so important here. I was really struck by you had to build these kind of two dynamics; the dynamic with Gustav’s character and his family and then also like his family on set, of film actors, cinematographers, producers. And it’s like who he spent all this time with away from his literal family. What was the approach for casting not only a family but also this found family on set that would all end up having great screen presence together? Especially with Stellan as he is really on both sides of that.
Yngvill Kolset Haga: I have been talking with people that I wonder if you come from like an artistic job or like theater or film business. If you see the film in a different way than if you don’t have that background. I obviously I work with film and I come from a theater family. So I’ve been a bit curious how a person that has no relations to the industry will take it in.

Kenzie Vanunu: Especially I think in the States it’s going wider over like a holiday Thanksgiving-ish. So it’ll be a big time you’re with your family. So it’s going to be a really cool discussion to talk about this movie because it’s like I live in L.A. and talk about movies and the my family doesn’t live here like they don’t have that insight. And I think a lot of people have that situation. So, it’s going to be really beautiful to see that conversation unfold. And just the idea of so many people being able to relate to the sisters and the various aspects of being in different places in life. I keep going back to the scene of the sisters in the bed like after Nora [Reinsve] reads the script. It’s just so special. I think that moment works so well, in addition to the script, is just because I really believe them as sisters. And I think everybody really feels that way.
Yngvill Kolset Haga: Yeah, it’s really beautiful.
Kenzie Vanunu: Inga has a theater background also, right?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: They’re both educated in two of the Norwegian government theater schools. She went mostly towards theater, but she has filmed some things before.
Kenzie Vanunu: Inga’s amazing in this. I immediately looked up what other things she in her filmography. I’m really excited to check more of her work out.

Kenzie Vanunu: I just wanted to end with that this is the first season where casting directors are part of the Oscar race. Casting is such an important part of film and always has been, but now it’s going to be recognized in such a major way. 
Yngvill Kolset Haga: Oh my god, yeah! So excited.
Kenzie Vanunu: I think it’s just so interesting! A lot of people in the industry are aware of casting directors but it’s such a large conversation now with more people understanding your work. There hasn’t been a new category in so long and it’s so exciting it’s for casting. What is like the one thing you really want everyone to know about your job and how you approach a new project?
Yngvill Kolset Haga: In general, I can just say that we are all so happy for this happening. It’s very exciting casting directors all over the world that this is happening because there is a lack of awards in general in like country for their equivalent of the Oscars. In many countries in Europe, they are working really hard to get their own prize. Italy now has managed to get it. It is strange but this is a game changer that the Academyis taking it on board as a prize. So, what do I want people to know about the job itself. Good question.

I don’t think people understand how close we might work with the director, and sometimes for how long we working with them, for maybe a year. Like I worked a work year all Autumn through the Spring with Sentimental Value. Choosing the cast for a film is one of the biggest choices the director does for the film. So, they are very often they are insecure and nervous about taking the choices. So, casting directors are kind of there, holding their hand. Producers can push in another way they want the choices to be made, you know maybe they want to don’t want to use more resources on the casting process. And so that’s another thing that can push the director in distressing them up. But I think we’re there like totally on their side and working for the director to make as good decisions as possible. And it’s always their decisions. That’s also something that I explain to people a lot. We’re a huge part of it, but it’s in a very hidden way.

It’s strange job because Joachim chose Renata again and he wanted Stellan. And so you can choose big names and like Stellan, who gave such a fantastic performance in this film, even though he has this huge career behind him. But what’s funny is being here or I just came right from the Thessaloniki Film Festival before and people are talking about the role of Agnes and Inga because people enjoy getting presented actors and faces they haven’t seen before, even with this cast of well known and beloved talent. And that is every casting director’s dream always is to manage to push forward some actors that haven’t been recognized so much yet. And it’s really interesting now how people are talking about it and that shows that yeah we need the already known names because they obviously are known because they’re fantastic. But we also need the new faces and people love that too.

Kenzie Vanunu: I really think you did such a great job because I went into this like, ‘oh I can’t wait for Renata and Stellan,’ and then it was like I left like looking up Inga’s like resume of like what else can I watch her in. She’s just so captivating but you really essentially built this family and it’s so special with a story like this to feel that way like it never felt like I was watching a film, I just felt like I was watching a family. You just did such a great job seamlessly pulling that off.
Yngvill Kolset Haga: Well, it was a good script that allowed the cast to shine. Personally, I’m the target group of this kinds of films, like personal dramas. This is what I enjoy the most to work with; we cry and laugh in the audition rooms and use of ourselves. I have a sister that she came to the Norwegian premiere with me and she has children and I don’t. And yeah, there are many similarities.

Kenzie Vanunu: It was so great to speak with you and congratulations on the film! I’m so excited for more and more people to talk about casting directors and specifically your work.
Yngvill Kolset Haga: Yeah it’s a fun season to be a casting director, for sure. Well, thank you so much!

Sentimental Value is now in select theaters.