Film Festivals are fun, but our presence as accredited press members is also part of our job, so sometimes we may begin to cover a festival with a certain feeling that we may not see a lot of “good ones” throughout any given festival. Film criticism isn’t exactly an area where you can review films in a strictly objective way, so don’t judge us. This year’s Berlinale started off strong and we were happy with some movies we saw, but the one movie that made us say “I love my job!” is definitely The Ugly Stepsister (Den Stygge Stesøsteren) by Emilie Blichfeldt, starring Lea Myren, Ane Dahl Torp and Thea Sofie Loch Næss. It’s a must watch, needless to say, and it’s by far one of the best movies of 2025. We were so lucky to be able to reach Lea Myren, the star of the movie, and we are endlessly thankful for her accepting to answer our questions by mail. Please enjoy our interview and make sure to add The Ugly Stepsister to your watchlist.
What kind of a path did you follow when preparing for the role?
I did a lot of rehearsals with all the actors, where we went through some of the more complicated scenes, such as the cutting-off-the-toes scene. We knew we would have such little time on set, so we made sure the blocking and timing was all set before. In addition to rehearsals, I did a lot of preparation on my own, researched pain, body language, and tried to meditate on self-hatred. Since I never really have struggled with body issues (not in a serious way), I found it super important to try to understand the complexity of feeling ugly, and how this would manifest in body language, way of walking and how one communicates with others. Personally, I have a bad habit of biting nails and scratching off the skin on the side of my nails when I’m stressed, so I wanted Elvira to do the same. To have this dirtiness and real thing about her, whilst she was wearing these ridiculously shiny dresses. I also wanted her to have natural skin, a bit of pimples and so on, to always remind the audience of the real human behind the craziness. We also had to start makeup tests half a year before shooting, where I was able to have thoughts and opinions on how Elvira should look, so the collaboration with Thomas Foldberg [special makeup effects artist] was a big part of becoming Elvira.
How do you interpret the perception of beauty mentioned in the film?
Beauty for me is joy, love and the existential feeling of living. It has nothing to do with how one looks for me, but I can still find people’s appearance beautiful. I think it just has to do with auras, and what energy people put out. I find beauty in a lot of things, that often are talked about as the opposite of that, such as being loud as a woman, shaving off eyebrows, stretch marks, different sized boobs. I find dance and the moving body as one of the most beautiful things in the world. I hope people will question the concept of beauty and ugly after watching this movie, and I hope everyone who recognizes themselves in Elvira can feel a sense of hope that your worth has nothing to do with how you look. I hope boys and girls can find peace and acceptance in both masculinity and femininity, and that parents and adults having an influence on kids can reflect on how they talk about beauty. I really feel for all the kids growing up in the time of social media, and my heart breaks every time I see an 8 year old girl doing a «get ready with me» video online. My wish, and my fight is that we, as a society can realize the influence we have, and start to talk about this issue without all the taboos. Kids need to know how many different body types exist, and that it’s exactly what makes everyone beautiful in their own way. They need to learn that eating is healthy, being creative and being active is healthy, and that counting carbs, doing diets and calling people ugly, fat or not good enough can be very, very dangerous. Life is so much more enjoyable when you can accept who you are, and start using your brain to wonder about what life can bring, rather than to use that time hating yourself.
Was there anything that challenged you about the character you played?
A lot… Balancing this youthful naive way of living while slowly getting more and more insecure was very hard. Emilie and I worked a lot with this balance, and how we could push Elvira’s feelings to be very out there, and almost overplayed, but never losing the real, deep inner world of her. We would often just look at each other after a take and know if we should tone her down or push more. The physical parts of shooting was challenging, but not particularly acting wise, just the technical aspects of it. I love screaming and using my body, but doing that in a very restrained setting, making sure I was in the right mark in terms of camera and light is always difficult as an actor, I think. Feeling all the feelings while also knowing deep down that you’re also just acting, is a very interesting aspect of acting that I appreciate.
Is there a fairytale from your childhood that you can’t forget and love, like the Cinderella in the movie?
I really liked the book «Peter in Blueberryland» when I was a kid, but fairytale-wise I enjoyed Asbjørnsen and Moe – folk Norwegian fairytales, such as Askeladden. I also enjoy «The little match girl». It’s heartbreaking, but so beautiful.
Was the character you played a perfect fit for you, or would you like for example to give life to the character played by Thea Sofie Loch Næss? Which character’s structure do you find most similar to yours?
Elvira is really the perfect match for me. I am no Cinderella. I think I could be, but I wouldn’t want to be. I think Thea encapsulates her in such a careful and respectful way. But she is also a stepsister in a way, and I think that is why Cinderella is something different in this film than is the other fairytales. I am not like Elvira at all, but I think I dream like her. I dream big and carry my emotions on the outside. I use to say that I walk around with my heart in my hand, which I feel like Elvira does as well. We are both willing to let it be stabbed in order to find someone who will love it, sort of. I think Elvira should make art. It would help her sort out her thoughts. I also enjoy making art, so perfect match indeed! But I mean, Alma is the real hero in this story, and I think she is the one that is most similar to me. I also love animals, and really enjoy dressing more masculine. She is also the true feminist of the story, I think.
Did they use a stunt double for your character during the film? If so, which sequences in particular required it?
It was used in a lot of scenes. We had body doubles for intimate scenes, and stunt doubles for stunts, such as the falling down the stairs scene. I would’ve loved to do it myself, but I wasn’t allowed (also not able, even though I like to tell myself I am). Picking a body double for the naked scene where Elvira looks at her body in disgust was very hard, and had to be done in a very respectful way. The double we chose was an incredible young girl, so brave and powerful. The whole point of that scene is to show a normal, young body. She’s not too big, she’s not too skinny, she represents a body that society has decided is not pretty. Which is awful. It was very important for us, especially for Emilie, that the body double felt beautiful, and that we were showing her body to convey that message, not to show something «ugly», even though that’s what Elvira feels.
The Ugly Stepsister is already associated with the most award-winning film of the year, The Substance. What do you think about that?
I think it’s great! It means feminist body horror has finally come to everyone’s attention, and that body horror is something also the masses can enjoy. It has also helped the promo for our film, since The Substance is such a big movie in comparison to ours. They speak about the same stuff, but I do think our movie tries to reach a bit younger audience, while still being a movie for everyone.
What is your view on the Body Horror film genre? Do you have any favorite films in this genre?
I think it is my favorite genre actually. David Cronenberg is a hero of mine, where Videodrome really changed my film taste the first time I watched it when I was 20 years old. I had never watched anything like it, and found this new excitement over that I had this whole world to discover. But one of my favorite movies from this genre has to be Raw by Julia Ducournau. It just encapsulates growing up in such a raw (lol) way, and I could really identify with the main character in so many ways, even though she’s literally eating human flesh. I think that’s why I love body horror, cause the horror aspect often has a reason for existing, and can carry a deeper meaning. I also love the feeling of wanting to look away, but feeling the urge to continue to watch. It’s so human and I think it’s extraordinary when films can make you feel physical discomfort just through a screen. That’s why I like cinema in general. Escapism leading to existentialism in a way. Another favorite is Tetsuo: The Iron Man. It’s just crazy.
Your film has participated in many festivals so far. In this context, what is your perspective on film festivals?
It has been wonderful to be able to experience Sundance and Berlinale, but I do have to say that I don’t really feel like I got the full feeling of them. I didn’t watch any other movie, just my own, three times haha… I found that a bit sad, cause we are all there for movies, but I was too busy doing press and interviews that there simply was no time. I would love to go once just to watch movies. Those are the places for community, to have talks, to be engaged and to have a platform to speak up about what you find important. There is a lot of shit happening in the world at the moment, with Trump literally just existing, and with a full on genocide going on in Palestine, I felt a bit weird at the festivals too. A bit powerless, being in the US, spending money there while this vile man leads the country hundreds of years back in time while wanting to literally colonize a place where around 14.000 children have been murdered. So addressing this feels a bit important, cause these festivals represent community and a place to celebrate art, but what even is that in a world where this is not available for everyone. So fighting and speaking up about this, is important to me. But I also found peace in the fact that we were there to convey our message, and that, that fight has to be fought too. I was there to tell Elvira’s story, promote feminism and body positivity, and festivals are places that has great impact. It’s when I talked to people after the movie and saw that it really touched people, that I felt like we’re really, actually making a difference in the bigger fight that we’re fighting. Which is all I could hope for.
Can you tell us a little about your upcoming film projects?
I don’t have any at the moment! Which feels both scary and exciting. I enjoy the thrill of knowing that something will come, but I have no idea what it will be. So now I’m just trying to relax, find my ground, do yoga, meet friends and eat well. Life is really also what happens in between projects and work!
Thank you.
Questions by Burcu Meltem Tohum
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