Interview: Pilou Asbæk gives insights into his deeply torn character in the Viaplay Original series "Secrets"
The Danish actor Pilou Asbæk can look back onto an impressive career. After having a break-through with the critical acclaimed drama series "Borgen - Gefährliche Seilschaften" as Kasper Juul and his part as Euron Greyjoy on HBO's "Game of Thrones" he had several roles in Hollywood. With parts on blockbusters like "Uncharted" or "Aquaman: Lost Kingdom" he can currently be seen on season 3 of "Foundation". To not only play villains anymore Asbæk returned to Denmark for the Viaplay Original series "Secrets" (German release on September 15, 2025). In this exclusive interview Pilou Asbæk talks about the emotionality of this role and why he wants to focus more on characters like this one that are rooted in the real world.
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Die Serie "Secrets" ansehen:
14 September 2025 by Catherine Bühnsack
Here's a German translation of the interview.
Hi Pilou! Thank you for taking the time to talk to me about your new show "Secrets". It's starting in Germany next week.
On which channel?
On Viaplay, like all over the world, I think.
Oh, oh, God, great. Perfect. Yeah, I lost track, I'm so sorry. (laughs)
© Viaplay
The first couple of seconds had me hooked already, although I was very hesitant to watch it because of its dark setting, but I wanted to know why this family has secrets from each other, even though they obviously care for each other. When did you know that you wanted to play this part of Mads and what made it special for you?
First of all, I think every single family all over the world has secrets. I think that's something we all share in common. Secondly, why did I want to do this story? Personally, I have a lot of, relatives that have battled addiction and mental illness. Which is always more or less the same side of the coin, you know what I mean? That sometimes, when you self-medicate, it's because you have some issues that you can't battle, and therefore you start drinking or taking drugs, and then you take drugs to drink more, or vice versa. I think it's a very personal story Kaspar Munk and Lone [Hørslev] wrote. Kaspar directed it. Lone, his wife, wrote it. I think you can feel that this comes out of someone who really knows how to be an addict. For me, it's just so important to tell stories that can resonate with people all over the world. I don't think there is a family that doesn't have a relative that doesn't have an addiction, some kind of addiction. And I think it's also the reason why it's been sold to so many countries now, through Viaplay, of course. When you read the script, you just felt instantly connected, and I felt exactly whom I wanted to be inspired by. It's a big mixture of a lot of my family members and my friends.
© Viaplay
How did you get involved in this project? Was it a typical casting, or did you know Kaspar Munk or anyone from the production?
I knew Kaspar Munk because he wrote a short story with my wife several years ago. And I really wanted to make it because I thought it was such an important story. It's a very Scandinavian story, and the more Scandinavian something is, the more it will travel, because we think: Oh, this is so exotic. This is so detached from our own world." And then all of a sudden you watch the show and you find out: "Holy shit, Mads is my brother, or Mads is my best friend who got lost, because life just hit hard." I've done so many villains, but I actually think this is one of the most interesting characters I've done in quite a while, because he's complex. You understand him. You might think he's irritating, or frustrating, or… but he's still charming. And he's still trying to do the best he can. And he's a phenomenal teacher. He's just an addict. And we, in Denmark, we're battling a lot with addiction right now, with drug abuse, where there's functional junkies, where you take a bit of cocaine, so you make the day a little bit funnier, it makes it a little bit easier, you're a little bit happier, but you're also using your endorphins, which means that one day you're gonna crash. That's my side of the story, but the other side of this story is also a co-addiction, and that's a story about a brother and a sister keeping secrets from themselves and from their families. And she's just as addicted to Mads her brother as I am for her being a co-addicted to me, which means that they're holding each other in a headlock. So, they can't really develop as human beings. Because they're stuck on their path, and who they are, and who they have always been. That's a very long answer to are very simple question.
No, but it's fine, it's nice to have your insights. How hard is it for you to get into this emotional state, like, this deeply torn character that Mads is?
If the script is well written, it's not that difficult, because, you know, a character is defined by his actions. And he reacts a lot. For me, I wanted to create a character in a collaboration with the writer and the director, a character that would resonate with people, that people would understand and would root for him, but also feel sad on his behalf, because he is a lost soul, you know? He's trying to do his best. But life is just difficult sometimes, you know. It's a very Nordic TV show, to be honest. It's very bleak, it's very dark, but it's also extremely human, and it's also full of humor, and fun, and this weird perception of the world we have in the North countries, where it's dark six months of the year, you know? And we get bored, and when we get bored, we do stupid stuff. You know, in the night, in the dark. And, I loved his company.
© Viaplay
Is it hard for you, because you have this personal bond to the kind of story that this is… or because of your friends and family?
It's hard, because you wanna…
I mean, was it sometimes too much for you to confront certain parts of this show?
Yeah, when I showed it to my family. We were in Spain, all of us, last year. It's like two years old now, this show. When I was in Spain last year, I showed it to my parents, and they were… It's not often I see them being so affected by the work I've done, but this one really gave them an opportunity to see a different side of my talent, but it also gave us a manual to have a conversation about addiction in my own family, and how was it in my family to work with addiction? And I've never been an addict, but I've seen so many near relatives who have been battling it for so many years. And they're good human beings, you know? Often you have an addiction because there's something you're trying to run away from, something that you don't want to see in yourself. And by taking drugs, in this case, taking drugs, it's a way of releasing yourself, it's a way of forgetting yourself, and just hide in this dark hole. And then just die. (laughs) Sorry.
© Viaplay
When you talk about the bleak atmosphere is it like that on set as well? Do you stay in character, or do you try to break the tension a little bit to get out of this?
The more concentrating scenes that demand more focus and quietness on set, you treat them with respect and the generosity for it to be as good as possible. I can turn it on and off. I'm like a switch. You know, you say "Action", I'm in it, and when you switch it off, I'm out. That's what I've been training to do for so many years. I don't take it home with me. But of course, when you're doing a scene where you're breaking down in front of your family, telling them that you are a drug addict… It's emotionally draining, and you only have a few takes in you. Because you're so invested, and I love to work with material of this caliber, because it just gives so much to your toolbox. You're really using every single instrument in the toolbox. And it's like running a marathon every single day, but you feel great about it because your body's used to it, and you're in this flow, creating a character. And in the days you're not blessed from above with divine talent, and you have to work for it, those days are wonderful as well. You know, it's like a sportsman. Like, it's a bicycle race. Sometimes you have great legs, and sometimes you don't. But, you know which tools to use.
© Viaplay
Is it easier for you to play these deeper roles when it's in your native language compared to English?
Yeah! I really want to make these rolls in English as well. But it will always be a challenge. The language barrier is difficult. I am one hundred thousand percent Danish in my DNA, which means that when I can say a line in Danish, I can make all the little weird noises and pronunciations and emphasizing, etc. So, working in Danish is just such a gift. And, I'm super thankful that the world gets to see what I do back home in Denmark, so it's not just always villains.
"Secrets" is released in Germany on September 15, 2025 on Viaplay. Viaplay is available via Prime Video Channels.
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© Viaplay
Die Serie "Secrets" ansehen:
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