Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas: The Role That Almost Vanished?!

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is, by all accounts, deeply sentimental. Talking to her, you get the immediate sense of a person grounded in strong family ties. A devoted wife and mother, she brought a wealth of personal experience to her portrayal of Agnes Borg Pettersen in *Sentimental Value*, Norway's official entry for this year's Oscars. But, as she confessed, landing the role wasn't quite as straightforward as one might assume.

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas: The Role That Almost Vani...

Before diving into her experiences on set, I had to ask about her family. After all, a film so deeply rooted in familial bonds naturally prompts introspection. Were there other artists in her family lineage? "My great aunt on my father’s side was an actress," she began, "and my grandfather on my mother’s side was definitely artistic. He wrote poetry, and was also a teacher and a musician – he played the Norwegian fiddle." Turns out, artistic expression runs deep in her blood, extending to an uncle who is a musician, theater teacher, and playwright. It seems the stage was practically calling her name.

Interestingly, acting wasn't always the clear frontrunner. "Being a teacher is something I considered," Lilleaas revealed. "My mother was a teacher, so it was something I looked up to. And my grandfather had been a high school principal, so the teaching profession was highly respected." She even dipped her toes into the profession, guest teaching "here and there, just for a semester or a course." But the pull of performance proved too strong.

Lilleaas originally envisioned a career in psychology. "I wanted to be a psychologist when I was a kid," she explained. "But somewhere along the way, I realized the acting part was more of what I was interested in." She even studied psychology after high school. But she quickly realized her interest lay in "the human analysis of the human being in a more artistic way, not so analytical." It was this shift in perspective that truly set her on her path.

Choosing acting wasn't without its anxieties. In Norway, students can specialize in fields like drama early on. For Lilleaas, admitting her passion to her parents was a hurdle. "When I started to realize that acting was what I wanted to do, it was a little scary to admit it to my parents," she confessed. She faced initial setbacks, failing to gain admission to a specific school but reaching the final audition rounds. That process was a pivotal moment: "That was when I realized I actually had something to do in that space." She describes herself as not very outgoing and scared to "lose control."

She then attended a physical theater school in Norway. Based on the work of Jacques Lecoq, the French theater pedagogue. "This was very scary because I wasn’t very physical in that way yet." Despite the fear, the school and its teachers were able to teach her and she quoted one of her teachers as having said "Talent is to thrive.” This translated to him meaning "you have to find a way to be happy or comfortable and enjoy what you’re doing. That’s on you."