Second person of the week...

Iben Hjejle

Born March 22, 1971, Denmark

Saturday, April 15, 2000: New Detour article on Iben Hjejle. Ironically it is the April issue with John Cusack on the cover. On page 48, Iben looks great wearing a neat outfit, in particular a green leather jacket by Philosophy Di Alberta Ferretti. As, I could not find the article online -- even at Detour's rather uneven website, www.idetour.com, I have typed every word of it onto this page myself. They don't pay me enough. They don't pay me anything, as a matter of fact. Now that I think about it, I don't even know who this "they" is that I'm referring to. But I cannot duplicate the picture, so buy the copy before it's gone... Let's hope it's not illegal for me to do this:

Getting Iben

Danish Import Iben Hjejle will make Hollywood movies -- just don't expect her to move there.

Actress Iben Hjejle screen-tested for Søren Kragh-Jacobsen nine years ago, but the director didn't cast his fellow Dane in the film he was then making. Seven years passed before he saw the light. In his bold, funny extended-family drama, Mifune -- third in the mostly Danish series of maverick, anti-Hollywood "Dogma" projects -- Hjejle plays a memorable hooker-cum-housekeeper.

Brit Stephen Frears, on the other hand, offered her a part in High Fidelity -- a bona fide Hollywood movie -- without an audition. They met at a party at the 1999 Berlin Film Festival, where Mifune had its premiere. "Søren said Stephen made the world's greatest film: Gumshoe," says the 29-year-old alternateive-theater veteran. "I said, 'No, it's Dangerous Liaisons.' So we went over and asked Stephen."

How did Frears respond? "He just asked me, 'Can you act American?' and told me that he had a script from a Nick Hornby novel in which John Cusack was going to star." William Morris agents quickly jetted off to Copenhagen to sign her up. "We've never dealt with career-management systems in Denmark -- never, ever," she says. She ended up accepting the part of the lawyer girlfriend who dumps vintage-record-store owner Cusack. "My husband [drummer Emil de Waal] and I did the contract ourselves. Every day, there was whole roll of fax paper on the floor."

Comparing the Mifune and High Fidelity sets triggers a laugh. The Chicago set of High Fidelity had "what they called 'a small, intimate crew of 150,'" she says, whereas "Mifune had 15. And I could only use the makeup I had in my purse, and I acted in my own clothes."

Hjejle's only future commitment is playing a surrogate mom in Kragh-Jacobsen's next film. "The movie business in America takes for granted that an actress like me would be happy to move straightaway from Copenhagen to Los Angeles. I'd never have my kid [William, age two] go to school there. It's important for me to let the industry people know that they are not as important as my country and my family. I'm Danish. I'm not going to live there -- never, ever."

--Howard Feinstein

Thursday, April 13, 2000: This just in! The proper pronunciation of Iben's name! As you may recall, we originally thought it to be pronounced "Ibb En Hidge Edge Lee". That was wrong. Are you ready? Here it is... "eee -- bin yie (like tie) -- lee". And, really, that makes sense.

This dope info comes from someone on the inside. That is right. I know someone who knows Iben. She also knows Jack Black and John Cusack -- but that is ALL I'm saying. And it is not Dan Aykroyd.

I wrote most of this Iben essay on Sunday, April 9, 2000. But this part right now I am writing Monday night, April 10: I just saw High Fidelity. And I need to tell you that Iben is even greater and more beautiful than I had thought. She has the ability to cry and make you cry, and to laugh and there is no way you cannot laugh with her. She is just that affecting.

From Sunday, April 9:

Today I saw a Danish film (from Denmark) at the Embarcadero here in San Francisco. It is called Mifune. Named for Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune. It was quite good, and the star, Danish actress Iben Hjejle (from Denmark), really made quite an impression on me. At first I wasn't thinking she was that attractive, but she grew on me, and now -- I love her. And, as wrong as it sounds, the physical attractiveness of an individual has great bearing on what I think of that person as a human being. But I digress. Iben gives a great performance in Mifune too. It's a wacky comedy about love, relationships, and an idiot brother (something I am certainly no stranger to). So, I came home and decided she would be a great person to make this week's Person of the Week.

Then guess what! I looked her up on imdb.com and she's been in only 7 films, all but one of them Danish (made in Denmark), and 2 of them being Danish TV-Movies (TV-Movies from Denmark). Guess what the one American film she's made is.

High Fidelity! Co-starring last week's person of the week, Jack Black! So, now as soon as I finish the book (maybe tonight) I will see High Fidelity!

Iben Hjejle was discovered by film director Niels Arden-Oplev for his short film "Naked" (1991). The director went on to cast her as the girl who takes up with the violent ex-con Janus in "Portland" (1995). "Mifune" opened at the Berlin Film Festival to critical acclaim. Iben has appeared in numerous short features and dramas for Danish National Television and has also portrayed such classic stage roles as Gretchen in Goethe¹s "Faust" (at the Betty Nansen Theatre, Copenhagen, directed by Peter Langdahl) and Rosalind in Shakespeare¹s "As You Like It."

She has now joined the Ostre Gasvaerk Theatre in Copenhagen, where she is preparing the lead as the female counterpart of Don Juan, "Donna Juan," in Lars Kaalund¹s new play.

Iben resides in Copenhagen with her husband and young son. Husband! I know, but just remember, 50% of marriages end in divorce. And I'm sure in Denmark it's even higher.

Iben with John Cusack, in High Fidelity.

She has been selected to represent Denmark at "Shooting Stars" at the Berlin Film Festival 1999.

Iben Hjejle stats:

Date of birth: March 22, 1971. She is younger than me! But, I assure you, much more mature...

She was born in... Denmark!

Filmography

A note on countries and cultures: People from Denmark are called Danes; they are Danish. People from Holland are Dutch. People from the United States of America are often called Americans. This annoys some poeple, because they go "Oh the pomposity! They think they are the only Americans! There are South Americans and North Americans!" But I say, that since The United States of America is the only country with the word America in the name of it, that it is perfectly alright for people from the United States of America to refer to themselves as Americans. It's a simple abbreviation.