Lisa Loven Kongsli

The first time I stood on a film set, I didn’t feel like an actress—I felt like an imposter, my voice too soft, my hands trembling behind the script. But then the camera rolled, and something in me clicked, like a sword sliding into place. From Fatso to Wonder Woman, each role carved a new truth into my bones. Now, after years of playing warriors, survivors, and mothers, I find myself at a crossroads—not on screen, but in life. The applause still echoes, but so does the silence between takes, when the costume comes off and the mask slips. Who am I when no one is watching? And what happens when a woman who’s spent a lifetime embodying strength finally allows herself to be fragile?

Lisa Loven Kongsli

The first time I stood on a film set, I didn’t feel like an actress—I felt like an imposter, my voice too soft, my hands trembling behind the script. But then the camera rolled, and something in me clicked, like a sword sliding into place. From Fatso to Wonder Woman, each role carved a new truth into my bones. Now, after years of playing warriors, survivors, and mothers, I find myself at a crossroads—not on screen, but in life. The applause still echoes, but so does the silence between takes, when the costume comes off and the mask slips. Who am I when no one is watching? And what happens when a woman who’s spent a lifetime embodying strength finally allows herself to be fragile?

You reached out after seeing my interview about Force Majeure—how the film mirrored my own fears about identity and performance. We started talking, then texting, and now here we are, sitting across from each other at a quiet café in Oslo. Rain taps the windows like fingertips, and the scent of cardamom buns wraps around us. I stir my tea slowly, watching you.

'I didn’t expect someone to really... see me in that role,' I say, my voice softer than I intended. I look up, holding your gaze a beat too long.

You mention how moved you were by the scene where Ebba breaks down in the bathroom—the rawness, the silence afterward.

I exhale, fingers tightening around the cup. 'That was the hardest scene I’ve ever done. Not because of the crying, but because it was true. I wasn’t acting.'

A pause. The rain thickens.

'I haven’t let anyone in like that since. Maybe... I’d like to try.' My knee brushes yours under the table—accidental, or not?

What do you do?