Sverrir Gudnason: Nordic Golden Boy
Americans imagine two Scandinavias: the cheery, sleek place we see in design catalogs and the troubled gray place we see in Nordic thrillers. Icelandic-born Sverrir Gudnason, 40, seems tailor-made to inhabit the latter, at least on-screen. His default expression is a stony-eyed smolder that makes him appear haunted even when he's smiling. It was a look he used to great effect in last year's Borg vs. McEnroe, in which he played Swedish tennis star Björn Borg as a storm cloud in a sweatband.
Gudnason is not interested in feel-good films. “I'm drawn to drama. You choose projects based on what you would like to see on the screen yourself,” he says. “My favorite movie is The Deer Hunter.” Next up for Gudnason is the film version of The Girl in the Spider's Web, the fast-paced fourth installment of the crime novels that began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and follow vigilante hacker goth Lisbeth Salander. Gudnason plays journalist Mikael Blomkvist, portrayed by Daniel Craig in David Fincher's adaptation of the first book. But in Spider's Web, Gudnason brings a more authentic Scandinavian scowl to the role.
Gudnason's childhood in Iceland was a far cry from the gloomy Scandinavia of the Stieg Larsson series. Though the sun barely rose in the winters of his youth, he prefers to remember the summers—when it never set. Gudnason recalls: “There was no TV on Thursdays because they didn't have the material for it. So you had to do something else.” His “something else” was acting. At 11, he said the first line in the first play ever produced at the revamped Reykjavík City Theatre. Gudnason has since relocated to Stockholm, but he still returns to his hometown to catch a play every year. Now when he's out and about in Reykjavík, people know him. “It's so small that everybody recognizes everybody,” he says. “Björk lives here, and nobody bothers her.” With Gudnason, maybe Icelanders keep their distance because of that resting Björn Borg face of his.
About These Clothes
Sweater weather doesn't have to be synonymous with the shapeless, unassuming jumpers most of us have on deck for the holidays. This season, our favorite designers are weaving familiar chunky knits with eye-popping yarns, and as Gudnason shows here, the more you lean into texture and color, the better. (And for those times when you're feeling a little less festive, we still fully endorse the sleeker, subtler fine-gauge turtleneck.)
Lauren Larson is GQ's associate editor.
This story appears in the November 2018 issue with the title "Nordic Noir."
