He is a Danish director, writer and actor.
Would I know him?
If youÂ’ve ever tuned into TV2, you most certainly would have caught a glimpse of him dressed as a turtle in the infamous adverts for Toms Chokolade.
ThatÂ’s a bit desperate! I guess he wasnÂ’t successful elsewhere.
Actually he started off as a successful director. He made the film ‘De skrigende HalseÂ’ in 1993, which has a very acceptable 7.9 on IMDB and has almost reached ‘cult statusÂ’ … in Denmark.
Was he always in the entertainment business?
In the early ‘80s he was a punk. He experimented with electronic keyboards and released the album ‘Jugend Unsinn’. Luckily for the public-at-large he was accepted into film school, so he never attempted a follow-up.
Is he just an ‘actor’ in adverts?
No, he primarily directs them. He has been responsible for many, from Kims Chips to Ekstra Bladet.
If he was doing so well directing, why did he feel it necessary to dress up as a turtle?
He explained in an interview with Business.dk that he simply needed the money. After his divorce his income was suddenly halved. Unfortunately, by his own admission, while his finances benefited, his artistic bank account was rather empty.
So was being a turtle a mistake?
He certainly feels he diluted his brand and believes that the bad critical reaction to his 2002 film ‘Polle FictionÂ’ was due to the artistic worldÂ’s hatred of advertising – so nothing due to the film being incredibly bad.
WhatÂ’s he doing now?
Besides swimming in Gentofte Swimming Pool – he’s pretty hopeless for a turtle – in a bid to be taken more seriously again, he’s currently presenting a political debate programme on Radio 24Syv.
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