When I lived in San Diego, California, the Danish Film Festival in Los Angeles posted a job listing for a project manager position. I reached out, but the job was already taken. Nevertheless, the director said she needed volunteers. I accepted.
On opening night in Hollywood at the famous Chinese Theatre, they showed The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Theodor Dreyer. I had never seen the film. It was a special treat to see it on the big screen! My job was to monitor those who entered and check if they were on the guest list.
People started coming in and talking to me in Danish. I didn’t speak Danish at the time, so I felt completely overwhelmed.
A Danish man came up to me and asked why he was not on the list. I told him to go on in. I said the same to the rest who weren’t on my list. I couldn’t understand the turnout. Although my list remained almost unchecked, a big crowd had formed.
When I saw some people who hadn’t registered with me go in, I thought, “what the hell; the main thing is that the theater is full.”
Then a man came up to me, super excited, and said, “hey, I didn’t register with you when I came in.” He talked to me as if he knew me. I asked him who he was. “Mads Mikkelsen,” he answered.
I looked at my list and told him he wasn’t on it. He was waiting, so I told him: “It’s okay, you can go in.”
I found the encounter weird.
After our exchange, people told me he was a famous actor in Denmark. Then why did he want to be on the list? Maybe he wanted to make fun of me because I didn’t know who he was?
After my list duty was done, I went up to him and asked him. Mikkelsen said, “no! It wasn’t my intention to make fun of you. Not at all.”
Then somebody told me that he did not want to be seen as arrogant, entering without signing in just because he was famous. In fact, because he was famous, he wanted to do what everybody else did and sign in at the door.
At that point I realized I didn’t understand Danish culture at all.
Now that I’ve been living in Denmark for years, I can appreciate that Mikkelsen’s behavior was related to the Law of Jante.
He had to register on the guest list just like all the other Danes; his status as a movie star should not place him above any of the others.
Still, at the time, the incident taught me I had lots to learn about the Danish.
