Dutch actors in world productions thanks to auditions from home | Movies & Series

From Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner to Carice van Houten in Game of Thrones: the Dutch sometimes make it far in the international film world. How do you end up in such a place? Three actors talk to NU.nl about the international opportunities that exist today.

It can go fast. Walt Klink became known in 2019 for the Brugklas series and received a Golden Calf nomination for Neontetra. He can now be seen in various American productions. In recent weeks, he appeared in Rabbit Hole, a major action series starring Kiefer Sutherland. The final episode appeared on SkyShowtime on Sunday.

The corona crisis brought a lot of misery, but it also turned out to be a flywheel for Klink’s career. Casting on the spot was no longer possible, so actors sent home videos. “Auditions suddenly ran en masse through those self-tapes,” says the twenty-year-old actor. “As a result, European actors have now also become more interesting for large companies. They look further than just Hollywood. Everyone can now audit everywhere.”

“You film yourself against a white wall,” explains Klink. “Very basic, you are not allowed to cut anything away. But in the meantime you also learn a lot by looking at yourself. You are actually directing yourself.”

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Auditions at home with a regular group of friends

Klink does this with a fixed group of befriended actors, such as Teun Stokkel and Reiky de Valk. “It’s nice to have people who understand you and can play well themselves. One auditions for a role, the other gives counterplay. It also often happens that we want to go for the same role. That certainly doesn’t make us rivals. can get, that’s a blessing.”

Hanna van Vliet also ended up on an international set thanks to such a self-tape. The ANNE+ actress has been seen in the National Geographic series A Small Light since the beginning of May, as resistance heroine Frieda Belinfante.

“A very strange coincidence,” says Van Vliet. “I was already doing research because I wanted to make something about her, and then my agent in London suddenly came up with this part. I normally never write a note with a self-tape, but now I did. Nice to leave know that you already know the subject well.”

However, it turned out that this was not only an advantage. “It really is a mega series about Miep Gies, so Frieda is a kind of C-line. That takes some getting used to. I knew so many details about her life, but of course the series is not about her. In the Netherlands I am used to you anyway you can still interfere a bit in terms of content, but here you work with a completely different structure.”

Foto: National Geographic / Disney+

Hanna van Vliet als Frieda Belinfante in A Small Light. Foto: National Geographic / Disney+

Stricter work culture in Hollywood, but less stress

“On Dutch sets you can often discuss it,” says Sytske van der Ster, who also has a small role in A Small Light. “That is actually not done on an American production. You come to do what you have been asked to do, you no longer have discussions. It is stricter. But in the meantime there is also much more time.”

“There is a very nice, concentrated atmosphere,” Van der Ster continues. “Everyone is there for their own expertise and is respected for it. We do that in the Netherlands, but you often make some jokes together. On a foreign set they would be surprised.”

“In America you usually shoot two scenes in a day,” says Klink. “In the Netherlands there are more like five. That really makes a difference. With a production of millions you have more room to try things. In the Netherlands you can play something three or four times, then you really have to continue. In Hollywood it is stress level lower.”

While Dutch actors are making a name for themselves abroad, things seem to be less easy with Dutch productions. A Small Light simply could not have been made here, even though the series is about compatriots.

“We don’t have the budgets here,” says Van Vliet. “Of course it would have been super cool if the Dutch had gotten the leading roles, but the market is much bigger with English actors.” Van der Ster nods: “In this way, Miep Gies’ story is also being picked up worldwide.”

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More hope for Dutch originals

However, the Dutch language should not be a problem. There is also international success for non-English language series. Just look at recent world hits such as La casa de papel and Squid Game. Van Vliet and Van der Ster are therefore strong supporters of the new investment law.

Streaming platforms with a turnover of at least 10 million euros in the Netherlands must invest 5 percent of this in Dutch productions, according to the coalition’s plan. “For comparison: in France this is 20 percent,” says Van Vliet. “But it is of course very nice if those budgets flow back into Dutch content. With that money from streamers, we hope to be able to make higher-quality fiction as a sector.”

“Maybe we can cross the border more often with such a strong series,” says Van der Ster. “Then you can conquer the world from the Netherlands with an original idea.”

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