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What kind of roles should an actor pursue if they want a shot at garnering critical acclaim? In many cases, an actor can be lauded for playing a character who, in the context of the fictional narrative, is an actor (either a real-life actor or one who is entirely fictional) themselves. Perhaps it’s because actors already feel some kind of personal connection to characters who are actors, but in many cases, actors who play actors frequently create strong performances that are difficult to not notice. A most recent example of this trend is Renee Zellweger, who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of legendary actor Judy Garland in the biopic “Judy”. However, of the films distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures, there is none that demonstrates the finest of actors portraying actors than the film that made Paprika Steen a much talked about name, the Danish film “Applause”.
Steen portrays Thea Barfoed, a stage actress who is just as capable of gaining adoration from critics as she is succumbing to her alcoholism. Her instability has led to her being divorced from her husband Christian and losing custody of her two sons. Desperate to get her life back to normal, she uses her skills as an actress to try to manipulate her now ex-husband into giving her access to her children. It seems like a surefire plan, but like most surefire plans, it’s not nearly as easy as she expects. What follows is a reflection of the character Thea plays, the aggressive and wounded wife Martha of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, as Thea contends with much of the same drama and toxicity that her character experiences. With the pressure of both her past and the demands of the stage pushing down on her, Thea is forced to face her demons, ultimately realizing that she’s more fitted to living as an actress than she is to living as a person.
To say Steen’s performance in the film was well received would be an understatement. Roger Ebert called Steen’s acting “extraordinary”, while Los Angeles Times’ Betsy Sharkley called it “deeply affecting… unflinchingly real”. Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly claimed that “Steen brings a thrilling emotional nakedness and… unsentimental honesty to the part”, and New York Times critic Karen Durbin called Steen’s performance “one of the best screen performances of the year”. On the international festival circuit, this acclaim translated into multiple awards for Steen. Her Best Actress wins for this performance include awards from the Nashville Film Festival, the Hamptons International Film Festival in New York, the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in the Czech Republic (where the film premiered), and the Mumbai International Film Festival. Steen was even named Best Actress at the Robert Awards (Denmark’s equivalent of the Academy Awards), and she was also considered a major contender for (though ultimately unable to obtain) a Best Actress nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards.
These are just some of the examples of how Paprika Steen’s unmatchable performance has made “Applause” a must-watch for film enthusiasts. This is not to say that the other talents behind the film don’t deserve to be recognized as well. In fact, this film marks the directorial debut of Martin Zandvliet, whose 2015 film “Land of Mine” would go on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. Still, if nothing else, Steen’s acting is more than enough to make “Applause” worthy of viewing. Those interested can access the film here on Kino Lorber and other websites.
