WGBH's Drama Club loves everything about Modus: It’s stylish, thrilling, dark, and Swedish. It doesn’t hurt that its trailblazing lead is Inger Johanne Vik, a criminal profiler played by the talented Melinda Kinnaman. Season 2 is underway on WGBX, so here are 10 things you may have not known about Kinnaman to get you up to speed.
1. She was born in Stockholm to American parents.
Kinnaman is a citizen of both Sweden and the U.S. and speaks Swedish and English fluently. That should come in handy for Modus season 2, which sees a visit from an American president played by Kim Catrall.
2. Her brother is also an actor.
Talent runs in the family: Kinnaman’s multilingual brother Joel Kinnamen is also in the business. You might recognize him as Governor Will Conway in Netflix’s House of Cards or from RoboCop and Suicide Squad.
3. She has trained in acrobatics and contemporary circus performance.
Talk about a multi-talented performer. At age 30, Kinnaman started training in the gravity-defying art of acrobatics. She has performed in several circus stagings of Shakespeare plays in Sweden as well as an international production of The Little Mermaid. We'd like to be part of that world.
4. ….And she played an acrobatic Juliet.
In 2002, Kinnaman played Juliet in a daring rendition of Romeo and Juliet. “He [Romeo] could have so easily dropped me,”she said about the acrobatic performance. “It became an image for the way love is — the need for the other person, the risk-taking involved in daring to love someone entirely.”
5. The acclaimed My Life as a Dog marked the start of her film career...
At age 14, Kinnaman made her mark in the classic Swedish film directed by Lasse Hallström, about the bittersweet innocence of childhood. The film picked up two Oscar nominations, and Kinnaman was nominated for a Young Artist Award.
6. …and Joaquin Phoenix is a big fan.
My Life as a Dog made a lasting impact on many young actors. “Joaquin once said, several years ago, that he was still in love with the girl in My Life as a Dog,” she wrote on Instagram about a Swedish profile of the actor. “This still makes me sing and laugh and dance and blush and choke up! All at once.”
7. She did a lot of research to perfect her Modus role.
Kinnaman has said she loves researching a character and diving into a role, and Modus was no exception. “For this part I got to meet a woman that works at the Swedish equivalent of the FBI,” she said. “She read all the scripts and we spoke a lot about the character, the different themes and everything.”
8. She is passionate about live theater.
We may love Kinnaman on our TV screens, but she also admires the craft of live theater acting, and she has tons of experience. “To be able to explore, investigate, and play around for several weeks,” she wrote about why she loves theater. “To be able to stay open and not know, and see what eventually unfolds. Such a privilege to work like this. Such a privilege to work with colleagues like these.”
9. Modus offered her a chance to flex different acting muscles.
Playing a criminal psychologist has meant Kinnaman had to learn new skills, like choreographed fight scenes. “I have one pretty heavy fight scene and it was the first time I’ve performed that kind of scene,” Kinnman has said. “I enjoyed it very much; the rush of it and the physicality. It was exhilarating even though I was the one being thrown around.”
10. She is teaming up with fellow Swedish actors for an animated film.
Kinnaman is joining fellow Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgard and lending their voices to an upcoming animated feature film. The Ape Star, directed by Linda Hamback, will tell the story of a mother gorilla who adopts an orphan.
Modus airs Wednesdays at 10pm on WGBX 44. Stream it with WGBH Passport.
