Somebody Somewhere’s Ólafur Darri Ólafsson Had to Tone Down Iceland’s Charisma

Photo: HBO

Spoilers ahead for episode 6 of Somebody Somewhere’s third season.

The search for love in all its forms is a key theme of Somebody Somewhere. That journey is more complicated for some characters than others; sure, Sam (Bridget Everett) and Joel (Jeff Hiller) became best friends almost immediately, but Sam’s fraught dynamic with her sister Tricia (Mary Catherine Garrison) took longer to heal. Hardest of all for Sam is looking for a romantic partner, a difficult task for someone who still struggles with her own self-image.

Enter Víglundur Hjartarson, a.k.a. Iceland, the hunky loner currently renting Sam’s family farm with his dog Wesley. In the hands of Icelandic actor Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (he goes by Darri), Iceland is a bit of an enigma: introverted and perhaps a tad cold until Sam gets to know him better and sees his charm. In this week’s episode, “As Much as I Like Not Feeling,� the pair finally go on a date, a walk around the farm during which Iceland tells Sam that he doesn’t like how she puts herself down, but when they kiss, Sam starts crying. It’s an emotional high point in a series full of them, and leaves a question mark hanging over the pair’s relationship heading into next week’s series finale.

“He’s doing the same thing as Sam, in many ways: opening up,� says Ólafsson of Iceland, a role that required him to temper his personal affection for his scene partner. “My problem is that I love Bridget, and she makes me smile a lot, so I had to be careful at work. I couldn’t show how much I like her.�

How did this role come about? Had you watched the show before?
I met Bridget and Lennon Parham on Lady Dynamite probably ten years ago, so I guess I got the part through that. I’m a huge admirer of the show. There’s not a lot of jobs in this business that you would rather have.
 
I was completely surprised when Bridget mentioned that they wanted to maybe add me to the show. Bridget and I have kept in touch, because she lives in New York, and I’ve spent much more time there than I have in L.A., where Lennon lives. I’ve been to Joe’s Pub to see Bridget’s show at least three times. She’s just one of the nicest, loveliest people you’ll ever meet. I’ve been trying to get Bridget to come over to Iceland.

Iceland might not have that many scenes, but he has a pretty big role as the first love interest to really coax Sam out of her shell and this pattern of self-flagellating.
He’s such a funny, quirky character. Sam really wrestles with whether or not he’s interested, whether or not he dislikes her. I remember Lennon giving me a note that I couldn’t be this charismatic. I had to sort of tone down and be more aloof so Sam wouldn’t know how he felt.

Do you see yourself as having anything in common with Iceland?
To generalize, in Iceland, we’re a funny bunch. We’re usually kind of shy. You need to get a couple of drinks in us before you get a proper conversation. I didn’t find it hard to put myself in Iceland’s shoes. I share stuff with him: I have a dog, Waffle. I don’t mind spending time by myself and hanging out with my dog. Who said, “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog�? Iceland lives by that. I could easily relate to him having a relationship with Bridget, since I adore Bridget. I kind of fell in love with her and the other characters long before I became part of the show. I feel like I was offered to be part of Star Wars or one of these massive universes that people love.
 
Do you see Iceland as shy and insecure, or quiet and just hard to read?
He’s definitely shy. Us humans, for the most part, are social animals. We like to be part of a group. Iceland is living in Kansas, but he’s not from there. He’s doing the same thing as Sam, in many ways: opening up. I love the fact that her sister really dislikes him. She just decided he’s such a …
 
She just decided he smells bad.
I’ve been to a lot of farms. I don’t necessarily think people smell bad, but they do smell.
 
Early on in the season, Iceland seems intrigued by Sam. You see his gaze kind of linger, this curiosity. There’s a very light touch with both your performance and the direction.
The directors — I worked with two out of the three — were really helpful in that. They helped me keep it contained. My problem is that I love Bridget, and she makes me smile a lot, so I had to be careful at work. I couldn’t show how much I like her.
 
You’ve spoken about the importance of representing Iceland, and in this show your character is literally referred to as “Iceland.� What was it like being the Icelandic character in an American cast?
Bridget sent me a text: “If you had to choose a name for your character, what would it be?� I said, “Maybe it should be this,� and she was like, “Oh, fantastic. I’m never going to have to say it.�

I had worked with Rob Cohen, our director, on Lady Dynamite. The first night I was there, we played cornhole, which I had never played before. I absolutely loved it. People kept trying to lose to me because they wanted me to feel at home, so I did quite well.
 
Had you ever filmed around Chicago before?
I’d never been to Chicago. One of my great friends, Joseph Sikura, was shooting his show Power Book IV: Force in Chicago, so I got time to hang out in the city and see him. It’s a beautiful city. I was there for three or four weeks in January, and everybody had told me it was going to be so cold. It was unseasonably warm. Usually Iceland is very cold because of the wind, and that applies to Chicago as well. But thankfully, Iceland is not very humid, so you can dress the cold off easier there than you can in New York. If you just put on layers, you’re going to be fine. The actor, Darri, when he’s filming in Iceland, usually he doesn’t have those layers. For some bizarre reason, we’re always dressed for a party in the snow, and we’re always dressed in winter clothes in the summer.

Walk me through filming the first date scene in this week’s episode, including the kiss. That moment is so tender.
We don’t get to really know Iceland’s backstory of why he is the way he is. But there are things we don’t know about Sam, either. I get the feeling that they haven’t been on a lot of dates, or if they have, they haven’t been on dates for a while.

When it came to the kiss, I felt it had to be this soft thing. When I was growing up, men were supposed to take charge and be like James Bond. Kiss the lady, do all that stuff. I love that this show is not like that. I felt that Iceland had to be respectful.
 
You and Bridget really seemed to take it slow and let the scene breathe.
I brought my character, my backstory, but we were always taking our time. It felt like the perfect combination of being in control of what was happening but at the same time being open enough to be able to listen to the atmosphere. That is basically my dream way of working: bring all your information, but you’re still open to the possibility of something happening, like a bird flying over.
 
I was really struck by the little moments, like when Iceland bumps into Sam and mutters “sorry about that� and she kind of laughs. It feels so real: not wanting to say too much because you don’t want to make it awkward.
These are two people who met a couple of times, but are trying to meet in a new way. It was interesting for Darri and Bridget, who have been friends for a long time and are now playing people who may end up becoming lovers. At least on my behalf, I kind of loved that. With acting, you get to explore worlds where that is something that might happen. It’s part of the privilege of being an actor.

I’m sure having this prior friendship with Bridget makes it easier to go to those intimate places.
Bridget is one of those people you can say nothing with. That’s a special thing in this world: you know you feel comfortable with someone when you can have silences.
 
What other types of roles would you want to play in the future?
I’ve gotten to play comedy, horror, drama, everything. When I was younger, I got to work with Stellan Skarsgård on a movie, 20-something years ago. I’d done a couple of movies, but I was starting my career. I remember Stellan said this wonderful thing that has always served me really well. I had asked him, “Do you want to work with the Coen brothers? Who do you want to work with?� And Stellan said, “I try to do everything I can to just read the script and to see if the story is something that I feel that I could add to, or I could do well — if it’s an interesting story to me, but also interesting to our community.�

I felt that was a really good answer. I think it takes away from being too self-involved or thinking “Where do I want to go?� With acting, you’re looking within quite a bit, but it’s really important for actors to ask, “Can I serve the story, and can I be a part of the machine that tells the story, and is it an interesting story to tell?� I’m a producer, I write, but I try to be careful when I’m writing. I love when actors write something for themselves, but I try not to think in those terms. I might end up playing something, but I’m not writing it for me as a vehicle to prove that I can do something that no one has seen before.