IN CONVERSATION WITH LAURA BIRN

interview JANA LETONJA

Finnish actress Laura Birn is one of the leads in Apple TV+ series ‘Foundation’, in which she reprised her role when it for its third season this summer. Laura has made a career for herself in Scandinavia, but with the Apple TV+ series is starting to make a name for herself to international audiences, including starring in ‘The Crow’ opposite Bill Skarsgard and FKA Twigs.

You just returned to ‘Foundation’ for Season 3. What can you tell us about your character’s journey in this latest season?

I play a character who is a 18.000-year-old android. For the last 400 years, Demerzel has been the Empire's faithful servant, guiding things from behind the scenes as a powerful observer. She's an intriguing character, the galaxy's most influential and most imprisoned being. This season, with the galaxy in serious trouble and humanity possibly facing extinction, she dealt with agonizing questions about her own nature and position in the galaxy. How much can, or should, she influence humanity's fate? Her programming forced her to make certain decisions, but can some choices be worked around? Are there ways to bend the rules without breaking them, or is she completely locked into predetermined paths? 

Demerzel is a psychologically very complex character. And what I really love about her journey so far is that even though she is a machine, every season I find myself exploring increasingly human questions through her, questions about what makes us human. 

The show is this vast, philosophical sci-fi epic. How do you, as an actor, stay grounded within such a sprawling universe?

For me, part of what makes this series fascinating is that within this incredibly vast, grand galaxy, you can always zoom in and keep zooming in, and when you zoom far enough, there's one person with their desires and fears, their dreams. And then you see how far the actions of a single individual spiral out to affect others, society, even all of humanity. In the midst of all this grandeur, I love the small human being, the challenging relationships, the secrets, the wrong choices. For me, the Palace and the emperor Cleons, and their little dysfunctional family with Demerzel, is the most beloved part of the series. And I just love working with Lee Pace, Terrence Mann and Cassian Bilton. My Cleons keep me busy and grounded.

‘Foundation’ dives into themes like destiny, power, and identity. What themes resonate most deeply with you personally as you play your character?

Demerzel is an incredibly fascinatingly written character. Many things about her excite me. Her existential crisis definitely resonates with me personally. How do we become the people we are? Are we born a certain way, or do we grow into being a certain way? Who "programs" us? Our parents? Society? What is our own thinking, what is fed into us? Even though Demerzel is a machine, she represents our deepest questions about morality, responsibility, and identity. In this new age of AI, it's also exciting to explore these ideas, because the future contains the unknown for all of us. We can't yet predict what AI development will mean for us, but we know for certain that we're living through a time of great transformation. I also love the way the series explores power on so many different levels. There are leaders, politics, interplanetary power struggles, official power versus real power. It also explores power in relationships. Demerzel and Day's relationship, for example, is psychologically very complex and twisted. Their relationship is both loving and destructive, very manipulative, a profound exploration of power and dependency. Power, and what it does to human beings is frighteningly fascinating. 

How has your character evolved across the three seasons, and has that evolution surprised you in any way?

Everything about Demerzel has surprised me. When I took on the role, David Goyer taught me a new word, slowburn. He told me not to worry if my character just listens and observes at first, we would keep learning more about her as the story unfolds. What's surprised me most is how incredibly complex Demerzel is as a character. It's nearly impossible to say whether she's a hero or a villain. She's capable of violent and cruel acts, but she doesn't act from ego or malice. She's often forced into doing these horrific things. She's also capable of deep love and care, but the question always remains. What truly comes from within her? Is there some part of her that is purely, authentically hers? Do we all have that sacred space within us? In a way, we all wrestle with same kinds of questions as Demerzel.

What drew you to the role in ‘Foundation’ in the first place, and what keeps you connected to it season after season?

Originally, I was fascinated by the mystery and challenge of the role. It felt like this might be a new kind of adventure in my life, and it truly has been.

You’ve had a thriving career in Scandinavian cinema. How has stepping into a global production like ‘Foundation’ changed your perspective on acting?

I don't think it has changed my approach to acting. Of course, at the beginning I was overwhelmed by the scale of the production, everything was to the power of ten, from the sets to the number of crew members. On the first day of filming, my heart was beating so hard that the sound guy had to find a new place for my microphone so my heartbeat wouldn't drown out the other actors' dialogue. But instead of all this changing my relationship with acting, it has reinforced what is meaningful to me. Passion, commitment, appreciating the process and everyone involved in it. I love working equally on a small independent production and on a massive production like ‘Foundation’. What's most important to me is that the project feels meaningful to its makers. That I and everyone else want to be there in that moment on that set more than anywhere else.

You bring such quiet emotional power to your roles. What’s your process when preparing for characters who carry deep internal weight?

I love to think that all my characters carry deep internal weight, as we do as human beings. Some can act lighter than others, some can have easier lives than others, but for everyone, their life is the one that matters the most. And their worries and dreams weigh on them. And that's the fascination of this work and every new character. 

Preparation depends a lot on the project. Taking on a role means opening your mind and imagination to it, inviting the role in, becoming sensitive to the themes or questions that particular project raises. After that, it is a lot of reading, thinking, watching art, learning a new skill, anything that resonates with the character. And in addition to all the preparation, what prepares you for the work is life. That's why I think that as an actor, all the shit you've lived through is kind of a gift. It adds depth. It's wonderful that nowadays interesting roles are also written for older women, meaning over thirty, because life becomes more complex and therefore more interesting as you live it.

What has it meant to you to see your work reaching international audiences through platforms like Apple TV+?

I'm really happy that so many fans have made the series their own. I feel thrilled on behalf of our entire creative team, which is by the way an amazing team. The seasons haven't been easy. There was Covid, there were strikes, but we've survived all kinds of crises, and I feel pride whenever someone falls in love with the show. And I love the sci-fi audience. They are so passionate about everything, every detail and every character. There is so much excitement around rooting for your favorite show or character.

As a Finnish actress gaining global recognition, do you feel a responsibility to represent your cultural roots in your work?

I do love Finland and being from Finland, but as a storyteller, I think the most important thing is to be curious and try to understand all kinds of realities and mindsets. I want to engage myself with worlds I'm not familiar with. But naturally we all carry our roots within us, and I do carry mine with joy. 

When you’re not on set, what keeps you creatively inspired? 

I read, watch movies, and go to theater. I dance a lot. I whatever form, at dance class or in nightclubs. And I do a lot of sauna. When I feel restless, I need to go to sauna to  force my mind and body to calm down. In a sauna, it feels like the heat silences active functions and the subconscious gets more space to speak. When that happens, the creative mind often activates.

CREDITS

photogtaphy BARTEK SZMIGULSKI

styling JUSTIN HAMILTON

hair LOUIS BRYNE

makeup KELLY CORNWELL