In speaking about Agnes, Lilleaas traces the character back to childhood. She and Trier discussed how the sisters were raised in what felt like two different families inside the same house. Agnes sees herself as the foundation, the one holding everything together. “She feels that if she drops out, everything falls apart,” Lilleaas explains. That early sense of responsibility shapes her restraint as an adult.
Unlike Nora, who confronts their father directly, Agnes absorbs. She is more forgiving, but not because she is untouched. Lilleaas describes a formative moment when Agnes felt completely “seen” by her father as a child, only to later experience his absence. That instability lingers. She challenges her sister more easily because the relationship feels secure. “With her sister, you have a constant presence,” she says. “It’s easier to be truthful.”
When Lilleaas first read the script, she immediately recognized that Agnes was more than light relief. While the character carries humor compared to Nora’s volatility, Lilleaas saw the weight beneath it. “It stood out to me how heavy it is to be the person trying to keep everyone happy,” she says. By the time filming began, that love — for her sister, her father, her own family — became the defining force of the performance.
That layered empathy is most evident in the pivotal bedroom scene where Agnes tells Nora she has read Gustav’s script. The moment is understated, yet it shifts the trajectory of the film. Agnes does not demand reconciliation, but she makes it possible. Lilleaas approaches the scene not as confrontation but as quiet insistence, a reminder that love can coexist with frustration.
The film’s exploration of inherited trauma also resonated with her personally. While she sees Agnes and Nora as fundamentally different in temperament, Lilleaas reflects on how personality and circumstance intertwine. “You are born with a personality and then subjected to circumstances,” she notes, adding that family stories shape us whether we acknowledge them or not.
Working within an ensemble that ultimately earned four acting nominations affirmed something simple for her. “You don’t always have to scream and shout to be heard,” Lilleaas says. In a film built on restraint, that philosophy feels central. Agnes may not dominate the frame, but she anchors it.
Awards Focus spoke with Lilleaas about developing Agnes’ emotional backstory, navigating the film’s pivotal sister scene, and why restraint proved to be the character’s greatest strength.
Awards Focus: I’d love to dive deeper into your character, Agnes. In the opening act of the film, we see these sisters who are clearly close, yet there is a tension and a certain passive-aggressiveness—the “vase conversation” being a prime example. How much backstory did you and Joachim Trier develop?
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas: I think it’s all connected to how they grew up. We talked about how they were raised in two different “families,” in a way, even though it was the same house. Agnes really wants the family to be together; she sees herself as the foundation. She feels that if she drops out, everything falls apart, so she carries that on her shoulders. When you’re the older sibling, you often get a level of responsibility that is too much for a child, which sets you up to fail.
When you’re the younger child, you are freer because you have that older presence making you feel like everything is okay. That makes Agnes more forgiving toward their father, but she’s also scared he’s going to disappear. We talked about how, when she was young, Agnes had this experience of being completely “seen” by her father, and then he just left. She is constantly fearful of losing him again, so she is scared to challenge him.
AF: It seems much easier for her to challenge her sister than her father.
Lilleaas: Exactly. With her sister, you have a constant presence that you know is there for you. It’s easier to have a more truthful relationship because siblings often have that passive-aggressive behavior or will simply tell each other the truth. These two definitely don’t hide things from each other; they aren’t scared to be honest, even if certain things remain suppressed.
AF: Before production began, what was the primary draw for you? Was it the opportunity to work with Joachim, or was there something specific in the script that resonated with you?
Lilleaas: It was definitely Joachim first because I really wanted to work with him. Then, when I read the script, I felt I really understood the character. I think they initially thought she might be a bit of “comic relief” or a lighter character, and she is lighter compared to Nora, but I immediately felt the grief and melancholia. It stood out to me how heavy it is to be the person trying to keep everyone happy and making sure nobody falls out. I really like that she is so filled with love, so empathetic, and so incredibly patient with everyone, until she’s not.
AF: Did that understanding of Agnes come from that initial read, or did you discover those layers of love and empathy during rehearsals and discussions with Joachim about her past with Gustav?
Lilleaas: I saw that from the beginning, but it developed as we talked. I saw more aspects of her when we discussed the movie she and Gustav made together and what that represented for her. The love she feels for her sister, her father, and her own family grew more and more as we got closer to shooting. By the time we were on set, that love is what defined her for me.
AF: A major theme in the film is inherited trauma, specifically how Gustav’s history affects his daughters. Why do you think Nora carries that weight so much more visibly and daily than Agnes does?
Lilleaas: I don’t know exactly what they talked about from Nora’s perspective, but we are all born different. You are born with a personality and then subjected to circumstances. There’s also the aspect of how you identify with the people who came before you. I think we are deeply influenced by the stories told about our families throughout the generations, whether it’s a conscious thought or not.
AF: Did bringing Agnes to life cause you to reflect on your own familial relationships or your history with your siblings?
Lilleaas: Definitely. You start to think about the relationships between your parents and their parents, and you see them in a different light. When you’re working on a story about sisters, it would be very strange to ignore your own siblings. They were definitely a part of my preparation.
AF: In your personal life, do you find yourself identifying more with the temperament of Agnes or Nora?
Lilleaas: I think I’m a mix of both!
AF: The film explores the expression of grief through art—writing, acting, and performing. Does the act of performing serve as a form of emotional release or “healing” for you personally?
Lilleaas: I think feeling feelings is always healing because it’s a release of something, even if you don’t know specifically what it is. I definitely felt triggered by things in this movie that weren’t necessarily things I’ve experienced literally, but they resonated. It feels like you grow as a person and reach deeper into the experience of being. It’s more like growing than anything else.
AF: This film has achieved something rare with four acting nominations for a foreign language film. What personal lessons from working with this ensemble will you carry into your future work?
Lilleaas: It confirmed for me that working with people who respect you, and whom you respect, is the best recipe for success. It was also a confirmation that you don’t always have to scream and shout to be heard. It doesn’t have to be so loud all the time.
AF: You were recently honored as a “Virtuoso” at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Who among your fellow honorees was the most memorable to meet behind the scenes?
Lilleaas: They were all very nice people and we had a lot of fun. I loved meeting Amy Madigan; she was lovely. And Teyana Taylor is so funny—she is always entertaining.
AF: On the red carpet, I asked what your sport would be if you were a Winter Olympian, and you said bobsled. Now that you’ve had more time to reflect, are you sticking with that?
Lilleaas: I am sticking with that! I’m not an athlete, so I wouldn’t do well in those other sports. But sledding is fun; I do it with my kid. I know that’s not exactly what professional bobsledding is, but it looks like a lot of fun. It’s the kind of physical thing I think I could do better than the others—you just jump in!
AF: It was a pleasure seeing you again, Inga. Congratulations on the film and best of luck at the Oscars.
Lilleaas: Thank you so much. Nice to see you!