Iceland review - 2012, Page 40

38 ICELAND REVIEW
QUEEN OF FROST
Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir is the star of the new thriller Frost directed
by Reynir Lyngdal. She hails from Akureyri and has now moved back home to
act with the Akureyri Theater Company, the only professional theater outside
Reykjavík. In the movie, she plays Agla, a scientist doing research on a glacier in
the middle of winter. Suddenly, strange things start to happen…
Anna Gunndís, in her first film role, gives a
convincing performance, to say the least. Her
co-star Björn Thors, who plays her visiting boy-
friend in no man’s land, is just as good. They
make the perfect couple. Iceland Review went to
find out a little bit more about this new northern star.
Iceland Review: Do you prefer theater or film?
Anna Gunndís Guðmundsdóttir: It totally depends on the
project, the director and the people around me. I like watching
both plays and films but I have more tolerance for films than plays
when they are below average.
IR: Starring in your first movie, one that was mostly shot on a glacier,
did anything take you by surprise?
AGG: What surprised me the most was the overpowering nature
that we became acquainted with during shooting and therefore
that time is very memorable. It is framed by snow, stars, northern
lights, blizzards, sun and silence, broken up by the laughter of direc-
tor Reynir Lyngdal.
IR: Was it your first time on a glacier?
AGG: yes. I tried to go with search and rescue during one of their
drills before shooting but unfortunately never found the time. I
spent some time with renowned scientist Helgi Björnsson, who
Words and Photos By Páll StEfánSSon
specializes in glaciology and geophysics, and Finnur Pálsson, an
expert in glacial studies at the University of Iceland. They taught
me all I needed to know at record speed and showed me all the
gear they use in their expeditions. Then I could impress everyone
with facts about the glacier when filming.
IR: Now you’re down from the glacier and back home as a permanent
actor at Akureyri Theater after having first studied in the capital, then
working in Germany and Spain. What is it like to be back: has the
‘Capital of the North’ shrunk, expanded or changed during the decade
you’ve been away?
AGG: Akureyri has changed in many ways. Many of my closest
friends have moved. The town has grown but at the same time it’s
far from being big, at least compared to Cologne and Barcelona.
Distances are short here and it’s easy to walk between places. The
pool and gym are in the next building to my house. It takes me
seven minutes to go horseback riding and nine minutes to go to
Hlíðarfjall for skiing. There are loads of talented people here, whom
I look forward to getting to know and will hopefully work with
in the near future.
I guess the biggest change is in myself. Today I see the beauty of
this town, the sky, fjord and mountains that surround us and are
a precious sight in the mornings. I’m a child of winter and I love
snow—as long as the wind isn’t screaming in my face. Therefore,
Akureyri is the right place for me.