(The newspaper online): Three years ago, Per-Olav Sørensen’s (59) Netflix series, “Home for Christmas,” was a huge hit. And now he’s ready to premiere another Christmas series, “Julestorm.”
On Friday, the new series will be released on Netflix, and there you will be introduced to a number of characters who have to spend Christmas Eve in Gardermoen as a result of a heavy snowstorm.
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Most of “Julestorm” was recorded in Gardermoen, and according to series creator and director Sørensen, recording the series at Norway’s busiest airport was better than expected.
Because when the recording of “Christmas Storm” was affected by coronavirus restrictions in January, it quickly turned out to be a stroke of luck for the Netflix production.
Gardermoen was to himself
Sørensen told Nettavisen it was a huge relief when the production learned a number of restrictions had to be imposed in Gardermoen after a fresh wave of infections swept the country earlier this year.
Then they practically had the airport to themselves.
– It’s like we went straight in and shot without further ado, laughs Sørensen.
The director goes on to say that the production should have dealt with a specific area of Gardermoen. It was still partially running, but had less traffic than usual.
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This allowed the production to have more freedom with the shooting location, and Sorensen describes their version of the airport as “hybrid Gardermoen”.
– The main role in the series is already Gardermoen, Sørensen tells Nettavisen.
It was still a small challenge.
– Every time a plane with a lot of masked passengers came to our group, we had to break the registry, the 59-year-old recalled.
According to the series’ creator, it was a well-thought-out choice for Corona to not play a role in the new Netflix series, even though the recording was devastated by the pandemic earlier this year.
It can change everything
Thanks to the pandemic, Netflix productions have been given more freedom in Gardermoen. If the recording had taken place today, Sørensen isn’t sure if it would have gone either.
He can’t bear to think about what it would be like to record “The Christmas Storm” in full playback and how thousands of travelers might affect the recording.
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– Ah, no, I dare not think about it, says the director of “The Christmas Storm” and continues:
– Now that I have done this series and know how successful it is, I think with horror what we would do if there were complete operations in Gardermoen. or without operation.
You will never experience that again
On “Julestorm” he plays a number of famous faces, including Dennis Storhøi (62) and Thea Sofie Loch Næss (26). They make no secret that enrolling in Gardermoen was something extraordinary. For Storhoi, it was a unique experience.
Working at an airport was very exciting. It’s usually just inside and out, but becoming part of the “inside” was something special. I guess it will never happen again, Storhoe tells Netavien.
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Storhøi, who plays the character Arthur, says he felt very safe on set. The cast auditioned every day, most of which were arranged by the staff at Gardermoen.
Loch Ness, who plays the girl Sarah, also believes the experience was special. You’ve never experienced a recording run so smoothly before.
– One would think that filming at the airport would not be logistically convenient. I was completely surprised at how well everything worked out, and how smoothly things went, says the 26-year-old.
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