'The Girl with the Needle' Perfectly Captures the Real-Life Character with Trine Dyrholm Casting Behind the Scenes Revealed!

Set to be released on December 10, 〈The Girl with the Needle〉 (The Girl with the Needle), which has been nominated for the 2025 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and the Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film, has garnered attention with Danish veteran actress Trine Dyrholm playing the role of 'Dagmar', a real-life character in the film.

〈The Girl with the Needle〉 is a work that deals with the story of 'Karoline', who goes to a stranger's house to abandon a child, and the darkness that lies beyond that door. It is a highly talked-about film that was invited to compete at the Cannes Film Festival and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film and the Golden Globe for Best Non-English Language Film this year.

〈The Girl with the Needle〉 is inspired by Denmark's most notorious 'Dagmar Overby Infant Serial Murder Case'. The role of 'Dagmar' is played by Trine Dyrholm, one of the most acclaimed actresses in Northern Europe today, who has won numerous awards. Trine Dyrholm gained recognition through the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize-winning film 〈Celebration〉 and won the Best Actress (Silver Bear) at the Berlin International Film Festival for the film 〈In a Better World〉. Other notable works include the Academy Award-winning film 〈In a Better World〉, the Venice Film Festival Orizzonti Award-winning film 〈Nico, 1988〉, and the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award-winning film 〈Queen of Hearts〉.

When director Magnus von Horn thought of the role of 'Dagmar', Trine Dyrholm was the first actress that came to mind. When the director first contacted her, Trine Dyrholm felt that the script was not ready and declined the offer, but later accepted after receiving the completed script. Director Magnus von Horn discussed three characters that best fit the direction of Dagmar with Trine Dyrholm: the possessed girl from 〈The Exorcist〉, Fagin from 〈Oliver Twist〉, and Willem Dafoe from 〈The Lighthouse〉. Trine Dyrholm understood that she needed to create a character based on humanity rather than a demonic character, and she perfectly embodied the role, receiving praise for her "amazing performance. She plays Dagmar coldly and calmly, but also shows the long-suppressed trauma and vulnerability, along with the visible scars" (Variety).