You Are Not Alone – an interview with Lasse Nielsen
Lasse Nielsen Much has been said and written about the
acclaimed Danish film “Du er ikke
alene” (You Are Not Alone). For fans of
the coming of age genre, ” You
Are Not Alone ” is what ” Star Wars ” is for the sci-fi fans. Lasse Nielsen,
who directed the film back in 1978, agreed to give an exclusive interview for
theskykid.com and its readers.
theskykid.com : “You Are Not Alone” became a classic of the
coming of age genre. Did you envision the popularity of the film when its
shooting was done ?
Lasse Nielsen : No, I never dreamed that “You Are Not Alone”
would become a classic or a cult film of any kind. Maybe because I make films with my heart and
not my head. For me, making movies are a
necessary expression and not a calculated profession.
theskykid.com : How difficult it was to cast and find two
young actors who worked together so well and
were willing to do the part?
Lasse Nielsen : We cast Bo very quickly, but Kim was more
difficult. We did screen tests for over
100 boys – but either the look wasn’t right or their acting was poor. Just a few weeks before filming began, my
co-writer – the psychologist Bent Petersen – recommended the 12-year-old son of
a fellow psychologist. When this boy
Peter walked into the studio, I knew at once that this was the boy we were
looking for. Actually, when we first saw
him his hair was so long that we had to order a haircut so we could see his
face!
theskykid.com : What was the public reaction to the film
when it came out?
Lasse Nielsen : The reaction was somewhat mixed, but on the
whole it was positive. The Danish film censors classified the film as
“forbidden for children under 12,” believing that younger children would not
understand the homosexual theme. But
some years later, this restriction was officially removed
