Creator Frank Spotnitz and executive producer Ridley Scott are the latest to adapt the much-lauded science fiction author Philip K. Dick with Amazon Studios’ ’60s-set “The Man in the High Castle.” Danish actor Carsten Norgaard plays the Nazi colonel with a conscience, Rudolph Wegener.
On adapting Philip K. Dick’s novel.
“I’ve always been fascinated by these stories of ‘what if.’ Philip K. Dick is such a prolific writer and has done an incredible amount of great work—‘Blade Runner’ [adapted from ‘Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?’], ‘Minority Report,’ and ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ [adapted from ‘Adjustment Team’]. This whole concept of, ‘If the Allied Forces had lost, where would we be today?’ I found to be very intriguing. The world would’ve looked very different.”
On playing Rudolph Wegener.
“I basically play a double agent. There’s a chance that there will be a power vacuum in Berlin if Hitler dies, which could potentially bring on another war, so he travels to the Pacific base in San Francisco to meet his Japanese counterpart to avoid that war.”
On walking the road to redemption.
“[Rudolph is] basically a good guy—he’s a complex guy who’s deeply flawed. He’s done terrible things in his life and the guilt for those actions weighs heavy on him—so much so that it’s messed up his family life, as well. You could say he’s haunted by the atrocities that he’s committed on behalf of the Reich. But he’s seeking atonement by trying to [avoid] the war.”
On bringing his A-game.
“There is so much power behind this script—Ridley Scott, Frank Spotnitz. As we got into it, I think one of the great things that happened was the level of collaboration between both the front of the camera and behind the camera. An outlet said that this is Amazon’s ‘House of Cards,’ which is an honor to hear. There’s just so much excitement [about] it, and that kind of built as we got into the production. You really felt that everybody wanted to bring their A-game.”
On transitioning from Denmark to Hollywood.
“Well, Rome wasn’t built overnight, that’s for sure. If you come to Los Angeles, I think you have to be prepared to spend some time here. You have to invest the time. [And] listen to your first instinct. It rarely steers you wrong. I think everybody has a sixth sense within him- or herself. When it comes to, for instance, reading a script for the first time, when I’m done with it, I make my initial notes; I think those are the purest. From then on, you’re adding more subjectivity to the part. It’s always good to keep your initial thoughts about a project on a piece of paper before you go any further.”
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