Claes Bang: 'When people recognise me from Bad Sisters, they don't want to spend time with me!'

I have a little cabin in the countryside in Denmark where, at the end of the bed, there’s a big screen I pull down. I have a projector so it’s like a tiny cinema. I lie there in bed and I can stream whatever I want – you plug in your device and watch anything.

What was the last thing you enjoyed on your projector?

It’s not a set-up with decent speakers, but I should have some because the last thing I enjoyed was [Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning drama] The Zone of Interest. Then I went to the cinema and saw it, and I realised the sound design is such a massive part of that movie.

Who's in charge of the remote control?

My wife [Danish photographer Lis Kasper Bang] and I agree on what we want to watch. I’m very much looking forward to the next series of Severance [on Apple TV+]. These days, shows have to get a hook in right away – if they don’t, people will get lost and leave the show. But, with Severance, it took four or five episodes before I understood what was going on. It was so well done.

How did you land the lead role in your new film, William Tell?

I got a call from the agents saying that there was this guy, Nick Hamm [the British director], who was interested in talking to me. I read the script and, during our very first conversation, said, "This is really cool and I’m your guy, if you want me." That was a little bit more than two years ago.

Did you have to learn archery?

We did a lot of that. It was really important for everybody that it looks as if that bow is an extension of him. So, it had to look natural. It’s not legal to own a crossbow in Denmark, so I couldn’t practise anywhere. I had to come over here, to a shooting range in Richmond.

Was it a nice change of pace to be playing a great European folk hero?

It was absolutely part of my decision to do the film. I’ve done a lot of baddies. When people recognise me [as "the Prick"] from Bad Sisters, they say: "You can’t treat people like that!" But it’s not me! That show really made an impact. I sense people are like: "I probably shouldn’t spend time around this guy."

You have had a great run of villains: there was Count Dracula for the BBC, the Dean in Stephen Merchant's The Outlaws, Nazi spy Hans Von Dincklage in fashion drama The New Look. Are they more fun to play?

Yeah, that’s the simple answer. There’s more to play with. For instance, Von Dincklage all of a sudden goes crazy – and you didn’t see that coming. With the straight guy, like William Tell, there’s not so much room for manoeuvre.

Do you prefer the UK TV industry to Denmark's?

I love it in Britain. I would come and live here, if not for having my whole family in Copenhagen. Just coming in from the airport today, it sits really well with me – I blend right into it, or it blends right into me. And there’s so much interesting work going on in the UK.

Are you sad that you weren't involved in season 2 of Bad Sisters?

No, because I’ve known it for ever – the guy’s dead for 10 episodes [in the first season]. I spoke with Sharon [Horgan, the drama’s creator] a little bit about the new series very early on when they were doing some writers’ rooms... But they have now gotten themselves into crime, in a way – it’s called Bad Sisters for a reason!

Sharon Horgan, Stephen Merchant, then Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss on Dracula… you've worked with some great British dramatists. Would you work with any of them again?

They are, as you say, amazing, and that is always rewarding to be around. The brilliance is in their shows. So I absolutely would.

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William Tell is in cinemas on 17th January 2025.

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