Nicolai Cleve Broch in court:

Less than 20 minutes ago

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Today, the turn came to Cleve Broch and Agnes Kittelsen to explain themselves in the lawsuit that the Danish Panorama Agency (PA) has filed against the two, as well as colleague Jon Øigarden who explained Wednesday.

Here, Nicolai Cleve Broch explained that he quickly got a good tone with PA’s boss and founder, Lene Seested.

– I wanted a change and to expand my career outside Norway as well, and she convinced me that the right thing to do was to go to PA, Cleve Broch explained.

However, as the job offers waited for him, he also received signals from colleagues at home in Norway, as well as from producers and directors, that PA should not have behaved according to the standards he had set for himself.

“I began to understand that PA had a bad reputation in the industry,” he said in court, referring in particular to an episode prior to “Beforeigners,” in which PA – according to Cleve Broch – had entered into the contract as a party to the same line with him and the producer Rubicon with the right to negotiate if there was a season 2.

PA did not get through for this, but Nicolai Cleve Broch reacted to the procedure.

PA’s lawyer Bjarke Vejby does not want to comment on the statements that appeared in court, and refers to the company’s policy that they never pre-prosecute cases that are still pending in the court system.

– I discovered this all by myself and reacted strongly. It felt very unreasonable and uncomfortable, said Cleve Broch, adding that just then the process of terminating the contract with PA began.

In court, Cleve Broch also said that shortly afterwards he was called by the producer for a series he is part of. The producer is said to have expressed such strong despair over PA’s demands around his role in the drama series that he may have to look for a new actor for Brochs character.

– The was the drop, Cleve Broch told the court.

Originally, Lene Seested was also to explain herself today, but it was postponed due to delays. Seested will not enter the witness box until Friday.

Seested and PA’s lawyer Bjarke Vejby have had the opportunity to comment on Nicolai Cleve Broch’s – and Agnes Kittelsen’s testimony, but have, as before, referred to the company’s policy that they never pre-prosecute cases that are still pending in the court system.

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Nicolai Cleve Broch stated after his explanation that he thinks it went well, and that he thinks he was able to shed light on the matter from the actors.

– How much discomfort has this conflict caused you?

– No, I do not want to go into that, but I think it is an important issue that I have been willing to take – take one for the team on behalf of many colleagues – and it has in itself felt good, said Cleve Broch and clarified the significance of what this case may have to say for younger actors applying for big agent names.

– To debate these contracts at such a level, I think is smart, for everyone.

Agnes Kittelsen’s explanation on Thursday consisted, among other things, of how she ever since 2016 discovered that there was strong dissatisfaction among Norwegian actors about the treatment they received from PA, and that they therefore went to the Norwegian Actors’ Association for help.

It is precisely the Norwegian Actors’ Association that runs the case for the three defendant actor profiles.

Like Cleve Broch earlier this morning, she admitted that she was “probably a little naive” in connection with the contract process.

– I was probably not as critical of the contract as I should have been, she explained.

Agnes Kittelsen politely declined to elaborate on the testimony, or was photographed, afterwards.

VG’s question about photographing PA’s top management, Lene Seested, Martin Jensen and lawyer Bjarke Vejby, was rejected.

Judgment in the case falls within four weeks.

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