rundown
Renate Reinsve was honored at ELLE’s 2025 Women in Hollywood event. In her speech, she talked about Norway’s representation in Hollywood and praised Sentimental Value director Joachim Trier for creating a space where women on set “don’t have to be authentic.” She also sent a touching shout-out to her son, who attended the event.
On Monday night, Renate Reinsve was named one of ELLE’s 2025 Women of Hollywood. At a glitzy Los Angeles event celebrating the award, her Different Man co-star Sebastian Stan introduced Reinsv to the audience and spoke to those in attendance about the power of her presence.
“Renate can heal or break your heart with just one look,” he says. “With one smile, she can change your day. And when she laughs, it’s like she can change your life. I had the honor of working with her twice and was in awe watching her disappear into a role in a matter of seconds.”
When Rijnsve took the stage to accept the honor, he first mentioned being a Norwegian in Hollywood and asked for advice on what he should say. “I’m from Norway, Scandinavia, and what’s worse, I’m from a really small country where if you say anything for more than 15 seconds you get lynched,” she quipped. “Yesterday I asked Stellan Skarsgård if he had any hints about what I should do. And he said if you use superlatives, I’ll disown you. So now I’m standing between[Norway and Hollywood]and trying to say something that comes from the Norwegian film and theater tradition.”
She went on to praise Sentimental Value’s director and co-writer Joachim Trier, especially for the female characters he portrays and the working environment he creates for women.
“I’m actually very moved to be here. I have to thank Joachim Trier for bringing me into the world of his films. He writes wonderful female characters with so much complexity and so much detail and nuance. And the process by which he opens up to all the people and women who work on his films with their perspective and their strength, and it’s not necessarily about the strong characters, but about their own character. It’s about accepting that the minutes are vulnerable and complicated and full of turmoil and accepting that to a degree.[That process]was so great to be a part of as humans and as actors, and the structure of the work that he set up holds the whole movie around us so we can be authentic and real and just be who we are now… It’s so great to have that space.”
At the end, she thanked her son, along with the other honorees and the crowd watching her. “I’m so happy and proud to be here and celebrate with these amazing women. And there are some men here too, who are still amazing people. And my son is such an amazing person, so sensitive and strong and cool, and I’m so happy to be here.”
Watch her full speech above.
In ELLE’s cover story, Reinsve talked about how acting became the only place she felt creatively and personally at home. “I was asked to stay away from most places other than acting,” she said. “It’s the only place I truly belong.”
She also reflected on the role that was a personal turning point for her, saying, “Until I did ‘The Worst Person in the World,’ I was very shy and closed off from my emotions. And (as Julie) I was very honest and open about my emotions. I always play people who are private, but (here) I was able to open up and have people empathize with those emotions.”
Mr. Reinsve described his long-standing collaboration with Mr. Trier and explained how their collaboration continues to evolve. “Every time I work with Joachim, I learn something new about being human, about being me,” she said. “He doesn’t criticize anything, so he can let out all the worst things about himself. Now the words hardly come out. I’m so focused on what he wants to express. Sometimes, if I have an instinct that I don’t follow, he can sense it and say, “Leave it to me.” …We probably know each other on a level that we don’t realize. ”
You can read Reinsve’s full interview here.
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