Alexander Payne Sets Cast For Danish Comedy-Drama ‘Somewhere Out There’; Director’s Third Reteam With Searchlight
Two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne‘s third picture with Searchlight, the Danish comedy-drama Somewhere Out There, has set its cast with Jacob Haugaard (The jut-nuts), Jacob Lohmann (Dynastiet Mærsk), Ole Sørensen (The Sunfish) and Lane Lind (Matador) joining previously announced Oscar nominee Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World, Sentimental Value).
Set in a small provincial town in western Denmark, Somewhere Out There follows longtime friends Lars (Haugaard) and Klaus (Sørensen), whose friendship is fractured late in life. The project was written by Erlend Loe, based on an idea by Åke Sandgren. The movie, which starts shooting next month, is being produced by Birgitte Skov for Scanbox Productions. Searchlight Pictures is handling global distribution, excluding Nordic territories, where Scanbox will distribute. It’s the first time that Payne has directed a movie in Europe, as well as the first film he’s shot in a language other than English.
“It’s not a surprise, but I’ve been extremely impressed by the extraordinary quality of Danish actors,: says Payne. “Casting director Djamila Hansen has helped me craft what I think is a terrific ensemble.”
Haugaard, stars in the lead role of Lars. He’s the star of local comedy films The jut-nuts (Jydekompagniet, 1987) and The jut-nuts III (Jydekompagniet III, 1989); and also known for Squash commercials alongside longtime partner Finn Nørbygaard. In 1994, he was elected to the Danish Parliament on reportledy unorthodox campaign promises.
Sørensen, as Klaus, is known for The Sunfish (Klumpfisken, 2014) and leading roles in Frelle Petersen’s critically acclaimed regional dramas Forever (Resten af livet, 2022) and Home Sweet Home (Hjem kære hjem, 2025).
In the role of Lars’s son Benny is Lohmann, who has appeared in That Time of Year (Den tid på året, 2018), Shorta (2020), Fathers and Mothers (Fædre & Mødre, 2022), the title role in the series Oxen (2023-2025), and most recently Dynastiet Mærsk (2025).
Norwegian actress Reinsve plays Lars’ daughter-in-law Ingrid. She won Best Actress at Cannes for Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World (2021). For her role in Trier’s Sentimental Value (2025), she won the European Actress Award and was just nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
The role of Klaus’s widow Astrid is played by Lind, who brings an extensive and distinguished career spanning decades of Danish film and television. Her credits include the classic series Matador (1980) and more the recent productions Chorus Girls (Dansegarderoben, 2023), Carmen Curlers (2022-2025) and Take Care (Løgnen, 2025).
Somewhere Out There is a Hummelfilm (Norway) and Nordic Drama Queens (Sweden) co-production. The production is backed by the Danish Film Institute, the Western Danish Film Fund, the Norwegian Film Institute, the Swedish Film Institute, Nordisk Film & TV Fond, DR and SVT.
Payne won two Adapted Screenplay Oscars for Searchlight’s Sideways and The Descendants.
