I have decided to add a page on this Danish concept, that is also found in other Scandinavian countries. It many ways it is contradictory to everyday life, particularly the mores of the United States were individual achievement is held in the highest regard. The U.S. is known as the country where anyone can accomplish anything. Since this website is dedicated to a Danish actor and this concept has come up more than once in interviews, I thought a page here would just make it easier on our readers to refresh their knowledge if they wished.

Janteloven, or Jante Law is from an invented town from the novel En flyktning krysser sitt spor (A Fugitive Crosses his Tracks in English) published 1933 by the Danish-Norwegian novelist Axel Sandemose:

1. Don’t think that you are special.
2. Don’t think that you are of the same standing as us.
3. Don’t think that you are smarter than us.
4. Don’t fancy yourself as being better than us.
5. Don’t think that you know more than us.
6. Don’t think that you are more important than us.
7. Don’t think that you are good at anything.
8. Don’t laugh at us.
9. Don’t think that anyone of us cares about you.
10. Don’t think that you can teach us anything.

In other words, regardless of your talents or abilities, you are not special. Being a movie buff, when I first read these laws, it immediately brought to mind the silent movie Metropolis.

To quote a Danish friend of mine: “It’s a way of Danish mentality, not one we’re proud of, but it’s so grown in to Danish culture that it’s hard to just get rid of.”

I would imagine for actors coming from Scandinavian countries the special attention Americans heap upon them can be quite overwhelming and baffling, at first. And of course, it only endears them to us even more.

For more in depth explanations, check out Jante Law