'Cold Courage' Full Cast List: Meet Sofia Pekkari, Pihla Viitala, John Simm, Arsher Ali and rest of the stars from AMC+ Nordic noir
With a backdrop of bleakness, troubling backstories and dark palettes of grim greys and blue hues, 'Cold Courage' ticks all the right boxes for a becoming Nordic noir with a merry mix of accents. The series is based in London and follows two young Finnish women in the capital, who are drawn 'inexorably together via the Studio — a clandestine group dedicated to bringing justice to those beyond the law'.
The show is based on author and journalist Pekka Hiltunen's 2011 award-winning debut novel 'Cold Courage', a psychological thriller, which was nominated for the Helsingin Sanomat Prize for Best Debut Novel of the year, a rare feat for a thriller. Here's what's to know about the cast.
READ MORE
Sofia Pekkari
Pekkari plays Lia. The Swedish actor works at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, where she has appeared in numerous plays, including Shakespeare's 'Twelfth Night' as Viola, 'Romeo and Julia' (as Julia), 'The Tempest' (as Miranda) and Anton Chekhov's 'Three Sisters' (as Irina). She has starred in several film and TV productions in Sweden, including 'The Days the Flowers Bloom', the "Wallander" films and 'The Sandhamn Murders'.
Pekkari was born in Gothenburg where she made her debut as Ophelia in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' at the Angereds theatre in 2003. She is also a singer and is currently starring in the critically acclaimed musical 'As It is in Heaven' at the Oscarsteatern in Stockholm. She is a recipient of the 2018 Carl Åkermark scholarship, an award that the Swedish Academy awards to playwrights, actors, directors or scenographers in Swedish theater.
Pihla Viitala
Viitala plays Mari. She is an actress and director, known for playing Solvieg in 'Latin Lover' (2015), the white witch Mina in 'Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters' (2013) and for her role in 'Kaiken se kestää' (2017). She was previously married to Kerkko Koskinen, a Finnish musician who was the founding member and lead figure of the retired band Ultra Bra. Viitala has a daughter, Astrid, whose father is Kazakh-German Alex Schimpf. The family lives in Helsinki.
John Simm
Simm plays the dangerous, powerful politician Arthur Fried. The BAFTA-winning actor, and Laurence Olivier Award nominee is best known for playing Sam Tyler in 'Life on Mars', and The Master in 'Doctor Who'. Simm won the best actor award at the Valencia Film Festival for his film debut in 'Boston Kickout' (1995).
Simm was a founding member, songwriter, and guitarist with the rock band Magic Alex. The group played support on two British tours with Echo & the Bunnymen. Simm also played lead guitar on a few of Bunnymen singer Ian McCulloch's solo live shows, including one at Wembley Arena as the main support to Coldplay. He lives with his wife, actress Kate Magowan.
Arsher Ali
Ali plays the DCI Peter Chandra. The British Asian actor has played various TV and film roles and is a regular lead performer at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. He starred in films like 'The Ritual' (2017), 'Line of Duty' (2016) and 'The Missing' (2014).
Ali, who is a graduate of East 15 Acting School, is known for his commitment to method acting and his versatility, pursuing progressive and non-stereotypical roles in film, TV and theatre. He has won one Golden Nymph Award for his role in the Channel 4 BAFTA-winning drama 'Complicit'. He married actress Roxy Shahidi in 2010, with whom he has a daughter.
Caroline Goodall
Goodall plays the role of Maggie. The actress and screenwriter is known for her roles in blockbuster films like 'Hook' (1991), for which she was chosen for her prolific stage presence by director Steven Spielberg, and 'Cliffhanger' (1993), 'Disclosure' (1994), 'The Princess Diaries' (2001) and 'The Best of Me' (2014). She played Oskar Schindler's wife Emilie Schindler in 'Schindler's List' which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1994. She also played Lady Doris in 'Pride & Joy', an episode of 'The Crown'.
Born in Britain to Australian parents, Goodall is a graduate of Bristol University where she gained a BA Hons in Drama and English. She studied alongside other notable screenwriters such as Jeremy Brock of 'The Last King of Scotland' and 'Mrs. Brown' fame. She was nominated for Best Actress by the Australian Film Institute in 1990 for 'Cassidy' (1989) and again in 1995 for 'Hotel Sorrento' (1995).
Peter Coonan
Coonan plays the role of Paddy. The Irish actor is known for his role as Fran Cooney in the RTÉ One series 'Love/Hate', for which he won Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Television at the 11th Irish Film & Television Awards. In 2011, he played Dave 'Dots' Fennel in the Irish crime film 'Between the Canals'.
He starred as Ding Dong in 'The Alienist: Angel of Darkness' and as John Naylor in 'Dublin Murdurs'. He appeared in 'Ed Sheeran: Galway Girl', a video short.
@barbieredublin great haircut from a serious gent. Get into one of his shops now!! Ennyking of the chop! pic.twitter.com/Wc9fmZiPFD
— Peter Coonan (@CoonanPeter) June 13, 2017
Jakob Eklund
Jakob Eklund plays the role of Berg. The Swedish film, TV and stage actor is known for 'Zero Tolerance' (1999), 'Executive Protection' (2001) and 'Run for Your Life' (1997).
He has been married to actress Marie Richardson, known for 'Eyes Wide Shut' (1999), 'Daybreak' (2003) and 'Evil' (2003), since August 2008. Richardson played his on-screen girlfriend in Anders Nilsson's 'Zero Tolerance' trilogy, as well as in the other 17 films about the protagonist Johan Falk, released between 2009 and 2015. The couple have two children.
'Cold Courage' also stars Antti Reini, Matteo Simoni, Pääru Oja, Venetia Bowe, Paul Rigter, Charlotte Timmers, Antti Reini, Elmer Bäck, Saar de Groof, Keith McErlean, Megan O'Kelly, Toni O'Rourke, Ian Gerard Whyte, David Fawaz, Ryan McParland, Sin Nam Rigter, Aislín McGuckin, Derek Ugochukwu, Jussi Nikkilä, Rea Mauranen, Danielle Galligan and Matti Onnismaa.
The international crime drama is slated to premiere its first three episodes on Thursday, March 11 on AMC+.