PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Hailing from the city of Oslo, the capital of Norway, Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg followed her adventurous spirit to L.A. where she inevitably found a home for her undying passion in the arts. As the daughter of a piano teacher and renowned knighted Norwegian classical pianist, Einar Steen-Nokleberg, her zest for life and desire for artistic expression should come as no surprise. Seeking excitement, her travels led her to the City of Angels where she would make her first feature film, Heart Of The Home. As the film approaches a winter 2020 release, Elisabeth took the time to speak with us about this project, which was inspired by true, nightmarish events.
PopHorror: Hi, Elisabeth! Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. When did you decide a career in film was something you wanted to pursue?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: When I was a child, all I did was daydream. I created little plays and participated in school theater productions. I didn’t really start pursuing the art until I was in my 20s, but acting was something I always found fascinating! It was something that was just in me, and I wanted to express myself artistically. I also come from a family of artists. My father is a classically trained pianist who was knighted by the king of Norway, and my mother was a piano teacher. So the arts came natural to me.
It wasn’t until I found my acting career seemingly stuck that I decided to create my own opportunity. I didn’t know the best way to move forward, but I noticed a trend with actors making their own films. So, that’s a route I eventually chose. With your own film, it’s your story and you can do with it whatever you want. You call the shots. I really had nothing to lose!
And some of the best advice I received when I was newer to the industry was from a Grammy award-winning artist. He told me that everything he did, he did on his own. Nothing was handed to him. He had to go out and do it himself. Granted, some people catch breaks, but it doesn’t guarantee that anything will follow. No matter what direction you decide to take, pursuing your dreams requires action rather than sitting back hoping the right opportunity will come along.
PopHorror: I couldn’t agree more. There are no guarantees in life, but you have a better chance of setting things in motion if you stop asking and start doing. I’m aware that you’re originally from Norway. Was filmmaking your ultimate goal when you arrived in the U.S.?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: That wasn’t my initial goal, actually (laughs). I was a rebel, and I had to live a little before finding what I really wanted to do. I’ve always had this wild, rebellious side, but I channel that more into art nowadays. When I initially left Norway, I just wanted to explore and have fun.
Life hasn’t all been a bed of roses. There’s been illnesses, breakups, heartache, the passing of my mother. Quite a bit of pain. And acting gave me an outlet for coping. But life experience influences artistic work. So it’s good to explore and live before creating, in my opinion.
PopHorror: That is an excellent approach. Some of the best forms of artistic expression come from real-life experience. You have a new film that will be debuting soon called Heart Of The Home. Not only did you produce and act in this feature, but it’s a personal horror story that you co-wrote based off of true events. What can you tell me about this film and its inspiration?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: When I moved to L.A., I discovered that I couldn’t afford it (laughs). Should I go back home? How was I going to survive? I was already working two jobs while juggling acting in between. I wasn’t sure what to do! Thankfully I found a place, which was a Japanese apartment. I’m familiar with and respect the Japanese culture, so I decided it would be a good fit. I took on a lease with another girl, and we listed a room for rent.
The roommate we chose to take on was a nice, polite Japanese girl wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt. She seemed so sweet, innocent, and harmless. A week or two went by, and she switched. She became the biggest pain in the ass! And I had failed to Google her or run any type of background check.
Shortly after she moved in, odd behavior began to emerge. She even started cooking in her bedroom. One time, I came home to smoke coming out of her room! She also demanded that we hold house meetings to talk about any inconveniences I made for her. Little things like being on the phone, being loud, and turning on the heat without her permission. And she would sit there during these meetings holding a timer (laughs)! I would ask myself if this was really happening! There was one time that she called the police on the neighbor because she thought an angry little chihuahua in the apartment hallway belonged to him (laughs). He didn’t even have a dog.
I was finally at my wits end one day when I was out for a run, and my phone was constantly being blow up with her texts. I went back into the apartment, banged on her door, and I let loose (laughs)! I yelled at her, cursed at her, and told her she should just fucking leave! I left the apartment for the day and, when I came back, she had written a long letter and stuck it on my fridge. This letter was all about how she was going to get me deported. That’s when I went to the police with a friend and my other roommate to explain the situation. A friend from New York also contacted me about my problem and told me I should have Googled this woman. It turns out she had quite the history involving assault on her ex-husband as well as a stint in a mental institution.
And the strangest thing happened only weeks before shooting Heart Of The Home. Keep in mind, this whole roommate problem happened years ago. I found this horribly absurd letter that this woman wrote sticking out from under the stove at 2AM. I thought I had thrown it away a long time ago. I asked my roommates if they had cleaned under or around the stove, moved the appliance in any way. And they had not touched it!
PopHorror: That sounds like a nightmare… which is perfect for horror (laughs). What was the most challenging part about making Heart Of The Home?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: Probably the most challenging aspects of filming the feature were the time constraints during production and the post-production process. Because I was the producer and an actor on this project, it was a challenge to focus on my performance while fulfilling all the of the producer duties. Working behind the scenes of this production was only me, the cinematographer, and the director. We did everything. And we shot the film in six days over the course of three weekends, which is an incredibly short production time. Also, I’m not as adept with the technical side of things. So I had to put quite a bit of trust in others during post-production. It was exhausting, but it was well-worth it.
PopHorror: What was your favorite part about filming this feature?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: It was definitely how the acting came together. It just made me so happy! Every cast member did their part and delivered exactly what they were suppose to. And it was incredibly gratifying to create my own opportunity than to wait for something that may or may not come along.
PopHorror: How much truth is in your film, and how much is creative liberty?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: I would say that there is quite a bit of truth. The film is very dialogue driven and most of the dialogue is actually real. It was shot in the same apartment where this craziness happened. There are some small details that I changed. For example, in the film, this troublesome roommate is a wig maker. In real life, she was a cosmetology student. And the violence and murder in the film is, of course, fiction. Aside from the chaos she created, this roommate was, for the most part, harmless. Probably. But the film, as a whole, is roughly 60% truth.
PopHorror: When and where will people be able to check this film out?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: We have just completed delivery to distribution, and we’re anticipating a VOD release in mid-January 2021.
PopHorror: I know the world is crazy and semi-apocalyptic right now, but do you have any upcoming projects that you would like to talk about?
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: Yes, actually! I’m currently writing a dark drama script that’s in the very early stages. And I’m co-writing another darker psychological horror story that isn’t based on true events like Heart Of The Home, but it’s very symbolic and influenced by some personal experiences with stalkers. I’ll be spreading out the work load by hiring a producer and live producer while I focus more on the creative part.
PopHorror: I look forward to seeing your passions come to life on screen! Thank you, Elisabeth, for speaking with me.
Elisabeth Steen-Nokleberg: Of course. Thank you for the opportunity!
Full of energy and passion, Elisabeth’s can-do attitude and love for life is inspiring to anyone pursuing their dreams. With so much drive behind her project, I’m excited to see her story come to life! Stay tuned for an upcoming PopHorror review of Heart of the Home. And make sure to Google your prospective roommates!
