Trine Dyrholm, Vic Carmen Sonne and director Magnus von Horn of ‘The Girl with the Needle’ on getting ready for their first Golden Globes red carpet

The strongest Scandinavian showing on the red carpet of the 82nd Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles came courtesy of the stars and director of The Girl With the Needle. Helmed by Swedish director Magnus von Horn and starring Danish actors Trine Dyrholm and Vic Carmen Sonne, the black and white period film was nominated in the category of Best Non-English Language Film.

Though the film ultimately lost the award to Emilia Perez, Dyrholm, Carmen Sonne and von Horn all stunned on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.

“I like to wear Danish design at events like this,” says Dyrholm, who is at the Golden Globes for the first time despite having played the lead in In a Better World, which won the award in 2011. The 52-year-old actor looked striking in a one-sleeved midnight blue organza gown by Danish designer Soeren le Schmidt.

Related: Trine Dyrholm on approaching the horrific subject matter in Denmark's Golden Globe-nominated ‘The Girl With The Needle’

For Dyrholm, there was no question that le Schmidt, whom she has been working with since the Venice Film Festival in 2018, would be responsible for her very first Golden Globes look. “He pushes me a bit,” she says. “I like to wear pants and I actually did bring a red pantsuit with a top shaped like a rose that he designed just in case, but because of him, I decided to go with this dark blue dress.”

Given that the gown made Dyrholm “feel like a mermaid”, she completed the moment with wet-look hair, a no-fuss glow and silver jewellery – most notably those graphic statement earrings – by fellow Dane Vibe Harsløf. “Silver is my thing,” she says. “I’m not so good with diamonds and gold.”

Though Dyrhom has plenty experience with red carpets, there’s something different about the Golden Globes. “I’ve been in the game for so long and I’ve been in juries in Venice, in Berlin. I’ve had films at festivals. But this is of course special,” she says. “It’s so iconic.” Her game plan was to simply enjoy the moment, despite the chaos of the red carpet. “It can be stressful, especially when you’re a grownup like me and you don’t fit into all the dresses,” she says. “So you kind of have to find a way to rock the whole thing, and that is what I hope the most for tonight – that I can actually go out of the car and enjoy it.” OK, she had one more hope: “I hope to get to see Kate Winslet, because I really like the way she has shaped her career and I would just love to tell her this.”

Carmen Sonne, an indie darling who’s walked film festival red carpets all over Europe is also new to Hollywood’s legendary award show. She rose to the occasion in custom Louis Vuitton (a fitting choice, given that she also wore custom Louis Vuitton to the film’s premiere in Cannes). Working with stylist Rose Forde, the resulting darkly romantic strapless sweetheart gown was pale pink with a black lace overlay.

“I love how we've captured a blend of myself and the atmosphere of The Girl With the Needle, making me feel like a vintage yet timeless vampire princess,” said Carmen Sonne of the dress. “The dress feels like an ode to something antique – elegantly gothic, dramatic and flamboyant. I appreciate feeling seen, yet elevated. It's playful, but I love how I didn't disappear into the dress – we merged, thanks to the incredibly talented team I got to work with.” She notes that her makeup was done courtesy of Kali Kennedy and her hair, which was in soft old Hollywood waves, by John D. She complemented the dress with high jewellery, also by Louis Vuitton.

Not to be outshone by his film’s stars, The Girl With the Needle director von Horn opted for a velvet tuxedo jacket by Tom Ford and Gucci shows. At the time we spoke, he was unsure whether or not he would wear a bow tie (he ultimately did).

“I feel great and very privileged,” von Horn says about the movie’s nomination. “I am very happy that the film has traveled this far and that it has gotten so much attention all over the world, which is, I guess, one of the reasons why we are here now: that we managed to do something that resonated all over the world. So that's amazing.”

For this Scandinavian trio, it was particularly special to walk the red carpet together. “Making the film is so much hard work and it’s lots of obstacles. When we get to a point like this it’s very important to be able to celebrate together,” says von Horn. “We’re a good group of friends going together.”