You know that feeling when a movie looks beautiful but you’re worried the acting might be as stiff as the architecture? That was the big gamble with the 2019 film adaptation of Simon Mawer’s Booker Prize-nominated novel. It's a heavy story. We're talking decades of history, the rise of Nazism, and a house that basically acts as a silent protagonist. But honestly, the The Glass Room cast is what kept the whole thing from collapsing into a mere history lesson.
It wasn't just a random assortment of European actors.
The casting directors had to find people who could age across thirty years without it looking like a bad high school play with fake gray hair. They needed chemistry that felt lived-in. Carice van Houten and Hanna Alström had to carry the emotional weight of a "forbidden" connection while the world literally burned down around them. It's a lot to ask.
Who Really Led the Glass Room Cast?
At the heart of the film are Liesel and Hana. Hanna Alström, who many people recognize from the Kingsman movies as Princess Tilde, plays Liesel Landauer. It's a complete 180 from her blockbuster roles. In this film, she’s the wife of a wealthy industrialist, and she has to portray this specific kind of quiet, upper-class resilience.
Then you have Carice van Houten.
She's incredible. Most of us know her as Melisandre from Game of Thrones, but here, she sheds the "Red Priestess" persona entirely to play Hana. She is the spark. Her character is cynical, vibrant, and deeply loyal. The dynamic between Alström and van Houten is the literal spine of the movie. If they didn't have that shorthand—that way of looking at each other across a crowded room—the movie would have just been about a very expensive house in Czechoslovakia.
Claes Bang plays Viktor Landauer. You’ve probably seen him in The Square or as Dracula in the BBC/Netflix miniseries. He’s got this towering presence, but in this film, he has to play a man who is slowly losing his grip on his home, his country, and his family due to his Jewish heritage and the encroaching war.
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The Supporting Players You Might Recognize
It’s a truly international mix.
- Alexandra Borbély: She plays Kata. You might know her from the stunning Hungarian film On Body and Soul.
- Roland Møller: He plays Stahl. Møller is a powerhouse Danish actor (check him out in Land of Mine if you want to see his range).
- Karel Roden: A legend in Czech cinema, playing Von Abt. He provides that local authenticity that a movie filmed in Brno absolutely requires.
The casting of Roden is actually a bit of a wink to the audience. He’s such a staple of European film that his presence grounds the movie in its physical location. Speaking of location, we have to talk about the house.
The House as a Character
I know we're talking about the The Glass Room cast, but the Tugendhat Villa in Brno is effectively the lead actor. It’s a masterpiece of modernist architecture designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In the film (and the book), it’s called the Landauer House.
The actors had to interact with this space in a way that felt natural.
Imagine trying to deliver a high-stakes emotional monologue in a room with floor-to-ceiling glass windows where there's nowhere to hide. The house dictates the blocking. It dictates the lighting. For the cast, the "Room" wasn't just a set; it was an environment that forced them to be more exposed. It’s cold, yet it’s filled with light. That contrast mirrors what’s happening with the characters.
The Challenge of the Timeline
One thing people often overlook when discussing the performers is the timeline. The story spans from the late 1920s all the way through the Cold War.
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That is a massive undertaking for any actor.
You aren't just changing costumes. You’re changing the way you walk, the way you speak, and the way you hold the trauma of surviving a world war. Hanna Alström, in particular, has to navigate the transition from a hopeful young bride to a woman who has seen her world dismantled. It's a subtle performance. It doesn't rely on "Oscar-bait" screaming matches. It’s all in the eyes.
Critics were somewhat divided on the film itself, but almost everyone agreed that the The Glass Room cast handled the material with a lot of dignity. Some felt the English-language dialogue felt a bit formal for a story set in Czechoslovakia, but that’s a common hurdle for international co-productions. When you have a Danish actor, a Dutch actress, and a Swedish actress all speaking English to represent Czech characters, there’s going to be a certain level of artifice. You just have to lean into it.
Why the Chemistry Matters
If you've read Simon Mawer's book, you know the relationship between Hana and Liesel is... complicated. It's built on things unsaid.
In a film, you can't rely on the narrator to explain those inner thoughts. You need actors who can project subtext. Carice van Houten is a master of this. She has a way of being the loudest person in the room even when she’s whispering. Her Hana is a woman who refuses to be erased by history, and her chemistry with Alström provides the only real warmth in a house made of glass and steel.
The film also deals with Viktor's infidelity and the presence of the nanny, Laník (played by Karel Dobrý). These side plots could easily feel like filler, but the cast treats them with enough weight that they feel like necessary cracks in the "perfect" modernist dream the Landauers tried to build.
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A Quick Look at the Production Side
- Director: Julius Ševčík
- Screenplay: Andrew Shaw
- Based on: The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
- Filming Location: Brno, Czech Republic (specifically the Villa Tugendhat)
Fact-Checking the History vs. The Cast
While the characters are fictionalized, they are loosely inspired by the real Grete and Fritz Tugendhat. The actors weren't just playing roles; they were stepping into a legacy. The Tugendhat family actually had to flee the Nazis, just like the Landauers.
The cast spent time in the actual villa.
That matters. It’s not a green screen. When you see Claes Bang touching the onyx wall, he’s touching the real thing. When the cast looks out those massive windows, they are looking at the actual garden. This physical connection to history helps remove that "stiff" period-piece feeling that kills so many historical dramas.
What Most People Miss
The most interesting part of the The Glass Room cast isn't the big names. It’s the way they handle the later years.
The movie shifts gears in the final act, moving into the Soviet era. The lighting changes. The "Glass Room" becomes dusty, partitioned, and neglected. The actors had to reflect this decay. It's easy to look good in 1930s silk; it's much harder to convey the exhaustion of the 1960s under a communist regime.
Honestly, the film is worth watching just for the way the actors inhabit the space as it changes. It’s a lesson in how environment shapes performance.
Actionable Insights for Viewers
If you’re planning on diving into this film or the history behind it, here is how to get the most out of the experience:
- Watch for the non-verbal cues: Pay attention to how Carice van Houten and Hanna Alström use the reflections in the glass. The director uses the architecture to frame their relationship in some really clever ways.
- Research the Villa Tugendhat first: Knowing the actual history of the house makes the performances of the The Glass Room cast feel much more poignant. It wasn't just a set; it’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Read the book afterward: The movie takes some liberties with the ending and certain character motivations. Seeing how the actors interpreted the prose version of their characters adds a whole new layer of appreciation for their work.
- Look for the "aging" details: Instead of looking for CGI or heavy prosthetics, look at the body language. Claes Bang, in particular, changes his posture significantly as the character of Viktor ages and faces more hardship.
The film serves as a reminder that even the most beautiful structures are ultimately hollow without the people inside them. The cast didn't just fill the rooms; they gave the glass and steel a pulse. Whether you're a fan of historical dramas or just a fan of great European acting, this ensemble delivers a performance that lingers long after the credits roll.