The first time you watch Sofie and Max trade dares in that glass-walled Stockholm office, you realize pretty quickly that this isn't your standard workplace rom-com. It's weirder. It's sharper. And honestly, a huge part of why Love & Anarchy (or Kärlek och anarki) works at all is down to the specific, lightning-in-a-bottle chemistry of the actors involved. When people search for the love and anarchy cast, they aren't just looking for a list of names they can’t pronounce. They want to know why these specific people make a show about workplace sabotage and existential dread feel so incredibly sexy and uncomfortable at the same time.
Ida Engvoll and Björn Mosten carry the heavy lifting, obviously. But the supporting players—the dry-witted publishers and the bewildered husbands—are what ground the show in a reality that feels painfully Swedish yet totally universal.
The Core Duo: Engvoll and Mosten
At the heart of the storm is Sofie Rydberg, played by Ida Engvoll. Engvoll was already a bit of a powerhouse in Swedish TV before this, having appeared in A Man Called Ove and leading the series Rebecka Martinsson. She has this incredible ability to look like she’s completely in control of her life while her eyes tell you she’s about five seconds away from screaming into a pillow. Sofie is a consultant, a mother, and a wife who is deeply bored by the "perfect" life she's built. Engvoll plays the transition from a rigid professional to a woman crawling under desks to do dares with a nuanced, frantic energy that is hard to pull off without looking ridiculous.
Then you have Björn Mosten as Max Järnevi.
This was actually Mosten's breakout role. Before Love & Anarchy, he wasn't really on the radar of international audiences. He plays Max, the IT temp, with a sort of floppy-haired, unassuming charm that masks a very specific kind of chaotic intent. He’s the one who catches Sofie in a compromising moment at the office, but instead of blackmailing her for money, he starts a game of dares. Mosten’s performance works because he doesn't play Max as a predator or a traditional "bad boy." He’s just a guy who sees through the corporate fluff and wants to see how far Sofie will go to break her own rules.
The Dynamics of a Dangerous Game
The chemistry between these two is the engine. It’s not just about romantic tension; it’s about mutual destruction. When you look at the love and anarchy cast, you’re looking at a group of actors who have to sell the idea that acting like a total lunatic is a valid form of self-care.
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The Lund & Lagerstedt Staff: Where the Real Comedy Lives
While Sofie and Max are busy causing havoc, the staff at the publishing house, Lund & Lagerstedt, are trying to survive a dying industry. This is where the show gets its satirical bite.
Reine Brynolfsson plays Friedrich Jägerstedt. If you’ve seen any major Swedish film from the last thirty years, you probably recognize him. He’s a veteran of the Royal Dramatic Theatre. In the show, he’s the old-guard literary elitist who treats every business meeting like a funeral for culture. His performance is a masterpiece of stuffy, high-brow indignation.
Then there’s Gizem Erdogan as Denise Konar.
Honestly? Denise is often the most relatable person in the room. She’s the one trying to modernize a company that still thinks it’s 1985. Erdogan, who gained massive acclaim for her role in Kalifat, brings a needed groundedness to the series. She’s the straight man to the office’s collective insanity.
- Lars Väringer plays Lars Fagerström. He’s the guy who just wants things to be okay but is constantly overwhelmed by the changes Sofie implements.
- Björn Kjellman stars as Ronny Johansson, the CEO who is perpetually caught between the old world and the new, usually looking like he needs a very long nap.
The Domestic Front: Sofie’s "Normal" Life
To understand why the dares matter, you have to see what Sofie is running away from. Her husband, Johan, is played by Johannes Bah Kuhnke. You might remember him as the father who abandons his family in a moment of panic in the movie Force Majeure. He is specialized in playing "the well-meaning but subtly infuriating husband."
Johan represents the suffocating nature of a "good" life. He’s successful, he’s handsome, and he is completely blind to his wife’s internal collapse. Bah Kuhnke plays him with just enough condescension that you understand why Sofie would rather take orders from an IT guy than spend another night talking about kitchen renovations.
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Then there’s Sofie’s father, Goran, played by Lars Väringer. His character suffers from mental health struggles and a deep-seated hatred for capitalism. It's a tricky role that could easily become a caricature, but the show uses him to highlight Sofie’s own fears about losing her grip on reality.
Why the Casting Works Better Than Other Office Rom-Coms
Most shows of this genre fail because the stakes feel low. If Sofie and Max get caught, they just get fired, right? But the love and anarchy cast makes you feel like the stakes are actually their souls.
The casting directors chose actors who look like people you’d actually see on a Stockholm subway. There’s a distinct lack of the "Hollywood gloss" that usually ruins these kinds of stories. Even when the plot gets absurd—like Sofie having to walk backwards for an entire day—the actors play it with a deadly seriousness that makes the humor land harder.
The Evolution in Season 2
In the second season, the cast had to pivot. The tone shifted from "fun anarchy" to "grief-stricken chaos." We saw more of Max’s life outside the office and deeper dives into Sofie’s crumbling mental state after her father's death. The addition of David Dencik as a high-pressure consultant added a new layer of tension. Dencik is a heavy hitter (you’ve seen him in No Time to Die and Chernobyl), and his presence forced the original cast to sharpen their performances even further.
The Impact of Local Talent on Global Success
It’s worth noting that almost the entire love and anarchy cast are established names in Scandinavian theater and film. This matters. These aren't just "TV actors"; they are performers trained in the subtle, often bleak humor that defines Nordic storytelling. Director Lisa Langseth (who has frequently collaborated with Alicia Vikander) clearly knew how to utilize these veterans to balance the show's silliness with genuine emotional weight.
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The show works internationally because the cast doesn't play for the "joke." They play the truth of the situation, no matter how weird it is. When Max and Sofie are staring at each other in a crowded room, it feels electric because Mosten and Engvoll are doing the work of two people who are genuinely terrified of how much they need each other.
Breaking Down the Fan Favorites
- Sofie (Ida Engvoll): The catalyst. Her descent into "anarchy" is the show's spine.
- Max (Björn Mosten): The provocateur. He represents the freedom Sofie forgot she wanted.
- Friedrich (Reine Brynolfsson): The soul. He represents the art that the business side of publishing often forgets.
- Denise (Gizem Erdogan): The future. She’s the bridge between the old-school publishing world and whatever comes next.
Practical Insights for Fans of the Show
If you’ve finished both seasons and are looking for more from this specific group of actors, you have options. The Swedish film industry is tight-knit, and you’ll see these faces popping up in other "Nordic Noir" or prestige dramas frequently.
To dive deeper into their filmographies:
- Watch Ida Engvoll in Rebecka Martinsson for a much darker, procedural vibe.
- Check out Johannes Bah Kuhnke in Force Majeure to see him master the role of the "flawed husband."
- Look for Gizem Erdogan in Kalifat (Caliphate) if you want to see her range in an incredibly intense thriller.
The brilliance of the Love & Anarchy cast is that they took a premise that could have been a one-note gimmick and turned it into a character study about the performance we all put on every day. Whether they are shouting at a board of directors or silently exchanging a cigarette, the actors keep the show grounded in a way that makes the "anarchy" feel not just possible, but necessary.
The next step for any fan is to move past the subtitles and look into the broader "Lisa Langseth universe." She has a knack for casting women who are on the verge of a breakthrough (or a breakdown), and seeing how Engvoll fits into that lineage gives you a much greater appreciation for her performance as Sofie. Keep an eye on Björn Mosten as well; transitioning from a debut role to a global Netflix hit usually means we’ll be seeing him in bigger, perhaps even English-language productions, very soon.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Track the Creators: Look up Lisa Langseth’s film Hotell to see where some of these thematic elements started.
- Follow Swedish Cinema: Use platforms like Mubi or the Criterion Channel to find the older works of Reine Brynolfsson.
- Explore the Genre: If the office politics of Love & Anarchy appealed to you, watch the Danish series Borgen for a more serious take on professional power dynamics.