Netflix’s Billionaire Island isn’t your typical corporate drama. It’s messy. It’s cold. It’s filled with the smell of raw salmon and the even fishier stench of high-stakes greed. When creators Anne Bjørnstad and Eilif Skodvin—the minds behind the cult hit Lilyhammer—decided to tackle the cutthroat world of the Norwegian aquaculture industry, they knew they needed a cast that could balance satire with genuine menace. They found it. Honestly, if you’ve been scrolling through the cast of Billionaire Island trying to figure out why the lead looks so familiar or if that one guy is actually a famous Norwegian singer, you’re in the right place.
The show centers on a hostile takeover in the salmon farming business. It sounds dry, right? It isn't. It’s basically Succession but with more rubber boots and more dead fish. The cast is a mix of seasoned Norwegian veterans and fresh faces who make the internal politics of Frøya feel like a Shakespearean tragedy.
Trine Wiggen as the Ruthless Julie Lange
At the heart of everything is Julie Lange. Trine Wiggen plays her with a kind of steely, unblinking resolve that makes you want to check if your own bank account is safe. Julie is the CEO of Marlax, and she’s determined to become the world’s largest salmon producer by swallowing her rival, Meyer Fjordbruk.
Wiggen is a powerhouse in the Norwegian acting scene. You might recognize her from Varg Veum or The Third Eye. In Billionaire Island, she doesn't play Julie as a cartoon villain. Instead, she’s a woman who genuinely believes that her vision for the industry is the only one that matters. Her performance is subtle. A twitch of the lip here, a cold stare there. It’s the kind of acting that carries a show, making the corporate maneuvers feel like life-or-death combat.
She's the "Marlax Matriarch." That’s how some fans have started labeling her online. It fits. She runs her family with the same brutal efficiency she uses to run her boardrooms. If you've ever worked for a boss who scares you just by walking into the room, Wiggen’s portrayal will feel uncomfortably real.
The Rivalry: Svein Roger Karlsen as Gjert Meyer
You can't have a takeover without someone to take over. Enter Gjert Meyer, played by Svein Roger Karlsen. If Julie Lange is the cold future of the industry, Gjert is the stubborn, traditionalist past. Karlsen brings a rugged, almost weathered energy to the role. He’s the head of Meyer Fjordbruk, a family-owned company that represents the "old way" of doing things on the island.
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The chemistry—or lack thereof—between Karlsen and Wiggen is what keeps the engine of the show running. It’s a clash of egos. Karlsen has this incredible ability to look both powerful and incredibly vulnerable at the same time. You see a man who is watching his legacy slip through his fingers.
Bjarne Brøndbo: From Rock Star to Fish Farmer
One of the biggest talking points regarding the cast of Billionaire Island is Bjarne Brøndbo. For those outside of Norway, the name might not ring a bell. But inside Norway? He’s a legend. He’s the lead singer of the rock band D.D.E.
Seeing him step into a dramatic role as Hannes was a bit of a shock for local audiences. It’s like seeing Bruce Springsteen show up in a gritty HBO drama. But here’s the thing: he’s actually good. He plays a character who feels lived-in. There’s a natural charisma there that you can’t fake. He brings a sense of "local flavor" to the production that grounds the more heightened corporate drama.
The Younger Generation: Amy Deasismont and Beyond
The show isn’t just about the old guard fighting over fish pens. It’s about the kids caught in the crossfire. Amy Deasismont (formerly known by her stage name Amy Diamond) plays Amy. If you grew up in Scandinavia in the 2000s, you knew her as a pop star. Now, she’s proving herself as a serious actress.
Her character represents the complicated legacy of these "salmon fortunes." In the show, the younger generation has to decide if they want to inherit the ethical mess their parents created. Deasismont plays this with a weary sort of intelligence. She’s not just a "rich kid" trope.
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Then there’s Ragne Grande as Bess. Grande is a rising star in Norway, often seen on stage at Trøndelag Teater. Her transition to the screen in such a high-profile Netflix series has been seamless. She brings a different energy—more questioning, more observant.
Supporting Players Who Steal the Scene
It’s often the people on the fringes of the power struggle who make a show worth watching.
- Kåre Conradi: He plays a slick consultant/lawyer type. Conradi is well-known to international audiences from Norsemen, where he played the hilariously pathetic Orm. Here, he’s much more competent but just as fun to watch.
- Oddgeir Thune: Playing Martin, Thune adds another layer of complexity to the Marlax inner circle. He’s a veteran of shows like Occupied and Home Ground.
- Axel Bøyum: He plays Adrian. Bøyum previously won a Gullruten (the Norwegian Emmys) for his work in Eyewitness. He has this frantic, nervous energy that works perfectly in a high-stress environment like a hostile takeover.
Why the Casting Works for Global Audiences
Usually, when people see a "foreign" show on Netflix, they worry about the cultural barrier. But the cast of Billionaire Island manages to bridge that gap. The themes of greed, family betrayal, and the cost of success are universal.
The producers clearly made a conscious choice to mix "prestige" actors with "pop culture" icons like Brøndbo. It creates a texture that feels like a real community. Frøya, the island where the show is set, is a real place. It’s a hub for the global salmon industry. By using actors who actually sound like they belong in that part of Norway (the Trøndelag region), the show gains an authenticity that most corporate thrillers lack.
The dialect is a big deal here. In Norway, accents carry a lot of weight regarding class and origin. While most international viewers will use subtitles or dubbing, the vibe of the regional identity still comes through in the performances. It’s gritty. It’s salt-of-the-earth meets private-jet-wealth.
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The Salmon Industry as a Character
Okay, it’s not an actor, but the industry itself is basically a cast member. The show does a great job of showing the visceral reality of fish farming. The cast had to spend time on actual barges and in processing plants. You can see it in their performances—the way they handle equipment or talk about "biomass" doesn't feel like they’re reading a script. It feels like they know what they're talking about.
This "industrial realism" is what separates the show from something like Billions. It’s not all glass offices in Manhattan. It’s rain-slicked decks and the constant threat of sea lice. The actors embrace the muck.
What People Get Wrong About the Show
A common misconception is that this is a documentary-style look at fish farming. It isn't. It’s a satire. The cast plays it straight, which is why the humor works so well. When Julie Lange treats a salmon like a chess piece, it’s funny because Trine Wiggen plays it with total sincerity.
Another mistake? Assuming everyone is a villain. It’s easy to look at the billionaire cast and see nothing but greed. But if you look closer at the performances—especially Karlsen’s Gjert—you see people who are genuinely terrified of losing their identity. The show is about the death of a way of life as much as it is about the birth of a monopoly.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Viewers
If you’ve finished the first season and want to dive deeper into the world of these actors, here is how you can follow their work:
- Check out Norsemen: If you loved Kåre Conradi’s timing, Norsemen is a must-watch. It’s also on Netflix and features many of the same sensibilities.
- Listen to D.D.E.: To understand the cultural impact of Bjarne Brøndbo, go to Spotify and look up "Vinsjan på kaia." It will give you a whole new perspective on the man playing Hannes.
- Research the Frøya Connection: Look up the real-life "salmon queens" of Norway. The show is fictional, but the world it depicts is very much based on the massive wealth generated in small Norwegian coastal towns.
- Watch 'Home Ground' (Heimebane): Many cast members have appeared in this series, which is arguably one of the best Norwegian dramas of the last decade. It deals with similar themes of regional pride and breaking glass ceilings.
The cast of Billionaire Island has managed to turn a niche industry into a compelling, global drama. Whether you’re there for the corporate backstabbing or the beautiful Norwegian scenery, the performances are what keep you locked in. They’ve taken a story about fish and made it deeply, relatably human.