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Entertainment Now | April 3 - 9, 2021 By Kyla Brewer TV Media W hile there is no short- age of stories about World War II, that doesn't mean that every story has already been told. In fact, a new miniseries explores the little-known story of two high-profile historical figures, and it's coming to North Ameri - can audiences. Sofia Helin ("The Bridge") stars as Crown Princess Martha of Norway, who flees to the Unit- ed States during World War II in "Atlantic Crossing," premiering Sunday, April 4, on PBS Master- piece. The eight-part drama series also stars Kyle MacLachlan ("Twin Peaks") as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who invites Princess Martha and her three children to live at the White House as the war rages on in Eu - rope. Inspired by true events, the program explores the relation- ship between Martha and Roos- evelt as she struggles to convince the president to join the war ef- fort at a time when many Ameri- cans were against becoming in- volved in another war. Separated from her husband, Norwegian Crown Prince Olav (Tobias San- telmann, "Kon Tiki"), who stayed behind in England, Martha tries to find a way to help her country from afar. For his part, Roosevelt seems to be infatuated with the princess, testing the patience of those around him, including that of his wife, Eleanor (Harriet San- som Harris, "Desperate House- wives"). "Atlantic Crossing" has been billed as "a true story of passion and politics" in an official PBS re- lease about the series, but it is important to note that the drama is just that — a drama. It is a fic- tionalized account of the events written by Alexander Eik, who also directed the series, and screenwriter Linda May Kalleste- in. They spent eight years re- searching the project, piecing the story together using letters be- tween the princess and the presi- dent and by speaking to various sources. In an October interview with Annika Pham for Nordisk- FilmogTVFond.com, Eik talked about the challenge of weaving historical facts with fiction. "Writing fictional drama in- spired by true events is always a delicate balancing act between staying true to history and at the same time creating a compelling dramatization, and, not least, re- maining respectful to the sub- jects, many of whom are still alive today," Eik explained. "The main challenge was to imagine what went on behind closed doors." In the PBS series, Roosevelt first meets Princess Martha in 1939 when she and Prince Olav visit the United States just months before Nazi Germany in- vades Norway. Eik and Kallestein claim there is some evidence that Roosevelt had feelings for the princess, but little seems to be known about how she might have felt about him. Regardless of the nuances of their relation- ship, it does seem that Princess Martha used her influence to convince Roosevelt to get in- volved. During PBS's Winter TCA Press Tour, Helin talked about her rea- sons for accepting the role of Martha, who, like her, was Swed- ish. The princess's story is not widely known, even in her home- land. According to a February ar- ticle by Indiewire's Kristen Lopez, Helin said: "Heroes don't take any credit for what they do. The character instantly came to me, but no one in Sweden knew about her." Helin's early career credits in- clude the films "At Point Blank" (2003), "Masjavlar" (2004) and "Arn" (2007). She gained more widespread fame when she starred in the TV series "The Bridge," a co-production be- tween Sweden and Denmark. More recently, she starred in the Australian crime drama "Mystery Road." Her "Atlantic Crossing" co-star is likely more familiar to Ameri- can audiences. MacLachlan was cast in director David Lynch's films "Dune" (1984) and "Blue Velvet" (1987) before landing the leading role of special agent Dale Cooper in Lynch's acclaimed TV series "Twin Peaks" in 1990, a role that solidified his star status. He's also known for his work in such movies as "The Doors" (1991) and "The Flintstones" (1994) and the TV series "Desper- ate Housewives," "Sex and the City" and "Portlandia." In addition to Santelmann as Prince Olav and Harris as the first lady, "Atlantic Crossing's" main cast also includes Søren Pilmark ("Downsizing") as Olav's father, King Haakon VII; Daniel Betts ("The Crown") as foreign policy adviser Harry Hopkins; and Su- zanne Bertish ("The Wife") as diplomat Florence Jaffray Harri- man. Lucy Russell ("Wolf Hall") appears as presidential secretary and rumored FDR mistress Mar- guerite "Missy" LeHand. The series is a co-production between Beta Film for NRK and PBS's Masterpiece, but it wasn't originally in contention for the Masterpiece slate this season. During the TCA Winter Press Tour, Masterpiece Theatre executive producer Susanne Simpson ad- mitted she had been aware of the Norwegian production of "Atlan- tic Crossing" months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit but hadn't pursued it. When massive shutdowns led to delays in five other productions, however, she took a closer look for things to bring to North American audienc- es. "Once I was able to see the show, it wasn't a very hard deci- sion," Simpson said. With acclaimed performers portraying historical figures, lav- ish period sets and costumes, and hundreds of special effects de- picting one of the most memora- ble eras in modern history, the program will likely strike a chord with viewers on this side of the Atlantic as well. Don't miss the premiere of "Atlantic Crossing," airing Sunday, April 4, on PBS Masterpiece Theatre. Sofia Helin and Kyle MacLachlan in "Atlantic Crossing" Her story: The princess and the president in 'Atlantic Crossing' 2 | Cover story A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" Moore's Home Health 5 x 2"

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