Interview
Amanda Collin: “Oh, you're not, you're just ninja!”
Actress Amanda Collin is ready for summer! And she has made a sticker that can change your life or at least give you a boost about your cycle and make you laugh. And she has more plans, big plans.
Amanda Collin is an actress. But you probably already knew that. Maybe you remember her from the movie "En frygtelig kvinde" (she was pretty annoying and quite embarrassing. Was it because you could recognize something from your personality? Ouch. Well). Or perhaps you remember her (and her wonderfully short hair) from the international HBO TV series "Raised by Wolves"? Or recently from the Danish exceptionally good film "Bastarden”, where she stars alongside Mads Mikkelsen?
But, you know what? Amanda Collin is up to much more than just being an actress. She has started her business with her friend and colleague, actress Marie Tourell Søderberg, who also hosts the podcast “Medskaber”. Amanda's and Marie's business is called Yes Ma'am Productions ("Ma" for "Marie" and "am" for "Amanda," naturally). The partnership between Amanda Collin and Marie Tourell Søderberg began because they couldn't stop feeding each other ideas. Ideas simply gush forth and spill out of them with post-it notes when they put their heads together. Their circles intersect in a shared space that revolves around being a mother, woman, having... a cycle!
Initially, Yes Ma'am Productions is behind perhaps the coolest sticker in the world right now. It's called The Creative Cycle Wheel. It's a round sticker with a smiley face in the middle. Around the smiley, there are small animals and creatures symbolizing how your state of being varies depending on where you are in your cycle – and it can help you assess whether you're outgoing and super creative, or you're more in the cozy cuddle phase of your cycle, where creativity can brew inside you without you having to sell anything at all. Yes, it's a bit of a convoluted explanation. You have to see it for yourself! You can see the sticker and order it at yesmaamproductions.com.
The sticker's colors and energy are vibrant, not surprisingly, when Amanda Collin is behind it.
“I can take this sticker and slap it on the wall,” says Amanda Collin, pretending she has a sticker in her hand and smacking it on the wall with a good slap.
“Then we can look at the sticker and talk about our cycle because maybe that's why one of us has a laid-back energy, or conversely, you're up on high heels and talking over-eagerly.”
Amanda Collins' heart beats loudly and bombastically for the dialogue. EVERYONE should be able to participate in the conversation about women's cycles. Men can also tap into it; "May I ask where you are in your cycle because I need a fierce negotiator today!"
“Imagine if there could be an understanding that women are wildly different depending on where they are in their cycle.” That's what Amanda Collin would like to request.
It's just up on the wall with that sticker now. Stickers should be placed here, there, and everywhere. So we can talk and understand each other.
“I've always hated my period,” sighs Amanda Collin.
That's how it's been. That's been Amanda Collins' story. But she wants to change that story. And the sticker helps with that.
“I want to change the narrative so my period can be something funnier. 'Oh, I'm premenstrual...' Oh no, you're not, you're just a ninja,” Amanda Collin almost shouts and points at the little cartoon ninja on the sticker.
“Everything doesn't have to be so serious, not even menstruation. I want to find my way to LOL!”
A good word again. Who wouldn't want to have fun?
Amanda does it herself
But Amanda Collin is up to much more than just making a sticker that could potentially revolutionize women's (and everyone else's) perception and experience of having a cycle. Amanda Collin and Marie Tourell Søderberg are making a movie. It's about finding back to one's desire as a woman. Daring to let go of... everything.
They brainstorm scenes, songs, the script. They're shaping the film, which has a title, but it's not to be revealed yet. Because the film should be allowed to take the time it needs, for Amanda is also focused on formlessness. She dares to lean into the process. Amanda and Marie have, among other things, been inspired by the book "Pussy: A Reclamation" and by a meditation journey with a therapist from South Africa. And they have a cabin at Zentropa in Hvidovre, where they sit, work, and develop. Amanda and Marie do it all themselves. Because they can, they've figured that out.
“The film is about femininity. When we're filled up with ourselves as women, we can mirror each other, a beautiful and lovely reflection. We're very focused on it not being a fight. We're not mad at anyone. No one has taken anything from us!”
Now, it's time to talk about where you were 10 years ago? Because we're celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rudolph Care's sun series... So let's just rewind time 10 years...?
“In the summer of 2014, I was 28. I was in a life crisis. I didn't know if I still wanted to be an actress. It was two years after I came back from New York, where I trained as an actress. I didn't get any jobs, and I thought, 'How long am I going to paddle around in this?' I gave myself two years. And then it went well,” says Amanda Collin. She's quiet for a moment. Then, more words come out of her mouth.
“It's boring not to listen to your inner voice. Acting has always seemed safe to me; it's always been pronounced that it was the path I should take. In the same way, it's safe for me to tread this new path. It's not fragile because I have nothing to do with it. It just can't be any other way. It's completely free for me to swim in this void. And it may be a dumb decision in the long run. But in that stupidity, I’m really having fun. Fear shouldn't be allowed to dictate how I live my life.”
Where would you like to be in 10 years?
“Right here on this couch. Alive, I hope. Many take it for granted, I think.”
What are your summer plans?
“I'm going to Spain with two really good friend couples and all our kids. We've booked a car train that takes us down through Germany. I'm looking forward to it, although I don't know if it's a good idea with a Spanish heatwave in combination with a two-year-old.”
What makes a good summer day?
“Bare feet in warm sand, dry saltwater skin. A whole day with watermelon. My body just feels sooo good in the summer. I'm more athletic, and it feels like I have a running number on my shirt.”
Who would you like to sunscreen?
“Oh, oh, oh, I dare not say! But it's not my husband.”
Amanda Collin was born in 1986, lives in Valby, is married, and a mother of two; one is seven and the other is two.