Pia Green: From Soap Opera Stardom to a Quiet Life

She played a captain in 'Rederiet' and a pharmacist in 'Vita lögner'. But a few years later, Pia Green, 78, chose to leave the limelight.

Pia Green has experienced several breakthroughs.

After graduating from the Drama School in 1979, she worked at the TV theater and immediately reached a large audience. At that time, there were only two TV channels.

She then played a celebrated role alongside Magnus Härenstam and Brasse Brännström in the Lasse Hallström-directed 'Två killar och en tjej' in 1983.

"I did quite a few major roles at the TV theater, but the biggest breakthrough was probably 'Två killar och en tjej'," Pia Green recalls.

"Give that woman more film roles immediately! She has the potential to become an indispensable necessity on Swedish movie screens," wrote Gunnar Rehlin in GT.

"Fun to be Remembered"

But nothing compares to the impact she had in 'Rederiet' in the early 1990s. SVT's soap opera was enormous, and many still remember Pia Green's role as Captain Sara Torstensson.

"It aired on Thursdays. You couldn't call people then—everyone was watching 'Rederiet'. It was huge," says Pia Green.

"I was only in three seasons, but many remember it. I was the first female captain in 'Rederiet', which was quite unusual then. It's fun to be remembered, but it feels a bit strange because it was so long ago."

Pia Green then took on another major soap role—as the pharmacist Ingrid Fridell in TV3's 'Vita lögner'.

Between 1997 and 2002, she appeared in almost every episode, over 700 in total.

"We became like a family. We filmed two episodes a day, four days a week. We had a lot of fun doing it, and the series developed and got better as we, and the writers, got to know our characters," says Pia Green.

"It Was Those with Satellite..."

Even though TV3 wasn't as big a channel, the soap opera had its audience.

"It was those with satellite who watched. I didn't have TV3 myself, so I haven't actually seen many episodes," Pia Green laughs.

She formed the backbone of 'Vita lögner' along with Rune Sandlund, Petra Hultgren, and Ulf Dohlsten. But over the years, many actors participated in the series—from established names to newcomers.

"Many of the young ones went on to other things. Alexander Skarsgård was in it, and you could say he had a good career afterward. It was great fun; he was very sweet," says Pia Green.

The established actors could simultaneously receive criticism from colleagues—who didn't think soap operas were prestigious enough.

"There were those who looked down on it and thought 'you shouldn't work with that kind of stuff'. We who were involved got a bit tired of those comments. It was a great job, good income, and a nice environment. I don't think you should look down on that type of work; it's something many people like and has a large audience," says Pia Green.

Canceled Without Warning

Everything continued until 2002 when 'Vita lögner' was suddenly canceled—without any warning.

"We had all probably set ourselves up for it to continue. Then it was just decided from above, and most of us were left standing there not knowing what to do," says Pia Green, who never received an explanation for the cancellation.

"I actually don't know why. The series was doing well."

After 'Vita lögner', she continued to do film and TV roles. But for over ten years, her acting career has been essentially over.

"I don't work anymore. It was so exhausting to look for jobs with various auditions here and there; I feel it's not worth it. It's quite nice to avoid the stress and pressure of having to perform all the time. I'm not saying I'll never work again, but I have no ambition to do so," says Pia Green.

What do you do now?

"I always have some project; it's no problem to fill the days. I really don't complain, even though it's not fun to get older with all the possible ailments. I have grandchildren, I'm happy with what I have, life is quite nice."