Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen stars in the new World War II thriller Desperate Journey, released on November 28, 2025.
At the film’s premiere on November 18, the actor spoke to GB News and other media about taking on the role in the edge-of-your-seat drama, reflecting on how the true story of Freddie Knoller shaped his performance.
Desperate Journey is a 2025 WWII romantic thriller based on the life of Mr Knoller, a young Jewish man who fled Vienna after the Nazi occupation.
He finds both work and romance in the glamorous but dangerous burlesque scene of 1940s Paris, becoming entangled in events that change the course of his life.
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Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen
|Emblen Pictures 2025
After escaping Vienna, Mr Knoller takes a job at a Paris burlesque club frequented by high-ranking Nazi officials.
There, he falls for the club’s lead showgirl (Clara Rugaard) and is pulled into a perilous chain of events.
The film is directed by Emmy winner Annabel Jankel and written by two-time Oscar nominee Michael Radford.
Speaking on the red carpet, Mr Lynggaard Tønnesen explained to GB News and other press that portraying Mr Knoller affected him in unexpected and emotional ways.
"It's so difficult, because… I'm just a kid from Copenhagen in Denmark and who am I to portray a man who went through horrors like this?
Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen as Freddie Knoller in Desperate Journey 2025
|Emblen Pictures 2025
"So it took a long time for me to accept that, I think — to accept the fact that this is a really important story and someone has to do it."
He continued: "And then I think I became confident with the fact that, okay, I'm gonna try to do my best to tell the story."
Mr Lynggaard Tønnesen, best known for playing Rasmus Andersen in the Netflix series The Rain, also urged audiences not to shy away from a story so harrowing.
"Because it is such an important story, and the world we live in now, we need this," he said.
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Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen at the Desperate Journey premiere in Leicester Square
|London Beautiful Life / YOUTUBE
"We need to not be afraid of it. I think that's a really important thing… Because a lot of people are, especially if you're not in a world where your house gets burned down, you lose your family.
"We need to remind people that this is going on. And for me, it's to have a say in that, to help.
"Sharing a story like that means a lot to me. And I'm very proud of it."
The Desperate Journey actor added that having a strong support system helped him protect his mental well-being while filming darker scenes.
"For me, it's… it's luckily easy to get out of that mental state," he said.
"I was lucky to be surrounded by fantastic and very supportive people on this. From the beginning, Freddie Knoller's family was really supportive of me doing this project and that gave me a lot of [peace].
"Yeah, I think I try to be very calm and accepting of the situation, of what I put myself into.
"So for me, it was never really difficult to get out of that world."
Freddie Knoller dedicated his later life to sharing his story as a form of education
|BBC / Youtube
He continued: "I think I always had it at arm's length… so it wouldn't drain me too much. Because it could be some days, yeah. And very quickly."
Despite this, one particular moment from filming left a deep impression on him.
"I remember shooting a scene with Anna Mawn (Aiva), who is this girl that Freddy meets on the way away from Vienna towards Paris.
"We were in this transport, this car, and we're talking about hope and the future for these characters. And a little… a little… what's the opposite of a butterfly? Moth, thank you!
"This little moth landed on my hand in the scene, and she stayed there. And I remember its wing was broken, and in every scene, every take, it kept on being there.
"And that, I think, was really special. Yeah. I remember it really well… that was really special in the moment."
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