Criminally good cuisine
With filming underway on Icelandic series Reykjavik Fusion, creator Hörður Rúnarsson tells DQ about the inspiration behind this culinary creation, in which a former prisoner turns restauranteur, and Michelin star chef Þráinn Freyr Vigfusson discusses his role behind the scenes.
The first series written by producer-turned-creator Hörður Rúnarsson, Reykjavik Fusion can best be described as Breaking Bad meets The Bear in Iceland.
Ólafur Darri Ólafsson (Trapped, The Tourist) stars as Jónas, a talented chef and ex-convict who wants to win back his family after coming out of prison. But trying to find a decent job proves hard and in a last-resort attempt, he accepts dirty money to open his own restaurant – with a money-laundering operation on the side to pay back his creditors.
Hera Hilmar (Mortal Engines, See) also appears in the series, which Rúnarsson (Black Sands, Fractures) created and wrote with Birkir Blær Ingólfsson (The Minister, Thin Ice).
“As a creator, bringing Reykjavik Fusion to life has been an incredible journey,” Rúnarsson tells DQ as filming continues on the show. “Birkir and I set out with a vision that took time to shape, but we never compromised on that vision. We’re thrilled to begin production alongside such an exceptional cast and crew. What we’ve seen so far not only matches but elevates the vision we had for the project.”
Helmed by Icelandic director duo Samúel & Gunnar – Samúel Bjarki Pétursson and Gunnar Páll Ólafsson – Reykjavík Fusion is the first project from ACT4, Rúnarsson’s Icelandic production company which launched in late 2022. Commissioned by Síminn Premium in Iceland, it is coproduced by Arte in France and Germany, and has already been sold by distributor Wild Sheep Content to AMC for Spain and Portugal, YLE for Finland and ERR for Estonia.
Here Rúnarsson tells DQ about the show and how he has found stepping into writing, before Michelin star chef Þráinn Freyr Vigfusson reveals his own role behind the scenes in preparing the food seen on screen.
Introduce us to the story
Rúnarsson: Reykjavik Fusion is a gripping crime thriller centred around Jónas, a talented but disgraced chef who is released from prison after serving time for a crime we’re unsure he has committed. Determined to rebuild his life and regain the trust of his ex-fiancée and their children, he dreams of opening a fine-dining restaurant in the heart of Reykjavik. However, faced with societal prejudice and financial obstacles, Jónas is forced to accept dirty money from a notorious kingpin he met in prison to make his dream come true. The restaurant, Reykjavik Fusion, is born – both a legitimate dining destination and a front for money laundering.
The deeper he dives into this underworld, the more his dream starts to crumble. From laundering money to being pulled into drug smuggling and hiding dead bodies, Jónas is trapped between his desire for redemption and the brutal demands of the criminal world. As he battles to keep his façade intact, his actions put his family at risk, forcing him to confront the stark reality: is there any turning back, or is he destined to become the very criminal society sees him as?
How have you developed the series?
Rúnarsson: I came up with the idea for the series towards the end of 2017 after chatting with a friend, who is a chef. He told me about another chef that was coming out of prison and founded a restaurant. I found it highly interesting and saw so many different character ideas spring to life in my head so I started dabbling with it.
The series has changed a lot from the first time I put it on paper, but essentially it was developed with help from all the partners within ACT4: Birkir Blær Ingólfsso, Jónas Margeir Ingólfsson and Ólafur Darri Ólafsson.
Why did you want to tell this story?
Rúnarsson: I really wanted to explore this notion of redemption through a tainted lens of the societal prejudices that exist against people that have made mistakes. However, I don’t feel it is my place to judge what is right or what is wrong – I’m much more interested in proposing difficult, ambiguous questions that different people will have different answers for, based on their perspective. But I believe it all begins with a conversation. Generally speaking, if people could spend more time discussing and evaluating things there would be less harshness towards others and more kindness and tolerance.
My father’s a chef and I like to cook, and I just felt there was something so interestingly visual with a main character as a chef. Kitchen intensity is part of Reykjavik Fusion, but it spins the kitchen/chef part in a totally different direction [to other restaurant dramas] by going into money laundering, with people’s lives at risk for the sake of the protganist’s family. That’s why our partner Erik Barmack, former head of international at Netflix and now running Wild Sheep Content, has described the show as a mix of The Bear and Breaking Bad. Ozark could also be comparable, in a way.
What can you tell us about the main characters and their story arcs?
Rúnarsson: Every character is on a journey fraught with moral ambiguity and emotional turmoil, pushing the boundaries of their own values as they confront the darkness around and within themselves. Their interactions propel the narrative forward, creating a tense atmosphere where the personal stakes are as high as the criminal ones. Whether striving for redemption, control or simple survival, each character’s journey is defined by the relentless collision between who they want to be and the circumstances that pull them further into Reykjavik’s dangerous underworld.
Jónas is emblematic of this struggle – a man who, despite his best intentions, is forced into increasingly compromising positions that lead him down a path he never intended to walk. His story is one of transformation, where redemption comes at the cost of innocence, and the line between victim and perpetrator blurs with every decision he makes.
Katrín, Jónas’s ex-fiancée and the mother of his children, is torn between the stability of her current life as a lawyer, a mother, a partner to a stable, good man, and her enduring connection to Jónas. As she navigates her feelings, she becomes a reflection of the series’ central theme: the complexity of second chances and the cost of love intertwined with mistrust.
Marý, the shrewd and calculating right-hand of kingpin Kristján [Thröstur Leo Gunnarsson], is a survivor in a male-dominated world, masking her true ambitions as she manoeuvres through the underworld. She serves as both a mentor and a rival to Jónas, embodying the precarious balance of power, betrayal and ambition. Kristján, on the other hand, is a seemingly charming but ruthless crime boss who looms over everyone’s lives. His paternal facade carries a cold, calculating core, willing to destroy anyone who defies him.
What’s the writing process behind the series and how have you found it?
Rúnarsson: The process was an interesting journey. I began jotting down the main story points with the characters that I had in mind before moving into a more structured approach. After a few rounds of creative debates with the team at ACT4, Birkir stepped in full-time and we co-created and co-wrote all the episodes.
We have also been blessed to work with the other two partners of ACT4: Jónas [Margeir Ingólfsson], an incredibly skilled writer and producer, who also took part in writing single episodes; and Darri, whose experience from international filmmaking was fantastic. When we cast him as the lead, it made a world of difference being able to work so close with the lead protagonist of the series.
Birkir and I have also spent a lot of time with the directors, Samuel and Gunnar, shaping the scripts in line with the visual direction, making the blueprint for the restaurant and other things. The duo, along with director of photography Óttar Guðnason, are visual geniuses and I believe they are creating a visual world that matches the vision set out on day one of writing – something truly different than we’ve seen from around here.
What challenges have you faced so far?
Rúnarsson: The challenge was to stick with the vision I had from the beginning for the style and tone. It is different from the traditional Nordic noir and the way we usually develop series in Iceland. I wanted to challenge the boundaries of what has been done and what can be achieved out of Iceland and the Nordics.
But we also consciously set up challenges for ourselves to conquer, for the sheer purpose of pushing ourselves creatively. Every day we made sure the pedal was thrust to the floor – let’s go big, let’s be bold – creating challenges for our characters that sometimes took a long time to solve. But when we came out of the other end, we felt it was worthwhile for the story.
What can you tell us about the kitchen scenes and working with Þráinn?
Rúnarsson: Pure joy, what an inspiration – a creative master at its own craft is so humbling and inspiring. He elevated the material to the heights we wanted to take the series to. It is such a vital layer in the world of the series we’ve created. I’ve witnessed the professionalism of the entire crew we are working with.
He’s so dedicated, helping to write the cooking scenes, designing the menu and taking the time to have the actors work at his restaurant to learn the ropes. Then he’s on set on all the restaurant cooking days, making sure everything is in order, and that the language and the body language is correct. In my opinion, he should get another Michelin star for his efforts.
Þráinn, how did you join the project?
Vigfusson: Darri came to my restaurant a few years ago and we became friends. He came to me with the idea of being a consultant for the series. I thought it was something I should do, something new to try out.
What were your initial thoughts about the series?
Vigfusson: I liked the premise and idea, and I could also feel the ambition of the team behind the production, wanting to do the kitchen side of the shoots professionally and believably.
What does your role involve?
Vigfusson: Reading and commenting on the script [for the kitchen scenes], designing the menu and the concept ideas. Then, on set, I’m there the whole day cooking the actual dishes that you will see on screen.
What has your experience been like working on the show so far?
Vigfusson: Nice. It’s my first time doing something like this, so it’s so far so good. Television series production is complex but there are some similarities in the rush of things trying to make the perfect product.
Can you give some examples of dishes or recipes you have created for the show?
Vigfusson: Fried scallop from Breiðarfjörður [a bay in Iceland]; Fried scallop liver mousse, mussel reduction caramel and fusion Xo sauce; Kombu-glazed Monkfish on the bone; grilled bok choy, feykir cheese, Wasabi emo and shrimp reduction.
How have you worked with Darri in terms of his performance as a chef? Did you give him any tips?
Vigfusson: Yes, of course; he’s an eager student of the craft. Darri loves cooking so it’s not his first time in the kitchen. We had some of the main actors come to my restaurant and work an actual shift, learning the ropes and feeling the intensity.
What are your views on the way chefs and the restaurant business are generally portrayed on TV?
Vigfusson: They are often badly executed and not believable. But it is getting better and better – for example, in the film The Menu and now the TV series The Bear.
How did you want to inject realism into this series?
Vigfusson: By trying to influence the scenes, how they work, the talk and the body language. I will do my best to make it as believable as possible.
What’s the secret to winning a Michelin Star?
Vigfusson: Lots of work, ambition, experience, small details and a good concept idea.
tagged in: Birkir Blær Ingólfsson, Hera Hilmar, Hörður Rúnarsson, Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Reykjavik Fusion, Samúel Bjarki Pétursson and Gunnar Páll Ólafsson, Þráinn Freyr Vigfusson