Girl in Red says she has ‘low expectations’ for acting career despite acclaimed film debut

“I have a real interest in acting,” Ulven said, explaining that she wanted to approach 'Low Expectations' as an actor

Marie Ulven, better known as singer-songwriter Girl in Red, is approaching her first major acting role with surprisingly modest expectations, even after receiving positive attention for her feature-film debut in Low Expectations.

Ulven stars as Maja, a successful young musician whose career suddenly falls apart, forcing her to return to her hometown and rebuild her life. The film, written and directed by Eivind Landsvik, premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

For Ulven, making the transition from music to acting was intimidating. She said she was conscious of the perception that musicians sometimes move into acting simply because they are already famous, and she did not want to be viewed as someone assuming that success in one creative field automatically translated to another.

“I have a real interest in acting,” Ulven said, explaining that she wanted to approach the film as an actor rather than simply play a version of herself. She deliberately used her real name, Marie Ulven, instead of her Girl in Red stage name because she felt using the latter could blur the distinction between herself and Maja.

That distinction was particularly important because the character is also a musician. Although Maja's story could easily invite comparisons with Ulven's own career, the singer insists that the character is not simply a fictionalised version of herself.

“I just like pretending things, and having fun,” Ulven said when discussing her interest in acting and performing.

Ulven first auditioned for Low Expectations in December 2023 after her creative partner Isak Jenssen encouraged her to try for the role. She initially struggled with the audition because she had never worked from a film script before, but said she quickly became more comfortable with the process.

She was offered the role about a month later while she was in Nashville working on production for her tour. Despite believing strongly in the script, Ulven said she took seven days to respond because accepting the part felt like a major commitment.

The decision ultimately marked the beginning of an entirely new chapter in her career. Low Expectations is Ulven's feature acting debut, and she has been praised for her performance as Maja, a woman dealing with the collapse of a career that once appeared to be going exactly as planned.

The film's story also gave Ulven an opportunity to explore emotions she was already familiar with, although she has pushed back against the idea that her performance should automatically be interpreted as autobiographical.

“It's acting!” she said when asked how she felt about viewers wondering how much of herself she brought to the character.

Ulven's music career has already taken her from bedroom recordings to international recognition. She has released two studio albums, including If I Could Make It Go Quiet and I'm Doing It Again Baby!, and has toured with major artists including Taylor Swift.

Now, however, she is leaving the door open to a second career on screen, even if she is not making grand predictions about where it could lead.

For the moment, Ulven appears more interested in choosing projects that genuinely excite her than in immediately establishing herself as a full-time actor. Her experience on Low Expectations has nevertheless given her a taste for filmmaking and confirmed that the transition from musician to actor is one she wants to explore further.

Low Expectations is scheduled to open in Norwegian cinemas on October 23, 2026, with its UK and Ireland release planned for early 2027.