Princess Märtha Louise of Norway's multi-faceted husband Ari Behn – already known in his home country for hosting TV programs, writing, designing and directing – is now taking on a new challenge: acting! The 43-year-old, who married Crown Prince Haakon's sister in 2002, will be center stage, literally, this month at the BIT theater in Bergen.
Princess Martha Louise's artistic husband Ari Behn will be performing on stage at a Norway theater this month Photo: Gtres
Ari will be performing on October 18 and 19 in a production of Jeppe på Bjerget (Jeppe on the Mountain) an 18th-century comedy which tells the tale of a man whose problems become so severe that he turns to alcohol. "There are lots of hidden depths to Jeppe and I've thrown myself into interpreting the role," Ari told reporters. "It's a complex work and I've had to devote a lot of myself to it."
He says that he's been tempted by various acting roles recently, despite having no formal training. "My acting experience is limited to school theater, but I was involved in it every year until I graduated [from high school]," he said.
Martha-Louise and Ari with their three daughters and (back row, left to right) the Princess' parents King Harald V and Queen Sonja, sister-in-law Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and brother Crown Prince HaakonWhile this first foray into acting may or may not become a long term commitment, Ari can always fall back on his writing career. He has written three novels and two collections of short stories that have been translated into a number of languages including Swedish, Danish, German, Hungarian, Icelandic and French.
Ari and Princess Märtha Louise have three daughters: Maud, 12, Leah, 10 and Emma, 7, and have recently moved back to Norway after having lived in London for the past few years.