For Anne Windsland, Nocturne represents more than a new acting role. Playing Agent Hawthorne brought her into a dark psychological thriller—and back to a story she encountered before she moved to America to pursue acting.

During her conversation with Pop Culture Unplugged w/ Elias, Windsland reflects on her career, the self-tape that led to the role, and the growing pressure facing the show’s investigators.

From Norway to New York—with No Plan B

Windsland traces her decision to become an actor to a school production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest in Norway. Watching an all-female cast perform the story helped her recognize what she wanted to do with her life.

She eventually moved to New York for acting school. The harder adjustment came after graduation, when the structure of training gave way to building a career without an established industry network. Costuming became one of her survival jobs, but acting remained her focus.

“I didn’t allow myself to have a plan B, really.” — Anne Windsland

A Self-Tape That Led to Agent Hawthorne

Her Nocturne audition arrived through her manager. Windsland recalls performing two scenes, resisting the urge to overthink the work, and then letting the audition go. When her manager later called to say she was pinned for the role, the possibility became much more immediate.

She describes Hawthorne as calm, practical, and serious about her responsibilities. Just as central to her approach was the agent’s concern for the victims and families caught up in the investigation.

Watch the Full Anne Windsland Interview

Watch Anne Windsland’s full conversation with Elias about Nocturne and playing Agent Hawthorne.

The Bookstore Connection That Brought Everything Full Circle

Before acting school, Windsland worked in a Norwegian bookstore to save money for her move. Reading new releases was part of the job, and one of those books was the Lars Kepler crime novel that would later become the basis for Nocturne.

That history made booking the series particularly meaningful. She had read the story while preparing to pursue her dream; years later, she became part of its television adaptation.

Windsland explains that Hawthorne is not a direct, identically named character from the novel. She sees the role as an amalgamation of its law-enforcement characters, shaped by the adaptation’s move from Sweden to Pennsylvania.

Dark Scripts and an Investigation That Gets More Serious

The early scripts made a strong impression. Windsland recalls being drawn into the writing and the way it sustained the story’s psychological tension.

“I couldn’t put my script down when I read the first two episodes.” — Anne Windsland

For Hawthorne and her fellow agents, arriving with confidence is only the beginning. As they understand more about the case, that confidence meets a situation unlike what they expected.

Windsland also discusses the attention surrounding her phone-call scene at the end of episode 3. Asked which upcoming episodes she is especially interested for viewers to see, she points toward episodes 7 and 8 without revealing what happens.

Learning the Details of Playing an FBI Agent

Preparing for Hawthorne meant exploring how agents communicate, approach investigations, and respond under pressure. Windsland credits law-enforcement consultants on set with helping explain the practical details of the work.

She also shares a behind-the-scenes memory of asking her castmate for help practicing how to draw and handle her character’s weapon. Those details helped her feel more comfortable portraying someone whose professional world was new to her.

What Comes Next for Anne Windsland?

Beyond Nocturne, Windsland discusses continuing to audition and a film she has been developing with a director friend. She describes the project, in which she plays the lead, as a mix of thriller and dark comedy built around a chiropractic session gone wrong.

As for another season of Nocturne, she says she has not heard anything specific. For now, she is enjoying watching the finished episodes and seeing audiences respond to a project she had worked on long before its release.