Anders Matthesen (born 6 July 1975) is a Danish stand-up comedian, actor, and rapper. As a musician and comedian, he performs under the name Anden ("the duck"). He has released two rap records and several comedy albums. He has written and directed several animated films, including Terkel in Trouble (2004), Checkered Ninja (2018), Checkered Ninja 2 (2021), and Checkered Ninja 3. He is the creator of the 2003 TV Christmas calendar Jul på Vesterbro, and he has appeared in several television series as well as in the 2022 film Toscana.
Early life and education Anders Matthesen was born in 1975 in Østerbro, Copenhagen, Denmark, to parents who are both visual artists. After a few years, the family moved to Frederiksberg, and when Matthesen was six, his parents divorced. When he was in second grade, he and his older brother moved to Albertslund.
Career Early work: 1993–2000 Matthesen made his stand-up comedy debut at the Danish Championship in Stand-up Comedy in 1993, where he finished in second place, losing only to Mads M. Nielsen.Anders Matthesen's life changed completely in exactly five minutes. TV 2 Zulu. Retrieved 17 August 2021. He continued to perform in stand-up shows and also began appearing in television segments. In 1999, he featured in ten episodes of DR2's sketch comedy show Casper & Mandrilaftalen.
In 2000, Matthesen had several songwriting credits on the comedy/music compilation album Hva' snakker du om? – Den ka' byttes Vol. 1, under the name Anden ("the duck").
Terkel in Trouble, Jul på Vesterbro, and further work (2001–2008) In 2001, Matthesen released the comedy album Arne fortæller... Terkel i knibe, which was adapted into the adult animated musical comedy film Terkel in Trouble in 2004.
In 2003, he created the satirical TV Christmas calendar Jul på Vesterbro.Stem: Best Danish adult Christmas calendar. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20211202114515/https://tvtid.tv2.dk/nytomtv/article.php/id-46051849%25253Astem-bedste-danske-voksenjulekalender.html. Retrieved 13 October 2021.Jul på Vesterbro. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20211202113015/https://julidannevang.dk/jul-paa-vesterbro/. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
In 2004, Matthesen performed at Østre Gasværk Teater in Copenhagen, in the production Simon, portraying the titular Simon Spies. The daily Berlingske praised his performance, calling him "phenomenal".Ved profetens skæg . Berlingske, 15 February 2004. In 2006, he toured Denmark with his comedy show Anden paa coke?ANDEN PAA COKE?, duckpowernews.dk, accessed 29 May 2023. That year, he released his debut rap album, titled Soevnloes.
In 2008, Matthesen worked as a scriptwriter on the TV series Comedy kuren, and the same year, he received the Livsglædens Pris, worth 200,000 DKK, awarded by the Simon Spies Foundation.Spies funds did well, Nordjyske (Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20200803091527/https://nordjyske.dk/nyheder/spies-kroner-gjorde-godt/1d402675-fb86-4975-ba20-ea1b8779b781). Retrieved 15 May 2019. The same year, he toured with his stand-up show Anders Matthesen...vender tilbage, and a recording made at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen was released on DVD in 2009.Anders Matthesen returns. Live at the Royal Theatre. 1 DVD. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20211202113020/https://plade-klassikeren.dk/da/dvd-film/913707-anders-matthesen-vender-tilbage-live-p%C3%A5-det-kongelige-teater-1-dvd.html. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
Directorial debut and second album (2009–2015) In 2009, Matthesen made his directorial debut with the comedy film Sorte kugler, which he also wrote and starred in.'Sorte kugler' — the year's biggest Danish film. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20091101184334/http://ekstrabladet.dk/flash/filmogtv/film/article1212432.ece (1 November 2009). Ekstra Bladet, 27 August 2009. In 2022, the film was remade by Indian director Indra Kumar in Hindi and titled Thank God.
In 2010, he released his second rap album, titled Villa Peakstate. It received poor reviews from GAFFA magazineAnders Matthesen Villa Peakstate . GAFFA. Retrieved 2 October 2014. but was nominated for Danish Hip Hop Album of the Year at the GAFFA-Prisen awards the same year.Nominees for the GAFFA Award 2010. GAFFA. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
In November 2011, Matthesen announced that his new stand-up show, titled Anders, was in production. It premiered on 5 September 2012 and received the best reviews of any of his shows to date.'Critics are blown away by Anden'. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20171123054628/http://politiken.dk/kultur/scene/art5414353/Anmelderne-bliver-bl%C3%A6st-v%C3%A6k-af-Anden (23 November 2017). Politiken, 6 September 2012.
In 2013, he played a minor role as a weapons dealer in the film Det grå guld. A Berlingske review stated that Matthesen "delivers the film's best laughs".Review: Det Grå Guld. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20191008104847/https://www.berlingske.dk/kultur/anmeldelse-det-graa-guld (8 October 2019). Berlingske. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
In 2015, Matthesen appeared on the track "Tæl Til 10" from Danish rapper Pato Siebenhaar's EP Skarp.Pato: Skarp. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20191029103811/https://gaffa.dk/anmeldelse/95423/pato-skarp. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
Checkered Ninja and The Other Side (2016–2019)
In 2016, Matthesen announced his solo show Shhh, which premiered at the Falkoner Center on 2 September.SHHH. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20191029103812/http://duckpowernews.dk/cv/onemanshows/shhh/. Retrieved 29 October 2019. In October, he published the children's novel Ternet Ninja, which was praised by Politiken for resonating with its audience.Anders Matthesen hits the mark with new children's book. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170428053420/http://politiken.dk/kultur/boger/article5648520.ece (28 April 2017). Politiken. Retrieved 27 April 2017. The book received the Orla Prize for Best Story in 2017.Orlaprisen: The winners of this year's awards are announced!. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20171207010452/https://www.dr.dk/ultra/orlaprisen-saa-er-aarets-vindere-fundet (7 December 2017). DR. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
On 27 April 2017, the documentary The Other Side premiered.The Other Side. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170428052938/http://www.kino.dk/film/d/de/den-anden-side (28 April 2017). Kino.dk. Retrieved 27 April 2017. Directed by Pernille Rose Grønkjær, it follows Matthesen between his two solo shows Anders and Shhh, from 2013 to 2016.A review of the new documentary capturing the best of Anders Matthesen's downturn. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170428050735/http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kultur/film/anmeldelse-ny-dokumentar-faar-det-bedste-ud-af-anders-matthesens-nedtur (28 April 2017). DR. Retrieved 27 April 2017. The film received positive reviews overall. B.T.The Other Side: a documentary. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170427042853/http://www.bt.dk/film-og-tv/dokumentarfilm-den-anden-side-af-anden (27 April 2017). B.T.. Retrieved 27 April 2017. and Soundvenue gave it four out of six stars,'The Other Side': A must-see for fans of Anders Matthesen. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170428054615/http://soundvenue.com/film/2017/04/den-anden-side-et-must-for-anders-matthesen-fans-253285 (28 April 2017). Soundvenue. Retrieved 27 April 2017. while Filmmagasinet Ekko awarded it five out of six.The Other Side. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170428052434/http://www.ekkofilm.dk/anmeldelser/den-anden-side/ (28 April 2017). Filmmagasinet Ekko. Retrieved 27 April 2017. The production also received five out of six stars from DR, whose reviewer noted that the openness of the film was not only "an exciting portrait of Matthesen, but also [...] a fascinating image of a creative process". The critic for Politiken, Kristoffer Hegnsvad, gave the film three out of six hearts and expressed mild disappointment as a fan of the director.<All is well in the Matthesen documentary. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170426220549/http://politiken.dk/kultur/filmogtv/filmanmeldelser/art5924917/Det-hele-er-godt-nok-i-Matthesen-dokumentar (26 April 2017). Politiken. Retrieved 29 April 2017. He felt the meeting between "one of Denmark's best documentarists and one of Denmark's greatest comedians" did not provide enough depth, noting that the film "[lacks] a thought that rises above the navel or one that seriously probes". However, he praised it for being "the most well-produced Danish documentary I have seen in years", especially for Jacob Thuesen and Kasper Leick's editing and Torsten Høgh Rasmussen's design.
On 12 April 2019, an animated film adaptation of Ternet Ninja, titled Checkered Ninja, was released, which Matthesen wrote, directed, and voiced. It became a hit, selling over 220,000 tickets in the first four days, setting a record.Anders Matthesen breaks record: 'Ternet Ninja' gets the best opening ever for a Danish film. B.T.. Retrieved 5 January 2018. Archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20190105202703/https://www.bt.dk/film-tv-og-streaming/anders-matthesen-slaar-vild-rekord-ternet-ninja-faar-bedste-start (5 January 2019). By May, it had sold 940,000 tickets,Ternet Ninja was viewed 940,000 times in theaters, and you now have the opportunity to see it again. Nordisk Film on Facebook. Retrieved 16 May 2019. making it the sixth most-watched Danish film of all time.
Also in 2019, Matthesen starred in Frederikke Aspöck's dark comedy film Out of Tune.
Checkered Ninja 2, Toscana, and JOKES – from a White, Straight Man (2021–present) In 2021, Checkered Ninja 2 was released. Like its predecessor, it was both critically acclaimed and popular with audiences.Ternet Ninja 2. Filmmagasinet Ekko. Retrieved 30 August 2021.Review: Anders Matthesen Does It Again! You Must Watch Ternet Ninja 2. B.T.. Retrieved 30 August 2021. The film set a new record, with 246,684 tickets sold in its opening weekend, the largest for a Danish film ever. At the 2022 Robert Awards, it won for Best Children's and Family Film, and Matthesen won for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also won Best Actor at the 2022 Bodil Awards.
In 2022, Matthesen starred in the film Toscana, directed by Medi Avaz. It received lukewarm reviews but became the most-watched non-English-language film on Netflix in Denmark during its release week.Danish film with "Anden" tops global Netflix list, Kristeligt Dagblad, 26 May 2022.
In 2022/2023, Matthesen toured Denmark with his solo show JOKES – from a White, Straight Man.
In 2023, it was announced that a third installment of the Checkered Ninja film series was in the works and that it would come out in August 2025.
In 2025, Matthesen portrayed Danish musician Tommy Seebach in the film Under stjernerne på himlen.
Personal life In 2013, Matthesen married his partner of over three years, Cemille Rosenberg, who is his manager and has two children from a previous relationship. They have a son, born in 2011.
Discography
Comedy and music albums Børneradio (2000) Hva' snakker du om? – Den ka' byttes Vol. 1 (2000) Hva snakker du om? 'Godnat lille dengse' Sang af Hva' snakker du om? (2000) Hva' snakker du om? – Arne fortæller... Terkel i knibe (2001) Soevnloes (2006) Villa Peakstate (2010) Blodhævn as Stewart Stardust (2018) Børnetelefonen (2018) Anden bringer ud (2019)
Soundtracks Jul på Vesterbro (2003) Terkel i knibe (2004) Sorte kugler (2009) Ternet Ninja (2018) Ternet Ninja 2 (2021)
Filmography