he latest exponent of Aspergacting is Diane Kruger (best known until now as Helen of Troy). She plays Sonya Cross, the detective in a US series called The Bridge, showing on the pay channel FX. Sonya is modelled on Saga Noren, the detective in a Swedish series called Bron, which showed last year on SBSTwo.
To play Saga, the actress Sofia Helin read books on Asperger Syndrome. To play Sonya, Diane Kruger went one better and asked the support organization Autism Speaks to send someone to coach her in the mannerisms. Kruger says of her adviser, Alex Plank: “I’ve spent -- I’m not kidding -- more time with him in the past four months than I have with my partner and friends. I sleep easier at night knowing that he watches over everything I do.”
And this is how she plays the detective: “She is very good at her job because she’s obsessive when it comes to murder and serial killers. Part of that is because she is on the [autism] spectrum and crime is her passion ... She is very literal. She doesn’t really understand jokes. She’s very honest. She doesn’t understand why people lie. People look up to her because she has the ability to focus.”A discussion between Plank and Kruger:
The Bridge - Alex Plank Interviews Diane Kruger about Asperger's & Sonya Cross from Alex Plank on Vimeo.
