AI Summary
5 min read"Relentlessly kind and lovingly." That is how actor, director, and former theater manager Jan Hertz describes the reception he received when he finally, at age 68, allowed himself to experience what he calls "the true love" for the first time in his life. In a raw and unusually personal conversation on Ikke Et Ord Om Politik, Hertz traces the long arc from a childhood governed by silence and emotional distance to a late-in-life liberation that he says made him whole.
A Childhood of Order and Distance
Hertz grew up in a well-to-do Copenhagen jewelry family (P. Hertz, established 1834) where the prevailing rule was "children should be seen, but not heard." He describes a home that was "very safe, very in order" but also emotionally cold. He never had a real conversation with his father, and his mother's style was aristocratic and controlled. Feelings were not discussed. When Hertz, as a 23-year-old actor in the mid-1970s, called his mother from a vacation in Skagen to say he was staying longer with "a good friend," she immediately understood. "You couldn't say girlfriend?" she asked. When he confirmed it was a girlfriend, her response was: "But I can't tell father." She then suggested they talk when he got home, adding, "To be honest, don't you think it's something that goes over?"
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of Ikke Et Ord Om Politik
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:32) **Private Person in a Public Role** - Jan Hertz explains why he has always kept his private life separate from his public persona, particularly when he became leader of a large folk theater in Copenhagen.
- 2 (04:47) **The Challenge of Sexuality: Fear of Consequences** - Jan reveals that his concern was never about his own sexuality, but about what it could lead to in his professional and family life.
- 3 (08:22) **The Coming Out Phone Call (Age 23)** - Jan recounts the pivotal moment he told his mother he was on vacation with a "good friend" (a man).
- 4 (10:40) **Emotional Distance from Parents** - Jan describes a lifelong lack of emotional connection, especially with his father.
- 5 (13:11) **The Consequence of Hiding: Not Sticking to Relationships** - Jan explains that his fear of the "true feeling" made him avoid commitment.
- 6 (18:41) **The Billedbladet Interview and Removing the Name Sign** - A journalist from *Billedbladet* came to his home for an interview, so Jan removed the nameplate from his door to avoid being exposed.
- 7 (20:20) **The Difference: Parents' Love on Their Own Premises** - Jan contrasts his upbringing with that of fellow actor Preben Christensen, who had parents who backed him emotionally.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
More from this podcast
Ikke Et Ord Om Politik →