The Good Will: Pelle Hvenegaard on Social Courage, Alcohol, and Learning to Be a Good Person

Pelle Hvenegaard, former child star from The Pelle Rømer Show and now a TV host, started a project in September 2023 called "The Good Will." It works like this: he sets up a hidden camera in public, stages a small test of kindness — a bicycle that has fallen over, a piece of plastic litter that needs picking up — and waits. Most people walk past. But when someone stops and does the right thing, Hvenegaard runs after them, gives them a bouquet of flowers and a diploma that reads "a contribution to think of others and make a positive difference." The first person he caught was an older woman named Ingrid, who simply picked up a bike that had fallen over. Nine others had passed it by.

The Parking Spot Test and What It Reveals

Hvenegaard lives in Christianshavn, Copenhagen, where the municipality paints yellow markings on the street to indicate parking spaces. In one spot, two cars can fit — but only if the first driver parks with enough consideration for the person behind. "A conservative guess is that 5 out of 10 times, there can only be one car," he says. "Because most people don't necessarily think in a bad way, but in a lack of consideration for the community and our common space."