Who Is Joel Kinnaman Of 'Easy Money' And The New 'Robocop'?

by UInterviewJuly 17, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

Joel Kinnaman, 32, may be best known in America for his role as Stephen Holder in The Killing and his stint in the David Fincher version of Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, starring Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara and Christopher Plummer, but in his native Sweden he is primarily famous for playing Johan "JW" Westlund in Daniel Espinosa's underworld film, Easy Money.

Easy Money tells the classic tale of a naive, attractive, too-smart-for-his-own-good young hotshot — Kinnaman's JW — who gets sucked into the seedy world of big cash and ample blow. The 2010 Easy Money, directed by Espinosa, who also did this year's Safe House, starring Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga and Sam Shepard, put Kinnaman on the map and is now finally enjoying a limited release in the US.

Kinnaman, who kicked off his acting career in 2002, will next be seen in the titular role in Jose Padilha's upcoming remake of Robocop, also starring Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Hugh Laurie and Abbie Cornish, as well as a Swedish sequel to Easy Money, this time directed by Babak Najafi.

And if you continue to have any doubts about Kinnaman's impending stardom, consider that he was one of the top five contenders for the lead role in 2011's Thor, which ultimately went to Chris Hemsworth. "They wanted someone with a Scandinavian touch," Kinnaman, said of almost being chosen for the role. "Unfortunately I could not fly over [to the United States] and do test shoots with Natalie Portman; it interfered with the filming of [Easy Money]," Kinnaman revealed.

And, sorry ladies, but Kinnaman is already spoken for on the romantic front. It seems that he and Magic Mike star Olivia Munn have been dating since early this year, reports Us Weekly. Munn is Kinnaman's biggest fan. She took to Twitter earlier last week to shout out her endorsement for the US premiere of Easy Money. "This movie is brilliant," Munn tweeted, reports JustJared.com. "And brilliantly violent. The best combination."

The new Robocop is currently in pre-production and is set to hit theaters on August 9, 2013. You can also catch Kinnaman in Lola Versus with Greta Gerwig, out now in theaters.

Watch a teaser for the upcoming Robocop: