Amanda Jansson

Early stage and screen roles (2016–2020)

She had a minor part in the Swedish–French crime series Midnattssol (2016). Then she appeared in Rebecka Martinsson [sv], a TV4 adaptation of Åsa Larsson's detective novels that premiered on International Women's Day in 2017. In September, she played The Baroness in Uppdrag Nelly Rapp, a children's theatre production of Martin Widmark's Trollkarlens bok in Örebro. She was then cast in the third season of the historical drama Vår tid är nu (2019), where she played a left-wing radical named Gunilla. Later that year, Jansson was in a production of David Byrne's play Secret Life of Humans, performed in Swedish with the title of Människans hemlighet at Playhouse Teater [sv] in Stockholm. She starred in the play alongside Charlie Gustafsson, a fellow alum of Vår tid är nu. Back at Playhouse, she was a member of the ensemble in an October 2020 production of Noah Haidle's Birthday Candles, staged in Swedish as Tårtljus. In a review of the production for Dagens Nyheter, Niklas Wahllöf cited Jansson's comic acting as a highlight. She next had a supporting role in Beck – Utom rimligt tvivel [sv], which premiered on C More in December.

Breakthrough and continued projects (2021–present)

Her first lead role on screen was in Thin Blue Line as Sara, a naïve Christian woman who moves from Umeå to work as a police officer in Malmö. She was cast in part due to her experience with Norrland dialects, but she also completed further training to capture her character's specific Umemål [sv] dialect. The first season premiered in January 2021 to strong viewership, with over a million people tuning in to view the programme. Overall, it received positive reception from critics, with an average rating of 3.9/5 on the Swedish review aggregator website Kritiker. It won Best TV Drama and Best Programme at Kristallen 2021. Nina Hampusson of Damernas Värld, Joakim Lowing of Allas [sv], and Mikael Forssell of Svenska Dagbladet all characterised Sara as her breakthrough role. She reprised the role in the next two seasons. The third was originally planned to be the last, but in September 2025 it was announced that she would be playing Sara again in a Christmas special, consisting of four episodes to be released in December 2026.

She appeared in Riding in Darkness, a 2022 limited series based on the real case of a riding instructor who was convicted of sexually abusing teenage girls at his horse farm. Jansson played Frida, a victim in denial who continues to support the riding instructor despite his abuse. Her performance and Saga Samuelsson [sv]'s as Molly, the victim who dares to report him, were cited as standouts by Wanda Bendjelloul [sv] in Dagens Nyheter; she wrote that they represented "two sides of the same trauma". In November 2023, Jansson was awarded the Culture Prize from Gefle Dagblad, in recognition of a "strong breakthrough in Swedish acting".

In Stormskerry Maja (2024), a Finnish historical drama film adapted from Anni Blomqvist's book series, Jansson played the titular lead. It was her first main role in a feature film. To prepare, she learned to speak in an Åland dialect, milk cows, clean fish, and spin yarn. The film was a box office success in Finland; as of April 2024 it was the country's most-watched domestic film of the decade. It also was nominated for nine Jussi Awards and won six, including Jansson's Jussi Award for Lead Actor of the Year. Because of her work in Stormskerry Maja, she was nominated for Finland-Swede of the Year; the other two finalists were President Alexander Stubb and runner Nathalie Blomqvist. The film received a more mixed response in Sweden, although Jansson's performance was well-received, particularly by Jan-Olov Andersson [sv] of Aftonbladet. Praising her emotional range, he felt her performance carried the film. That year, she made her debut as a musical artist (under the name of Ada) with "Ge mig ett svar". The song, which was produced in conjunction with Irya Gmeyner [sv] and Martin Hederos, was featured on the third season of Thin Blue Line. She also received the Såstaholm Film and Performing Arts Award [sv], with the jury commending her work across stage and screen.

She starred in a stage adaptation of Karin Smirnoff's novel Jag for ner till bror at Teater Västernorrland [sv] in Sundsvall. The 2024 production, adapted by Ivar Waldemarson and directed by Julia Marko-Nord [sv], received positive reviews from critics. Praise was given to Jansson's performance, with Anna Hedelius of SVT Nyheter writing: "Most of all, Amanda Jansson shines, portraying Jana Kippo as strong, vulnerable, and broken, yet also whole". It was announced later that year that she would be reprising the role in a television adaptation of Jag for ner till bror. Released with an English title of My Brother, the series premiered on 26 December 2025. Jansson characterised Jana as her most difficult role to date. In a review for Dagens Nyheter, Fredrik Sahlin [sv] praised her performance and highlighted the dynamic between Jansson's character and her twin Bror, played by Rasmus Johansson [sv]. She won Best Actress at Series Mania for My Brother and was nominated for a Kristallen for Best Actress.

Jansson hosted an episode of Sommar on 11 July 2026, where she reflected on her upbringing in the countryside and discussed experiencing performance anxiety as an actress. She was cast in a lead role for the short film A Land, as a seasonal worker who finds love in Åland.

Film

Television

Theatre

Notes

Citations

Sources