The Glass Dome TV Show Cast and Characters Guide

Netflix’s latest Nordic noir, The Glass Dome, might not be the most riveting crime thriller out there, but the way it admixes several key socio-political issues plaguing Sweden with the core narrative surely deserves some praise. Be it by showing the true face of decrepit law enforcement, which is led by people who prey on those they are assigned to serve, or exploring the pervasive xenophobia and racism aggravated by the class divide, along with the environmental degradation caused by the profiteering upper strata of society, The Glass Dome acts as a critique of the country’s current situation. The cast, majorly comprising Swedish talents, did a remarkable job of capturing the thriller motifs while remaining faithful to the narrative’s demands of exploring key themes. This is your spoiler warning as discussion regarding the characterization and cast will inevitably involve major plot twists and revelations from the narrative. 

Spoilers Ahead

Lejla Delic, played by Leonie Vincent

Swedish-French actor Leonie Vincent’s first major acting credit on the small screen was in Springfloden, and afterwards she found a more prominent role in the Swedish drama Faithless—a remake of Ingmar Bergman’s movie of the same name. In The Glass Dome, Leonie Vincent plays the lead role of Lejla Delic/Lejla Ness, whose personal trauma as a former victim of child abduction gives her a step up when it comes to the central investigation into the Ecki mystery. As a criminal psychologist, Lejla proves herself to be quite perceptive and calculated in her approach, but despite that, she struggles to keep her demons in check when her tormentor, Ecki’s involvement becomes more and more apparent with Alicia’s abduction. The haunting memories of being treated as a ‘possession’ of her psychopathic captor resulted in Lejla developing a severe case of PTSD and anger and behavioral issues. After escaping her captor, Lejla, by then an orphan, was adopted by the Ness couple and was able to connect with Valter with ease, as, lacking a father figure in her life, she was in desperate need of a male guardian figure. However, the harrowing truth that the person who raised her, whom she trusted with her life, was her tormentor in the first place, is something that is bound to agonize Lejla for the rest of her life. She will carry a piece of Ecki/Valter with her; there is no escaping the realization that her worldview and perspective are, at least to some extent, shaped by Ecki/Valter’s presence in her life. 

For what it’s worth, Lejla was able to save Alicia by reading the broken psyche of Ecki. Having an expertise on the framework of a psychopath’s mind, Lejla’s thorough investigation allowed her to unearth the disappearance incidents that had remained unresolved erstwhile, and authorities were also unaware of Ecki’s connection with those cases. Lejla went through hell after her return to Granas, firstly at the hands of the copycat abductor and then at the whims of Ecki, but perhaps the knowledge that she was able to save a victim from suffering a worse fate and provide justice to the departed will give her some sense of closure. 

Valter Ness Played by Johan Hedenberg

Swedish actor Johan Hedenberg made quite a name for himself as a prolific voice actor, lending his talents to the dubbing of several iconic animated ventures such as Asterix and the Big Fight, The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Porco Rosso, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog, Swat Kats, and Courage the Cowardly Dog, to name a few. In The Glass Dome, he portrayed the role of former police commissioner of Granas, Valter Ness, a kindly, supportive father to Lejla. In reality, Valter is the psychopathic kidnapper/killer, Ecki, whose childhood trauma at the hands of an abusive father manifested in his developing maniacal tendencies to exert power and control over children. The way Valter was able to fulfill his power fantasy by using his position as a member of law enforcement to play the role of a father to Lejla is as sickening as it can get. Valter’s dastardly machinations, and the inability of the system to detect them, let alone act to prevent them, highlight the total failure of the police system at the grassroots level. Johan Hedenberg was exceptional in his portrayal, as he balanced the scary, apathetic demeanor of Ecki perfectly with Valter’s vulnerable self as a grieving husband and anxious father—even though the latter part was nothing but a prolonged pretense on Ecki’s part. 

Tomas Ness, played by Johan Rheborg

Swedish actor/comedian Carl Johan Rheborg has been active in mainstream media for over three decades, and some of his notable roles have been in movies like Kenny Begins, Four Shades of Brown, Kenny Starfighter, etc. In The Glass Dome, Johan portrayed the role of Granas police chief Tomas Ness, who shares an estranged relationship with his elder brother, Valter. Unlike Valter, who appears to have a successful career and is well respected, Tomas lacks a balance in his personal and professional life and is whimsical and short fused. Childhood trauma affected both the Ness brothers differently; whereas Valter became a psychopath, Tomas developed a self-loathing, diffident, conflicted personality. Growing up, Tomas felt he was always playing second fiddle to his elder brother, resulting in a sense of jealousy in his mind, which he carried even at present. Tomas is not the right kind of person to become a police chief, as seen in his multiple mess-ups during the Alicia abduction investigation, but at least he acted when the situation demanded and cracked the Ecki case at the end—even if it meant going against his family and facing his past. 

Miscellaneous Characters 

Aside from the leads, the supporting cast of The Glass Dome were remarkable in their portrayal of their characters. Farzad Farzaneh was decent as Alicia’s father, Said, while Gina-Lee Fahlen Ronander did well enough in her portrayal as Louise, Alicia’s mother, who fell victim to Ecki. Actor Ia Langhammer brought a sense of quiet and wisdom in her portrayal of Jorun—deputy chief of Granas police—and child actor Seraphine Krystek was brilliant as young Lejla. 

...