Mattsson (left) as "Betty-Sue" in Wild Side Story in Stockholm in 2002
Helena Mattsson (born March 30, 1984) is a Swedish-American actress. She began her career appearing in Swedish stage productions before moving to United States. She starred in the 2007 science fiction action thriller film Species – The Awakening and later appeared in films You and I (2008), Surrogates (2009), and Guns, Girls and Gambling (2012).
Early life
Mattsson was born and raised in Stockholm, Sweden.[2] Her younger sister, Sofia, is also an actress.[2][3] She began acting at a young age, performing in plays, musicals and concerts. She studied acting at the Södra Latin upper secondary school in Södermalm, which she credits with giving her the confidence to pursue her chosen career.[2] Mattsson had early roles in Wild Side Story[4] and other cabarets in Stockholm. She moved to London, England, as a teenager to attend theatre school.[5][6]
Career
At age 19, Mattsson moved to Hollywood to audition for a TV series.[2][7] Her planned short visit became permanent after she won a role the unsold 2004 TV series pilot Sweden, Ohio.[2][8] Mattsson's accent initially held her back: "When I started working, my thick Swedish accent lost me a lot of roles. A defining point in my career definitely came when I started to lose it. I was able to play more American roles at that point, and my career took a turn for the better."[2] At the same time, Mattsson made her screen debut appearing in the Swedish slasher film, Drowning Ghost, and later guest-starred on American television shows CSI: NY, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Cold Case. Mattsson also appeared in the music video of Primal Scream's "Country Girl" in 2006.[9]
In 2016, Mattsson starred alongside Reza Sixo Safai in the action crime film, The Loner, the film received positive reviews from critics.[21] She later appeared in a number of direct-to-video releases, such as Code of Honor (2016) and Smartass (2017). In 2018, Mattsson played Swedish actress and model Britt Ekland in the HBO biographical drama film My Dinner with Hervé about Hervé Villechaize.[22] Also that year, Mattsson starred alongside her younger sister Sofia in the Lifetime television thriller film My Husband's Secret Wife.[23] She later appeared in several other Lifetime movies: The Perfect One (2018), Neighborhood Watch (2018), Her Deadly Reflections (2019), Swipe Right, Run Left (2019), and Murder in the Vineyard (2020). From 2021 to 2022, Mattsson had a recurring role in the ABC police drama series, The Rookie. In early 2022, she pinch-hit for Sofia in the role of Sasha Gilmore on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital.[24][25]
^Robert Borjesson (30 September 2012). "Helena Mattsson" (in Swedish). Cafe. Archived from the original on 22 October 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
