None of the doctors and nurses are actors, they are all medical professionals appearing as themselves.
The scene where Anja and Thomas speak with a nurse to get advice on how to break the news to their children is filmed on location at a hospice. The nurse is the same nurse that spoke with Maria Sødahl and her husband Hans Petter Moland years before. The nurse remembered the meeting. This was not planned, as the film crew had just asked for a volunteer member of staff to play the role as the nurse.
The film is based on the real-life experience of director Maria Sødahl and her husband, fellow filmmaker Hans Petter Moland. As such, Stellan Skarsgård is essentially playing a version of Moland, who is his real-life best friend and frequent collaborator (as of 2022, they have made five films together).
Official submission of Norway for the 'Best International Feature Film' category of the 93rd Academy Awards in 2021.