40 years of friendship – Niina Lahtinen and Janne Kataja do not feel jealous of the other’s success

It all started in the yard of a terraced house in Riihämäkä. Actors Niina Lahtinen and Janne Kataja, who were four and three years old at the time, were playing yard games together as neighbors, but the friendship was only born in their early teenage years.

Of course they went to the same elementary school, since they are from Riihimäki.

– We both went to the Riihimäki Youth Theater when we were around 10 years old, which was still a very small institution at the time. Janne and I were active members, Niina recalls.

So Niina and Janne’s friendship has lasted for 40 years. Janne has a clear theory as to why this has happened.

– Sense of humor and passion to create something new and use the wonderful magic world of theater as a tool, that’s behind everything. We also approach performance and life with a certain lightness. We don’t take ourselves or each other too seriously, Janne summarizes.

– Yes. Enthusiasm has united all of us youth theater people, Niina nods.

Both of them have changed through life experience, but basically the friends still see the same Niina and Janne in each other.

– For example, courage is something that has grown even bigger in Janne’s life, Niina says.

More than just a joke

Although both of the friends are professional comedians, one of the basic pillars of friendship is deep trust and conversation rather than just joking around.

– Janne is wonderful to talk to. We have seen each other’s relationships and break-ups especially closely, we know each other’s children like our own. We are like sisters, Niina says gently.

– Niina is not narrow-minded or judgmental, so you can talk about many things in depth with her. That’s why we often end up talking about those deeper things together, Janne continues.

For 16 years, Niina was together with the actor Aku Hirviniemi, who is also a graduate of the Riihimäki Youth Theater. They also have two children together.

Aku and Janne, on the other hand, are not only good friends since their teenage years, but also a duo known from the entertainment world. Although Niina and Aku’s relationship ended in separation, they are still able to spend time and work together in the same way.

– Yes, I would say that first it was Akun and now it’s my turn to be with Niina, Janne jokes.

– But seriously speaking, we have had many different transitions in life that have left a mark on us. We have a really close group of friends and it has always included a certain gang. We can be really grateful that despite the upheavals, this same gang has remained. So there may be exes and even current ones, Janne continues.

Janne and Niina state that the relationships or their endings have not affected their friendship in any way or felt strange. They are life.

Work and fun

The friendship has later been shaped largely around work. Janne’s ability to come up with ideas and Niina’s ability to write has created a lot of TV and theater art in the world. It is possible to see all this during April and May also in Helsinki on the Peacock stage of Suomen Komediateatteri The last illusion through the work.

Among the friends, Janne was the first to go public Idols Extra as a presenter in 2007. Niina has not felt jealous of this or any other work project of her friend. Janne is on the same lines.

– We have always been happy and happy for each other. When the opportunity comes, we also think about whether we could offer our friends jobs, Janne continues.

Neither Niina nor Janne have been chasing publicity during their careers, but both of them have a sincere desire to entertain people. If a job opportunity has not opened up for them in a well-known theater or production, they have made their own among a group of friends.

– As a group of friends, we have the ability to do anything! The two exclaim.

One thing Niina particularly likes about joint work projects.

– Then you can travel to work together in Janne’s car! It’s like getting a ride from the minister, because he picks up at my door and usually something to snack on has been bought for the trip, Niina says happily.

– Everyday life with Janne is actually quite luxurious! He continues.

For each other

Although the work determines a lot of Niina and Janne’s friendship and brings them together, they also have the friendship of their personal lives. This includes, for example, the fact that Niina and her children might come to Janne’s house to eat at dinner time.

– If Janne’s friend needs something, he will do everything he can to make it happen. I haven’t bought my own lawnmower, but in the summer I get one from Janne, Niina laughs.

The nature of the duo’s work is that the energies must be at their peak and the smile must not freeze. They are not always like this when they are in each other’s company.

– At work, we can’t sneak up on the stage quietly and sulk, which we can do in civilian life. So sometimes I might walk to Janne’s house, go through the candy cabinet to the couch, and Janne will only be raving about his own, Niina says.

– We don’t have work roles, but a certain kind of work energy with which we perform, Janne continues.

There are also times when Niina and Janne don’t see each other that often, but this is not a problem. Both of them are grateful to have the other by their side at any time.

– We are always there for each other, the friends conclude with a smile.

The Last Illusion on the Peacock stage of Suomen Komediateatteri from April 28 to June 2, 2023.