In the Swedish Netflix-series “Young Royals” Omar Rudberg plays Simon, the boy crown prince Wilhelm falls in love with. The young Swedish star talks about fame, social media the reason, why the series doesn't show open homophobia.
Omar Rudberg is not only a star in his home country Sweden, the Netflix-series “Young Royals” he's in has passionate fans worldwide. In the series he plays Simon, the classmate the fictional Swedish crown prince Wilhelm (Edvin Ryding) falls in love with. For Rudberg “Young Royals” was his first acting gig, he started out as a musician. On November 1st Netflix finally released season two of “Young Royals” after the streaming service kept fans waiting for almost a year and a half. “Die Presse” had the chance to talk to Rudberg.
>> The interview with Omar Rudberg in German
Die Presse: Every time the Netflix Nordic account posts something on Twitter, there are dozens, hundreds of people writing comments about “Young Royals”. Is the show such a phenomenon in Sweden?
Omar Rudberg: Yes, I would say so. I feel like a lot of teenagers and adults have seen and heard about “Young Royals”, for sure.
Do you get recognized on the street?
Yes! Depending on where I am, though. But when I walk past teenagers or younger people, they usually recognize me.
You have a music career and some experience being famous. What would you recommend Simon and Wilhelm to do to protect their private life and be true to themselves?
Don't post anything you want to keep private, obviously. One thing that is important is that you should be yourselves when you are outside doing stuff. Hold hands, show love. But the internet is not always the greatest place. So you gotta protect what you truly love.
Is social media a curse or a blessing for you personally?
Definitely both. I'm a musician, so work-wise I need those platforms to promote my songs and spread the word about my music. But it's not the biggest deal-breaker if I wouldn't have social media. It's a plus, but also it's a curse. Not right now for me because I post what I want and what I want people to see. But having a lot of people following you means that there are a lot of people who say what they think and there are some haters out there who say bad stuff.
Do read the comments?
The good stuff, yes! I read all the good and supporting messages and the sweet stuff. But I try not to read the bad stuff. Who wants to read bad comments? Nobody does.
The character you play, Simon, tells people what he wants, but they don't listen, especially in season two. Is that something you can relate to?
Being a teenager and not feeling like you're being heard: Yes, I can feel that. When I was younger, there were times when I didn't feel heard and my opinion didn't really matter. I've gone through some similar stuff.
Can you give an example?
I don't remember something specific. Maybe something simple as me having an argument with my mother. I was trying to tell her why I was mad, why I felt this and that, and there were times when she just said: I'm your mother and I decide and “No”.
What was your biggest challenge playing Simon?
In season one it was rowing. It was terrifying. I really didn't wanna fall into the water. I was so scared on that boat. The second season was just the second time I shot a series or a movie. I still feel pretty new to this world. For me it was a little bit of a challenge with everything. Getting used to my lines. Getting used to doing different kind of scenes. But it was nice to get back to work with the same people, the same cast. I felt safe.
The chemistry between you and Edvin Ryding is amazing, of course, but also the dynamic between you and Frida Argento, who plays Simon's sister Sara. It must be hard to play siblings who are so close, so familiar with each other. How did you two prepare being Simon and Sara?
We have this little sibling's chemistry already. For me it was a little different because I haven't grown up with siblings. But it was fun to be in this fantasy of having a sister: telling her secrets, joking around and being playful.
There is no open homophobia in “Young Royals”. Do you think it is realistic?
It's realistic in one way but at the same time it's not realistic obviously because there is homophobia in this world. What we are trying to say is that there is no problem with Simon or Wille being something else than straight men. Being gay like with Simon is not a big deal because that's not the problem here. He's openly gay and everybody knows, but nobody cares. That's how it should be. That's what I like about this series: the problem is never being gay or being an LGBTQ+ person. Wille not being straight is not the problem. He's happy and safe with Simon. It's the outside that's making problems. If none of that existed, Wille and Simon wouldn't have problems.
I do hope so. People are very passionate right now about shows like “Young Royals” and „Heartstopper“. Why do you think series about or with LGBTQ+ characters are so successful right now?
Because there haven't been LGBTQ+ series or movies that actually speak up and show the world that there are people like these characters. When I was a kid I never saw a gay movie, I never saw a gay series. None of that. That's really sad because you don't get too feel those emotions, you don't get to see this kind of people. When kids grow up, they don't get it because they've never seen it before. It is really important to show the world: this is how teenagers are. This is how teenagers feel. This is not weird, or a new thing, or a trend. None of that. It's always been there. Society just hasn't accepted teenagers, kids or adults that feel this way. I hope even more LGBTQ+ films and series get released. It's so important.
You started a career in music, “Young Royals” is your first acting job. What about acting does appeal to you?
I always had this dream of one day being in a movie because it looks so cool, so romantic. I just never knew how I was going to get there.
If you had to choose: acting or music, what would you choose?
I would choose to sing. It makes me happy.
Facts
Omar Rudberg was born on the 12th of November 1998 in Venezuela. He came to Sweden when he was six years old.
Between 2013 and 2017 he was a member of the boy band Band FO&O together with Oscar Molander, Oscar Enestad und Felix Sandman.
He participated three times in Melodifestivalen, which determines Sweden's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest. He didn't succeed, but his song „Om om och om igen“ became a Top 20 hit in Sweden in 2019.