Source: Metro.se
Date: September 12, 2007
He has been praised for his portraits
of touching men, such as Benny in "Grabben i graven
bredvid" and Daniel in "Så som i
himmelen". In "The Black Pimpernel" Michael
Nyqvist plays Harald Edelstam, Sweden's ambassador to
Chile during the 1970's. With danger to his life,
Edelstam managed to issue asylum to hundreds of Chileans
living today in Sweden.
Could you describe your role?
He was a man who could do everything.
He could quote philosophers in Latin and he spoke 15
languages. He was an "action man", an aristocratic
anarchist with civilian courage beyond all. He probably
had a little emotional disturbance that helped him to
cross borders.
How was it to record in Chile?
Cumbersome! They opened a corridor
under the National Stadium for the film team. It had
been closed since the torture and executions. Several
cameramen had relatives executed there. It was filthy
and I only felt freaky, kind of "I'm going to pretend."
Then we gathered together and kept serious.
What does the movie tell us today?
I hope that it can focus on what is
always important: solidarity and civilian courage. That
we can remember that life is a little more than home and
diet.
How do you get into a role like
this?
In order to be "on", I have to shut
down completely during the break. Most often I fall
asleep. A girl who served mackerel when we filmed "Grabben
i graven bredvid" asked "Sorry, but do you have any
deficiency?"
Did you get a huge response when you talked about how
you found your biological father in Italy?
Yes, very crazy. I received two sacks
of letters with people's amazing stories.
What did it mean for you to find your dad?
I became a man, I think. I found my
place in existence. Now we talk to each other once a
month.
So now you are half-blonde?
Yes, yes. It's a bit cool.
What other profession attracts you?
- A gardener, or boat builder. Though
I would like to start a small theater with a built-in
theater school where you can learn the job from scratch.
|