Source: Sound Venue [translated
and edited]
Date: March 7, 2015
A peanut stands out on the
leather of Michael Nyqvist's black lacquer shoe. It's
escaped his mouth because his lips are constantly moving
to answer questions from four Nordic journalists before
being called on to the next set of TV series "100 Code".
Here in Stockholm on this shooting day he has
to take time for journalists and food and must take care of
both at the same time between the many takes. But he is
relaxed, and in the breaks, he reluctantly switches to
this interviewee from the traumatized police man he
plays in the television series.
"I'm still a bad actor," notes Michael Nyqvist.
"I do not like to get dressed and I'm shy when I want to
express things from my innermost self, which I would
rather hide. The reason I became an actor, nevertheless,
was that I like to be passionate. I've always worked a
lot and I'm writing too. I like to launch new projects
and help other actors, "says the Swede, who got his
international breakthrough with the lead in the
"Millennium" Trilogy as journalist Mikael Blomkvist.
"Micke, they're going to use you again", says a female
assistant with headset, and Michael Nyqvist disappears
into a room that is supposed to be an interrogation room
at a Swedish police station. In the role of policeman
Mikael Eklund, who - in contrast to Michael Nyqvist -
has lost all the passion for his work after his wife
died of cancer.
The role does not require much dress up, and today,
Michael Nyqvist is dressed in a gray shirt and a thin gold tie
around his neck.
"Where did we leave off?", the actor says when
he returns to the room six minutes later. We were
talking about TV shows.
"I saw the mini-series 'Angels in America' (2003)
with Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, and it was a
revolutionary television experience for me. I realized
that television could be a big drama. Then I saw '24'
and was completely absorbed. I sat there for 24 hours,
and at last I felt it was a poison because I did not
have time for my family or work. I love 'True Detective'
and its tone. And I've both seen the American and
original Israeli version of 'In Treatment'."
"Mike!"
"Excuse me". He disappears again.
After "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" became an
international success,
the whole world caught sight of Michael Nyqvist.
"I received offers from countries I had
neither heard of nor could pronounce. As an actor, it's
cool. But I've never had a plan for my career. It did
not change my life a lot. I have always been fortunate
enough to have enough work, " he said.
However, the newly found international exposure
nevertheless meant a change in Michael Nyqvist's life.
The many English-language roles, including the "Mission
Impossible: Ghost Protocol", made him hire a language
coach.
"My language coach is Irish. I told him that I would use classical Oxford English. It was easy enough I
thought. 'It's very hard,' he said. But I thought I
could easily do that. So he asked me to read a page from
'King Lear'. I read. I asked if he liked it. Then he
said, "Michael, it's better to have a good shit than a
bad f**k."
"It's a nice end to the interview. Okay?" Michael Nyqvist rises and rushes to another recording.
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