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MovieZine interview with Phoenix Parnevik, Xawier Kulas and Lancelot Hedman Graaf, who play three Gyllene Tider band members

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Alexander Kardelo from MovieZine met three young actors who play three band members of Gyllene Tider, the band that got whole Sweden rocking and singing along to some of the biggest pop hits of the ’80s. Lancelot Hedman Graaf plays Anders Herrlin (who was named the country’s most handsome pop star), Xawier Kulas is Göran Fritzon (whose Farfisa gave the songs a unique sound), and Phoenix Parnevik appears as the legendary drummer Micke Syd Andersson.

In this long interview, they talk about dialects, Halmstad hits and nervousness before the shooting, and you also get a bunch of film tips.

First of all, MovieZine asks the guys how their relationship with the band and their music was when they grew up, because they weren’t even born when GT was at their peak.

Lancelot says:

If you’ve lived in Sweden, you have a relationship with Gyllene Tider, whether you like them or not. You always dance to “Sommartider” at all summer parties over the years. Now that I know more about their history, I regret not having followed them earlier.

Xawier says:

I’m from Halmstad, where you can’t miss Gyllene Tider anywhere. You hear about them everywhere. They are somewhere in the heart, kind of.

Phoenix says:

I didn’t have a very strong relationship with them either. But before the shooting, when I was preparing, I realized that I had heard most of the songs. All their hits. So it was fun to investigate how they were created.

Phoenix has studied film in the US, and mostly made short films and music videos. But this is by far the biggest thing he has done. He thinks it feels great fun.

To the question how they got their roles Lancelot replies:

It was by accident. I sat with a friend who works in film. He was scrolling through Instagram and it came up that they were looking for someone for a film. “Damn, this is you!” He sent my name in, and suddenly I was going to have a casting. That’s how it happened. Suddenly, I got a role in the movie.

It was very nerve-racking. It felt very strange. You don’t really know what to expect. This is a big production, so everything turns into an incredible circus. There were many impressions. I barely had time to think during the shooting. Everything just flowed at full speed. Now that I look back on it, I am very proud.

Xawier was in Halmstad city, and then Per Gessle had just posted info about a casting that day. “I’ll go over there and check,” he thought. It went great. They got in touch after just two days and said he was going up to Stockholm. From there it went really fast.

In Phoenix’s case it was actually his aunt who told him that they are doing an open casting call for the movie. Phoenix had never done an audition in Swedish, so he saw it as a fun challenge. As soon as he did his first audition, he really liked the whole story. Then it took almost two years until he actually got the role. He thought they had already shot the movie, but they got in touch and wanted him back in. It took time, but he is very glad he tried.

Alexander saw on IMDb that Phoenix is in an American movie. He is listed as “Partygoer” in “Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead” with Nicole Richie.

Phoenix explains:

It was actually during this shoot that I got it. It’s the smallest role in the whole movie… But I got a line! And in the US it means that you get your SAG Card (from the Screen Actors Guild), then it becomes much easier to get bigger auditions. So I flew back to LA for four days, recorded my line and went home. I’m doing a lot of things in LA, I have a manager there and he was the one who fixed it.

The guys play real characters that at least a certain generation knows quite well. Alexander is curious how much they got to hang out with the real band members and how much they got to create their own interpretations of who they are.

Lancelot says:

At first I thought I would study Anders, almost stalking him. That was my plan. But after a while I felt that I should just go by the first impression. And I did. I didn’t want to study him too much, because then I start thinking too much. And when I think too much, it doesn’t turn out well, haha.

The guys play the band members’ 20-year-old selves, now the original band members are 60+ and not the same people. Lancelot says that at least there was some material from the past to look at.

Phoenix says:

I felt very lucky with Micke. He wanted to be involved as much as possible, so I went to his house and played the drums. He was on set the whole time. He thought it was as much fun as we did. I was very happy that he helped so much.

Xawier remembers meeting Göran Fritzon and MP together with Ville Löfgren in a café. He thought he would analyze Göran for the role and see what he is like, but Göran was only 16 at the time, so he has obviously changed since then.

Alexander wants to know what felt the scariest, what was the biggest challenge when the guys not only had to act in a film for the first time, but also sing, play instruments and portray real people.

For Phoenix it was the drums and the dialect. He shouldn’t have been so nervous about the drums, but he was. And of course they didn’t want those from Halmstad to criticize the dialect. They fought very hard and Phoenix thinks they succeeded. He is proud.

Xawier was most stressed about learning to play a new instrument in such a short time. He is glad he didn’t get the drums. And then Göran is a person who is jumping and is so present on stage. Xawier thought it would be difficult to get that energy.

Xawier thinks that both Lancelot and Phoenix solved the Halmstad dialect with flying colors. He was completely shocked.

Lancelot says:

When I sat with the dialect coach I almost panicked. “How the hell am I going to handle this…?” And it was quite close to the shooting. So the dialect gave me many sleepless nights, but we did our best.

Phoenix says Lance is actually the one who got the most praise from Halmstad when the trailer came out, for his dialect.

Alexander thinks the guys all have fantastic energy and personal chemistry, they feel like a real band. He is wondering if it came naturally.

Phoenix says:

One of the first things we did was Lance and I flew to Halmstad and visited Valdemar (Wahlbeck) before the shooting. The point of the trip was that they wanted us to go there and hang out for three days, and be able to create chemistry and become real friends. After that, everything became much easier. And as soon as Ville and Xawier came in, we all got so tight.

Lance adds laughing:

Five young guys who go on a trip to Halmstad on company card. Can you imagine what a trip it was?

Lancelot has released music himself, so Alexander is curious what he would most like to focus on in the future.

Lancelot replies:

My goal in life is peace of mind. I get peace of mind from doing things that I find fun and things that challenge me. I compete in Thai boxing, I make music and I act. I do what feels good for the day. I don’t want to regret anything on my deathbed.

Xawier about his future:

I want to put all my efforts into acting. It has always been a dream.

For Phoenix, it has always been a dream to become an actor, since he was little. He was just very shy as a child, so it was hard to bring it out. But that’s what he is doing full-time now in Sweden and in LA, so it feels great.

Now that they know everything about Gyllene Tider and their music, Alexander asks the guys how they would describe what GT meant to Sweden in the ’80s, what a new generation that may not have a clue should know about them.

Lancelot’s thoughts:

I would say that they were sort of a foundation for Swedish pop. Everything you hear today comes somewhere from that era. It was something new. A new sound. They created something magical, those old guys.

Phoenix thinks:

Lance is right! It was a breaking point. Everyone played rock and the same shit. Then they came and just stirred things up.

Phoenix’s favourite song is “Min tjej och jag”, because that’s the only song that Micke sings on.

Xawier thinks it’s really hard to choose a favourite, because Gyllene Tider has a lot of really good songs. But if he has to pick one, it’s “Kung av sand”. He was lying there on Tylösand beach a few weeks ago and listened to it.

Lancelot about his favourite:

What’s the name of the one we played at Liseberg…? “När alla vännerna gått hem”. I like it, it’s one of their darkest songs.

Alexander asks the guys what the funniest memory is that they carry with themselves from the shooting.

Phoenix replies:

It all has been an amazing journey. You can’t say one day that has been better than another. All the days have been amazing. The first day set the bar. We were at Tylösand, everyone was swimming and having fun. It was a good start. Then we felt that this was going to be fun.

Alexander’s last question is about movies the guys prefer to see when they go to the cinema.

Phoenix goes to the movies all the time. He has to check what he saw last. Lancelot laughs and says, talking about movies with Phoenix is not possible. He is artistic and watches French, homemade movies… Lancelot would rather watch a Kevin Hart reel. He likes “Rocky Balboa” though. He has seen it 150 times. He thinks “Green Street Hooligans” is also one of the better movies ever made. Xawier loves all Tarantino movies. He thinks they are just amazing. But he also likes classics, e.g. “Scarface” or “The Wolf of Wall Street”. A bit of everything. Phoenix adds, “The Banshees of Inisherin” was very good.

Photo by Nordisk Film Sverige

MovieZine about the Gyllene Tider movie before its premiere and their interview with Valdemar Wahlbeck and Ville Löfgren

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MovieZine had the chance to watch Sommartider long before its premiere. Alexander Kardelo wrote an article in the beginning of July. Even if he wanted to leave the real review to another colleague of his, he still wanted to take the opportunity to give a little love to a happy and invigorating feelgood film, because good Swedish films always deserve to be highlighted a little extra, he says.

Sweden’s answer to “Bohemian Rhapsody” is a very kind music film about a very kind band. No sex, drugs & rock’n’roll, just five happy guys whose energy rubs off on the audience, and whose songs we can all immediately hum along to.

The film is described as “the almost true story of Gyllene Tider”, so director Per Simonsson has been given a lot of creative freedom. With the band’s approval, humor, drama and a touch of magical realism have been added in well-chosen places.

Per Simonsson says:

The producers asked me: “Would you like to make a feelgood story about Gyllene Tider?” I come from the countryside, from a similarly small place as Harplinge. I played in a rock band myself and dreamed the same dreams. So, it would have been difficult for me to say no.

Many biopics lean more towards drama, but what I wanted to capture was the feeling in Gyllene Tider’s music and lyrics. There is subtlety and humor in everything that Per Gessle writes.

21-year-old film debutante Valdemar Wahlbeck takes on music icon Per Gessle, and sings all the songs himself. He tells MovieZine it was a long, but fun journey trying to find the right voice:

It’s a kind of ’70s rock… a slightly sexy voice with a rasp, close to the mic and a lot of emotion… A young and almost naive voice. At least in the late ’70s. Since then, his voice has developed, but then it was a voice with a hell of a drive and a will that is absolutely crazy.”

Alexander left the cinema with a smile, and a newfound respect for Gyllene Tider and their music. The songs that long ago burned themselves into the brain and Swedish people’s souls. Earworm hits about love and summer, about sailors and about going fishing. About being young, silly, naive, enchanted and in love. Funny rhymes and catchy melodies make you immediately open Spotify for another dose.

MovieZine met Valdemar Wahlbeck who plays Per Gessle and Ville Löfgren who plays Mats MP Persson. They asked the guys about their relation to Gyllene Tider, since they weren’t even born when GT was at their peak.

Ville says:

One had heard the biggest hits like “Sommartider” and “Flickorna på TV2”. But I had no idea of the huge song catalogue they actually represent. There are a lot of great songs. Especially now that you’ve become a bit of a nerd, you appreciate it in a completely different way.

Valdemar says:

Yes, I really agree with you. I think you make a mistake if you only listen to the hits of a band on Spotify. When you do that, you miss out on a hell of a lot of good music. As I’ve started listening more to Gyllene Tider and the songs I’ve never heard, I’ve gained a different understanding of both bands and records – the importance of a good album.

Ville majored in music in high school where he acted in a couple of musicals, but this is his first role in a movie. Valdemar was twelve when he started at the Cultural School in Halmstad. He has been doing various plays at amateur level, then he sang in a choir. In high school they wrote and recorded their own films. Then he got a car, and he could go to different locations with his team and camera equipment. It was great fun. Now he goes to the Ballet Academy in Gothenburg to become a musical artist. So it started as a hobby for him, and then he got a job like this.

MovieZine is curious how the guys got their roles.

Ville says:

It was through the school I went to. The casting company had heard that people speak quite similar to the Halmstad dialect in Karlshamn, where I come from. Then one day there was an advertisement in the school that they were looking for actors for a film about Gyllene Tider. I never thought it would go well. But it did, and I am incredibly grateful and proud of this opportunity.

Valdemar says:

I went to an open casting in Halmstad. Then there was a year of various casting processes, and you had to go up to Stockholm and meet the others… It was completely crazy. And after a year – “you get the role!” It was actually fun.

Alexander Kardelo from MovieZine asks Valdemar how it was for him to play Per Gessle and to meet him for the first time.

Valdemar says:

It was a little nerve-racking. I met him for the first time at Hotel Tylösand together with Per, the director, and our photographer. Meeting the king in Halmstad, it was quite special. He’s a rock star. But when you meet him a few times, you notice that he is a regular Halmstad guy, he has a Halmstad sense of humor and likes Halmstad. I’m from Halmstad myself, so it’s fun.

MovieZine wants to know if PG gave any hints on how to play him. Valdemar asked Per if he had any idea how he wanted Valdemar to portray him, but Per only said “it will be fine, do your thing and it will work out”. Valdemar has followed that advice.

Ville also met MP and says he is an incredibly nice man. Ville didn’t really dare to ask for tips. They mostly talked about music stuff, that’s what MP is most passionate about. He is a music nerd. A gadget nerd. Ville can recognize himself in that.

To MovieZine’s question regarding what the biggest challenge has been for the guys, Ville replies:

I haven’t had any major problems with the music, rather with the practical things. When you come to a film shoot for the first time and don’t really know where to go or who to ask. That was mostly what I found complicated. Keeping track of everything.

Valdemar says:

The challenge? Probably that it was such a big role. I knew it was Per Gessle and that it was the main role, but there was a lot of preparation. Everything from wearing a pair of shoes to singing like Gessle, learning lines from a thick booklet… It was a lot of work, although it has been incredibly fun. I walked around in cowboy boots for six months.

Alexander thinks that all five of the guys have a wonderful energy in the film. They really feel like a band, the interplay is clear and believable. He is curious about how the guys found this personal chemistry.

Ville says:

It came almost immediately. We got on very well with each other. We practiced quite a bit during pre-production, to get this band feel and the jargon between the members. Now I feel that we are good friends also in retrospect.

Valdemar says:

That was a good casting! It was lucky that they have cast everyone in Gyllene Tider as they are. There are slightly different basic features, but the basis is the same, I think.

“Sommartider” follows Gyllene Tider during the work on the first three records. MovieZine thinks there might be more to tell and Alexander asks the guys if they would come back for a sequel.

Ville:

It’s clear that a lot of things happened after, they split up and everything. But it’s hard for me to say, I’m just acting.

Valdemar:

It would be fun to play Per again! You have now settled into the role, the hard work is done. Now you can go back and take out your notes if a sequel comes up, so absolutely.

To the question what they think they will be doing in five years, Ville replies:

I’m really interested in music, guitar and hard rock. I would loved to start a band, play music and sing.

Valdemar says:

I educate myself to be an actor. So I hope I can work with that and earn a living. But you never know, there is strong competition. There are a lot of good Swedish actors, so let’s see how it goes. But it has always been one of my dreams to become an actor.

Valdemar describes Gyllene Tider and what made their songs so big:

First of all, it’s very good music. Then I think it’s a very good band. If you see them on YouTube, it’s a hell of a lot of fun. They are the band from Halmstad, they are a bit country folk and I think people appreciate something so different. They stood out with their clothes, style and music. And as I understand it, it was precisely that Per Gessle and Gyllene Tider liked the music they played. It was different from others at the time. Back then it was a lot of prog, but they played a bit more commercially. And they are nice guys. I think people like it. They are nice and genuine and have good songs. It’s been great fun to play such a role, which isn’t so tough all the time. They want to be tough, but they can’t, haha. I like that about them.

Ville’s favourite GT songs:

I like their slightly rockier songs, like “Marie i växeln” and “(Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän”… “Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly”. They are a bit more uptempo, with long guitar solos.

To the question what they carry with them as the funniest memory from the shooting, Valdemar replies:

The concert scenes.

Ville says:

We recorded several live shows, with 200 extras screaming their heads off.

Valdemar confirms they had amazing extras at all the gigs they had. Especially at Liseberg and at Annexet in Stockholm. They gave it their all, so the guys felt like rock stars.

When the guys are asked about what they prefer to see when they go to the cinema, Ville says:

It’s a bit mixed. The movies I watched when I was a kid I can rewatch as many times as I want, like “Star Wars” and Disney cartoons. But also “Inglourious Basterds” and stuff like that. There are very good movies.

Valdemar says:

It’s just like with songs. What am I craving for today? It is very entertaining to watch “Iron Man” or “Avatar” with cool effects and worlds. But with the film school I have seen many classics. “The Seventh Seal” is a movie I really like. I don’t know why, but I’ve seen it 4-5 times. One of my absolute favourite films is “The Big Blue”. I don’t know why. It’s kind of spiritual in a way. If you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend it.

Photo: Nordisk Film Sverige

Sommartider – the Gyllene Tider movie is praised by cinema audiences

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Filmstaden members were given the chance to see a preview of Sommartider, the movie that tells the almost true story of Gyllene Tider before its premiere on 17th July.

The film tells the absurd story behind the legendary Swedish band Gyllene Tider, which has become one of the biggest pop sensations of our time. Per is the ambitious outsider at high school in Halmstad who finds a community and friends for life through music with MP, Micke, Anders and Göran. Despite all setbacks, the band fights purposefully and in the early eighties has its big breakthrough with its effective choruses and passionate lyrics about life in a small town.

Filmstaden’s members gave Sommartider a rating of 4.3 out of 5 and 93% of everyone who saw it would recommend the film to a friend. The rating and comments below are taken from the evaluation of 1139 respondents who attended the Sommartider preview.

– An incredibly fun feel-good film with fantastic music!

– A piece of Swedish pop history told in a lovely and warm way with a twinkle in the eye. A genuine feel-good film!

– A film with humor, depth and everything in between, add that it is well acted. A pearl!

– So very warm and funny! Really caught the magic of playing together with others. Feeling inspired!

– A Swedish summer film that must be seen immediately, a fantastic biography film about the pop band Gyllene Tider and Per Gessle’s legacy.

– Inspiring! Like travelling back in time and becoming young again.

– Went there with mediocre expectations, went home with a fantastic feeling in my body. The film made both me and my 17-year-old son happy to the core!

– It was very good, can’t wait to see it again.

The movie premieres on 17th July at Filmstaden. Cinema tickets are released on 26th June. Buy your tickets HERE!

Stills are from Nordisk Film Sverige’s videos (PG, MS)

Roxette in ”Filmen om Badrock”

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As we already wrote about it in March, a film about Badrock (“Filmen om Badrock”), where Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle performed as Roxette for the first time, premiered in Swedish cinemas on 7th March. From a March TV4 interview with Björn Skifs (who is behind the whole Badrock idea) it turned out that it would be worth watching by Roxers, because besides Badrock concert material from the ’80s in Borgholm and backstage moments where we can see Marie, Per, Roxette, we even get to see Marie looking back at those times and hear her talking about her experiences.

Now the film had its TV broadcast premiere on 3rd June on TV4 (can be watched in Sweden only). Better said, a TV cut of it, because the original movie is 1 hour 55 minutes long, the TV cut is 66 minutes only. So a lot is left out and this way there might be even more Marie and Per and Roxette in it. Let’s hope the movie is out on DVD in the near future and we get to see the whole thing.

The TV cut contains footage from the past 30 years (Badrock history: 1986-1992; 2016), on-stage moments, backstage moments, rehearsals, how the concerts were recorded from the air, the royal family’s visits at the shows, as well as interviews with several artists, Marie among them. Interviews are with Björn Skifs, Anne-Lie Rydé, Marie Fredriksson, Pernilla Skifs, Anders Berglund, Nina Söderquist, Tommy Nilson, Leif Larsson, Lena Philipsson, Lisa Nilsson, Sharon Dyall, Marie Bergman, Peter Milefors, Mats Ronander.

Marie says Badrock was huge and there were a lot of good artists and the weather was incredibly warm. She says she is happy she could work together with Anders Berglund, it was easy to work with him.

Per in a short 1987 Öland Radio interview says Badrock is fun and playing tennis with Peter Milefors is cool. Mr. G says he and Marie created a group called Roxette and they would first perform at Badrock. Then there is a Marie interview cut again and she says, ”Like Lovers Do” at the beginning was a big song for Roxette and she was incredibly nervous to perform it. Everything was so new, but it was an awesome experience.

Sharon Dyall says when she was singing together with Marie and Sanne Salomonsen, it was real girl power. Marie says they had a powerful song (”Girls”) and she always thought that Sanne sang so damn good  and she was wondering how the hell she could join in, but in the end it turned out to be really good and they had so much fun. Those times were really amazing.

It’s great to see Borgholm then and today, so beautiful. It will be a pleasure to see Per playing there this summer, but also sad to think about the fact that Roxette AND all the fans missed the chance to have a concert and see Roxette playing there in 2015. Would have been an out of the world experience both for the band and Roxers for sure. And of course, we still don’t give up hoping for the complete 1989 Roxette gig in Borgholm to be released one day.

Some stills from the TV cut of ”Filmen om Badrock”:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanx for your technical support, Gabriela Demichelli!

Roxette at Badrock – cinema premiere

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As we could already read it in press releases, a film about Badrock (“Filmen om Badrock”), where Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle performed as Roxette for the first time, will premiere in Swedish cinemas on 7th March. So far we didn’t know what exactly the film would contain, but this morning TV4 had an interview with Björn Skifs (he is behind the whole Badrock idea) and they showed some parts. AND… AND… AND… besides Badrock concert material from the ’80s in Borgholm and backstage moments where we can see Marie, Per, Roxette, we get to see Marie looking back at those times and hear her talking about her experiences. How absolutely fantastic is that!

In the TV4 cut you can hear Per on Öland Radio in 1987 saying he and Marie created a group called Roxette and they would first perform at Badrock. Then you see Marie talking, as natural as only she can be, in her stylish black leather jacket. She says, ”Like Lovers Do” at the beginning was a big song for Roxette and she was incredibly nervous to perform it. Everything was so new, but it was an awesome experience.

HERE you can watch a video where you can see Marie with your own eyes. Watch it mainly from 3:07. 😉

Let’s see if the film is out later on DVD as well or if it will be broadcast on TV. And if it contains much more than what we could see in this short video. Would be cool!

Still is from the TV4, Nyhetsmorgon video showing parts of “Filmen om Badrock”

 

Thank you, Carola Lindberg for watching the TV this morning and that you let us know about it!