QX magazine

Today, July 1st, is the premiere of Netflix's new series Young Royals . In the six-part series, Edvin Ryding plays Prince William, who, after a nightclub brawl, ends up at the Hillerska boarding school. There, he meets Simon ( Omar Rudberg ), a so-called "external" who lives in the town and has been given the opportunity to study with the rich and privileged.

Young Royals is a coming of age drama, directed by Rojda Sekersöz (conceptual director) and Erika Calmeyer , and the series features a cool young cast that portrays the pressures placed on young people today, from family and social media, and trying to find their role in life and along the way falling in love.

Omar Rudberg makes his debut in the role of Simon, a role he found thanks to his friend Felicia Truedsson who had applied to Young  Royals (she also has a role in the series). He sent an email saying he was interested in auditioning, and after a couple of auditions, the role was his.

Omar: It suited me so well. Simon and I are a bit alike: we sing and are both a bit of outsiders who feel or have felt that we don't fit in. I relate a lot to how he is in his everyday life, as the guy is looked down on by some, because of his ethnicity or because he belongs to the working class. I was also the black sheep when I came from Venezuela and started school in Sweden and didn't know the language.

During the filming, Omar discovered that his background as an artist, both solo and as part of The FO&O, was not necessarily an advantage in acting.

Omar: Here I have to be a completely different person, and that was a difficult thing when you come from an artist where you are 100 percent yourself. But it was good to let go of control and know that I should just concentrate on my acting.

During the audition, Omar and Edvin clicked immediately. Edvin knew he was auditioning for a guy named Omar, but not much else.

Edvin: But when he came through the door, I recognized him immediately. I saw him back in 2013 when he and the others were supporting Justin Bieber at the Globe ( laughs ).
Both agreed that the audition went really well, and a week later they met for coffee and to talk through their experience. And soon both were ready for the lead roles in Young Royals.

Edvin: In Wilhelm there was so much unexplored that you could portray and nuance. The role felt new and very exciting.

The series addresses topics such as homosexuality, ethnicity, class differences and most things related to adolescence, and the search for who you are.

Omar: There are so many teenagers going through tough stuff and we hope to show some of that, to show that they are not alone.

Shortly after Wilhelm starts at Hillerska, it becomes apparent that he is attracted to Simon, who in the series is openly gay. Edvin Ryding says that he was attracted by the fact that there was no label on Wilhelm's sexual orientation.

Edvin: Not everything is black or white. Being young and finding who you are is hard enough, and then, as in this case, being a prince who has hundreds of years of tradition on his shoulders, where no one has been openly homosexual, is not easy... At the same time, we don't want to make sexuality a big deal, because it isn't. Love is love, and Wilhelm goes with his feelings and starts to be attracted to another person.

You're both still young (Omar is 22 and Edvin is 18), do you recognize this with society wanting to box you in and put a label on who you are?
Edvin: Well, I haven't thought much about how I'm boxed in, but I would say that society is very heteronormative. You don't have to come out to be straight, either.

Omar: I feel that many people want to put a label on you. I don't think it should be so clear, because it's not even a whole person. You are more than your sexual orientation. I've felt it myself, regardless of whether it's about sexuality or something else, that I don't fit into the norm. And that's what I liked about Young Royals . That you don't have to define yourself and can break norms, that's what we want to show in the series. Simon is gay, and Wilhelm we don't know. And it's okay that's how it is. Humans are complex creatures and sometimes you don't know yourself.

Do you know yourself?
Omar: No. It's been a while, not just my inclination but my own style, I've changed my style completely. Everyone goes through periods where you doubt who you are and experiment before you find yourself, that's nothing strange. I've learned to own it.

Edvin: Experimenting is part of growing up. Not everything is black or white, and I've felt a great sense of security from home where they are very accepting. But I don't think it really matters that much. As long as you feel good.

Omar and Edvin have a couple of intimate scenes in the series, and before filming these, they worked with an intimacy coordinator, a somewhat new role on set that is supposed to make the actors feel safe during scenes that can be revealing and uncomfortable.

Edvin: We had a fantastic intimacy coordinator, Sara Arrhusius , who made sure that we were comfortable and calm before intimate scenes. You build up something that is difficult to explain, but very safe. A love scene is a bit like a well-choreographed dance, where everything is planned.

Edvin, why do you think Wilhelm falls for Simon?
– Everyone around Wilhelm treats him with silk gloves, but Simon is not like that at all. He is someone who stands out in this environment of privileged young people. He also has an integrity that Wilhelm is drawn to.

And Simon?
– Simon is drawn to Wilhelm because he recognizes himself in not fitting in. Neither of them is comfortable, they are both different even though they have completely different lives. Simon feels that Wilhelm is the only one who sees him.

So, if this happened in Sweden, that a young prince falls for a guy, how would it be received?
Omar: I think that in Sweden we have come a long way, we are very open-minded, so it would probably not be a big problem. Then some people will always have opinions and think that the love of two people concerns them. But it is interesting because there is nothing to compare it to because it has never happened.

How does it feel now to maybe become an iconic love couple in the style of Fucking Åmål's Agnes & Elin, or Elitskolan's "Omander"?
Omar: I think it would be fantastic. Mainly because it's so cool to talk about all the topics covered in the series on such a big platform...

Edvin: The series will be available in 190 countries and it feels great if just one person can relate, then we've accomplished something.
Omar: Imagine if a little boy of ten now gets to see that this love really exists, that he gets to see that he's not alone in feeling this way. I don't really think we understand that everyone will soon be able to see what we've done. That it will touch people all over the world...

It's a series, are you open to a sequel?
Omar: Absolutely, a hundred million percent. And if there were to be a sequel, it would mean that the audience appreciated what they saw, and that would be fantastic.

This summer will be mostly free time for Edvin Ryding, who has had a hectic spring behind him, while Omar continues to audition for more roles, and of course, record even more music. On July 2, Omar will release two songs that are also heard in the series.
– I am in a creative flow and more excited than ever. So I just want to take advantage of this feeling right now.