'Young Royals' Star Edvin Ryding On How Prince Wilhelm's Mental Health Storyline Helped Him IRL

I grew up in this industry as a kid and I'm still pretty

young

, sometimes you get treated pretty bad if I can make a change for the

young

actors coming into this business by being nice to them. I want to do that. I'm really excited about what you're saying because I've binged the second season so we're going to have to talk about plot spoilers, we're going to have to address that and the only thing we need to address first is the final episode where you have that shotgun and you're pointing out that August acted Sensational the drama was Sensational I was on the edge of my seat what was going on in your mind talk to me oh wow uh it's actually a very, very nice scene because we Are we all there like all five of us like the Main cast?

We're all there in that scene uh and it's so much drama like you said it's me and uh Russia uh we're like concept directors we've always been very inspired by uh have you seen succession yes yes you know Kendall Roy from succession yes uh so

wilhelm

is very very inspired by Kendall Roy um and so that day when we were doing that scene with the shotgun you know all this drama that I was hearing the theme song in my head uh so I was in that mood and then we did that scene and I kept increasing the intensity and you know, that spit at the end, when I spit on August, we did the same thing, maybe we did the same thing.

Eight different types of them and I tried different types of spit. It was fun. You always love doing those kinds of scenes because there's a lot of drama. They're just screams. Is incredible. I love the fact that you had to find multiple different ways to spit. spit, yeah, isn't that funny, yeah, that's why you love this word, you know, you're like let me get some phlegm for this one, back off, this one's going to get more of a repaint, okay, everyone back off, Bray tank, like that that I love. and then obviously there's the scene of all scenes, the Cliffhanger at the end of the season, where he comes out, yeah, what was it like for you to stand there and make that speech?

What was going through your heads, I mean, it felt very, very. Importantly, it's always been like that since I read that scene the first time, it also changed a lot in different versions of the script, but when we had the final version and I read it I felt like okay, this is how it is. We need to deliver this perfectly and it's such a strong moment that says a lot about Wilhelm and his journey and how he grew up and realized things and did them because he does a lot of things by himself this season and doesn't really think. about others, but at that moment he doesn't really think about himself, he thinks about many, many people, he thinks about a whole world, a whole community, uh, his family, Simon, his friends, you know, he thinks about so many things and it's very strong and it was a long day filming that um because we did it from so many different angles um but it's very powerful, right?

Oh, he is so powerful that it really shocked me. I felt very emotional seeing him, he brought a little tear to my eye, yes, he really got me. and then wow and then I said, "Oh my God, you're probably going to give me a couple more minutes after this, like we're going to see him run up to the stand, give Simon a big kiss, this is what we're going to get and I thought: Absolute mother beepers, I can't believe they left it like that, yeah, we have to know, okay, we'll leave it on a pretty strong note like, okay, he's just the first Royal in history to come out as openly queer and he says okay, everyone I'm queer and I lied and this is my boyfriend I'm in love with this guy um Tata, you know it's very, it's very heavy, you know, leaving it at that point, uh, but I think it's also It's good.

Like us, every show needs a good Cliffhanger, no, it does and I think it's a very special moment because I think regardless of a person's sexuality, we all have those moments where we really have to face ourselves. ourselves and looking in the mirror and finding out who we are and who we want to be, yeah, but you, which has been a real key, like coming of age and the moment of really understanding yourself, I love those moments, um. , and I think I'm kind of subconsciously looking for them, uh, in my everyday life uh and fortunately and I think that's the reason why I've been doing this for 14 years.

I have those moments a lot in my work. I learned a lot and I learned a lot from the characters I play, as Wilhelm taught me. I'm really interested in being able to feel things and communicate with the people around me um and I think that's beautiful um but it's like I'm one of the most beautiful parts of life isn't it just like growing up learning things? Seeing things from different perspectives that you didn't see just a few months ago, that's totally true. I totally get what you're saying and I think that's what makes so many different parts of this show so special and especially one of the things I think it is.

You were saying that honesty and being honest with yourself and being honest with others and sharing with others is very important and one of the things I love about the characters is that they are always very, very open and honest with each other. They always communicate with each other, they always say: how are you? how are you really? and that is a very powerful, very special and very necessary question that we must ask each and every one of us and ourselves: how are we really? The whole way the show deals with

mental

health

is very powerful, especially the way they address Wilhelm's anxiety, for example, to prepare for that and go on that journey, what did you do and how did you prepare for it?

Oh, good question, well. like there's always been a discussion, a creative discussion about how we want to portray Wilhelm's anxiety and Wilhelm has always been experiencing this part of him as anxiety, like it's always been there for him and as a challenge in his life and that comes from likes to live with extreme pressure on his shoulders and traditions and all that and he feels very, you know, alienated, he doesn't fit in anywhere because he's very special and everyone has always told him that you're part of the royal house and that you're a

prince

and so it just makes him stand out more and I guess he's lonely um and what I felt like we should do throughout this story in both the first and the second he's on his show uh his anxiety in different ways, so in the first season there's a very overt physical aspect to his anxiety, like we saw him having panic attacks and we saw him rubbing his chest, biting his nails, chewing gum and all that kind of stuff before the second season, We had a discussion about that, as we should.

Maybe we should try to take a different route here because a lot of things have changed for Wilhelm, like him, basically everyone has left him alone and he feels so much sadness after his brother passing away and also his love for Simon. Being torn apart, we feel like this new Wilhelm should be, he's much more introverted, you know, he keeps things to himself, which is like, if we're honest, it's what royal protocol tells him to do, like keep things behind closed doors, so. He subconsciously follows royal protocol even though he doesn't want to, doesn't want to and isn't comfortable with it.

I think the fact that he's so introverted this season is also what drives him to do what he does in the last episode. like being open and speaking openly for the first time in front of his family's old school cameras, Simon, you know, it's a great story, he goes through a beautiful journey this season. I think it's an important journey that many people need. See it reflected on the screen too, how do you think he has made you reflect on your own journey with your own

mental

being and what that journey is like for you? I studied Behavioral Science in high school here in Sweden, so I read and learned a lot about like psychology, philosophy, communication and things like that, and one of the main things it has taught me is to be able to feel comfortable in your own mind.

I guess yeah, you have to be able to communicate and you can adapt that to how many people you want to talk to, who you want to talk to and things like that, but seeing a therapist is one way, but I also like to talk about how Wilhelm's travels affected me. , as shown. I like it too, once you're able to open up and talk to people instead of keeping it to yourself, you learn from it and you grow from it and I think sometimes when I'm acting I really have no control over what I'm doing because it's like you're in the zone and you're improvising and stuff and that shows me different sides of reacting to things too, so it's a great privilege for me to be able to like learning from Wilhelm even though which is me playing him, it's like free therapy in a way, yeah, yeah, exactly, and that's great.

I mean, I wish more people experienced that because, uh, yeah, you know, I'm, I'm, uh. I'm a big proponent of therapy um and um I think it's important to talk about mental

health

and I think that's also one of the topics that we're exploring. The second season is so much about Secrets, what happens when you keep secrets and Why Do We Keep Secrets and stuff like that? This refers to both relationships between people and mental health, what are the benefits and disadvantages of keeping things to yourself and not communicating with people you only have? 100 and having a stronger relationship with yourself allows you to have a stronger relationship with your entire sense of self.

Do you think so, exactly you learn a new level of self-love for yourself by playing this character and being on this journey and being on a show that's about self-discovery do you think acting is like a fighting game in my head against expectations? similar and um like self-criticism and things like that? I think that slows down that process a lot, but still, I can relate when people say that this story means a lot to them because it means a lot to me too and I've learned a lot about myself through the story, so, and that's beautiful , but it's still like that.

It's always a challenge when you do it yourself. When do you think you were most proud of yourself when people

star

ted writing like that? It has changed my life because it gave me the courage to come out or it gave me the courage to search. new friends or doing this and doing that and people have been subject to an education, you know, like my little brother, he sent me a picture from the other week like he was at school and he just sent me a picture of himself like um your book of of of of a class and it was a picture of us, so like we, we had an impact and we worked hard for what it's like when you've worked really, really hard and you realize okay, we did. an Impact I felt super proud and I felt super proud rapping the second season too, of course, but it's been a big boost for us and it's been a challenge, really, at times, because you

star

t to like reflect on expectations, what which is always a bit dangerous.

I feel like I always feel proud of myself when I can reflect on past experiences and see them from different perspectives. I feel like I'm evolving and growing and I guess that's what most of life is about, you know, that's the greater meaning of life, isn't it growing and evolving and learning more about yourself? I guess I mean, yeah, yeah, that love thing. I mean, you know what this show is about and that's why people love it. It was a lot and when we posted we were doing this episode, the amount of messages I got from people saying, Oh my god, I need you to ask this question, it was honestly crazy, but one of the ones I found the funniest, I'm sorry.

We just need to get in real quick is that they wanted you to classify your hairstyles, do you prefer long hair, short hair or clubbing? the meaningful questions we need to address oh my gosh, wow, it's actually funny because, like I haven't, So many different hairstyles in a year since I was like I don't know seven, you know, I've always had the same kind of hairstyle, They're so good in different ways, you know, I mean season one, Wilhelm's haircut said it. so much about it um it was so good for Wilhelm season one but the shorter hair um with this with the side part um side it was so good for Wilhelm season two it wouldn't have worked season one uh and the mullet is just amazing you know it's fun , yes, life lisa chose you, yes, basically, it was a lot of fun because I did it for a different role and I just finished a Swedish movie and I was sitting through my hair and makeup. test and we started talking about what we should do with the hair and I just threw it out like I had a mullet and our makeup department was like yeah, yeah, of course, and I was like I didn't even have one.

I have time to say anything before they started cutting, so I didn't have time to back out, uh, but I really like it, it's cool if it was, if I had to rank them, ah, I got it right, I have a range of so short hair. with the side part being number one, then I think the mullet and then I think the long hair, well that's a strong choice. I agree, okay, I'm more of a fan of long hair, but I'm there for it. but before you go to try another hairstyle this year, we always end with this last question and that is always in the reign of your life.

What is the one rule by which you alwaysdo you live? Be the person you needed when you were younger. Yes, that phrase has been in my head for a few years. Because I grew up in this industry as a kid and I'm still pretty young. You know, and sometimes you get treated pretty badly and I feel like if I can make a change for the young actors coming into this business by being nice to them, I want to do that, so I guess that's what it is. the rule I live by good question wow, that's beautiful, I know that deeply, that's what we love, that's what we have in this podcast, deep little moments and I love it because that's what this show is about and I think also shows and What you do on screen is give a lot of younger people a lot of extra confidence about who they are and I think even looking back on this show and watching it now as a queer person, I feel like I needed this when I was younger, so that You're the person, oh, that's so sweet when I was younger, so thank you, that's so beautiful, Josh, oh, we're ending on the poetic note, yes, we are, of course we are.