AGNES LINDSTRÖM BOLMGREN TALKS THE CAKE GENERAL

Interviewed by Culture Coast Talks editor Daniel John. Interview transcripts might have been edited for length and clarity.

Since 'The Cake General' premiered in Köping this spring, it’s as the directing—duo themselves like to say been a train that just keeps on rolling. It’s topped the box office, screened in Seattle, and you've even been named Snack of the Week?

I never want it to end! I keep pinching myself. Being part of such a wonderful film and working with such a talented team is just incredible. It’s beautiful to see how the film continues to live on, and that people all over Sweden and even in Seattle take the time to express what it’s made them feel, and how much they love it. I get so sentimental!

Literally all articles that I have seen about you paint your story as an overnight-success, straight from drama school into a big-screen debut. Yet you have been studying and working in film, TV, and theatre since 2005, in Sweden and abroad. It sounds more like a twelve-year journey to your breakthrough to me?

Good scoop! That’s absolutely right. I’ve worked like an animal. After the theatre program at Södra Latin and moving to Berlin, I worked in cafés, bars, as a mystery shopper, shop assistant, deodorant tester, DJ, illustrator, all while learning German and eventually landing a good agency so I could start getting roles in Germany. When I later got into drama school, things began to open up more in Sweden. And I did several smaller roles here and there. But the role of Åsa Sjöman is by far the biggest thing I’ve done.

Were you a “theatre kid” growing up?

Absolutely not! I was very shy as a child. I loved writing stories and mimicking people, but I hated reading out loud or standing on stage. Sometimes I think seeking out theatre was just a kind of homemade therapy, like how people afraid of flying force themselves to get on a plane. My parents worked at the post office and as a social worker, far from the theatre world, but they always loved culture, music, and art and they encouraged that, so in a way it all connects.

Are there any “drama school theatricalities” you’ve had to unlearn when working in film?

It’s a bit unfortunate and misleading how so many assume you automatically become “drama school damaged” from formal theatre training. I think that’s not giving it credit as a professional education. It’s really no different than training to be an electrician or learning any other craft. It’s sad when it gets reduced to a hobby. But, there is, of course, a difference between stage-acting and performing for the camera. And if you are not used to the camera, you might need to tone things down a bit.

Åsa Sjöman in the film is quite an energetic person. Do you have much in common?

Definitely. I can really relate to her frustration, her drive, and that feeling of having to take responsibility. As for background, I grew up in Södermalm, but I feel I’ve gained insight into smaller towns through my parents and relatives. I also don’t have a personal tragedy in my past like Åsa does so I wanted to be careful to understand and not simplify that aspect of her story.

She may be a fictional character but there was real-life inspiration behind her?

Yes, she’s very loosely based on Pelle Sjöman’s wife, Sussi. But they actually have nothing in common when it comes to Åsa’s dramatic family history. I drew a lot of inspiration from my mother, who told me about growing up in Mjölby, and her dreams of something bigger. The feeling of not always fitting in.

When it comes to a real-life character you were actually the one who found the actor playing Lars Hammar?

Yes! Filming was approaching and they were hunting like bloodhounds for a Skåne-born actor who’d fit that role. My class at drama school was rehearsing our graduation play 'The Robbers', directed by Jens Ohlin, and in the middle of a session it just struck me, he’d be perfect. I knew he’d gone to drama school himself and had a bit of a soft spot for France, so when he later, by pure coincidence, sang Filip’s father’s favorite French chanson at the audition, it was decided. Thinking back, it’s totally surreal.

How did you go about mastering the Köping accent?

I went to Köping before I had my audition. I asked for directions and secretly recorded people, had coffee with some of Filip’s old classmates from middle school, and tried to pick up the melody and expressions. I love having an excuse to learn something new and mimic dialects. It adds so much to a character because you instantly stop sounding like yourself. I do find it pretty uninteresting to just play “me”.

What was the most fun scene to film?

Probably the national anthem scene. It was completely unplanned—Filip and Fredrik added it the same day. Or maybe the helicopter landing! It was such a powerful feeling seeing all the people of Köping reenact the ’80s and relive that day—almost like déjà vu or group therapy. Everyone was so kind and cooperative—clapping and cheering. Goosebumps!

Which scene required the most takes?

None that I was in! (laughs) Honestly, I don’t know. As a newly graduated drama student, I was a bit stressed at first that we did so few takes. But then I realized I could trust that Filip and Fredrik would never settle if they hadn’t got what they wanted.

When you lived in Germany you also released music on a German label. Were you really prepared to sing the national anthem in that scene?

(Laughs) I love saying yes to things, that homemade therapy sneaking in again. Performing as a singer in Germany was, in a way, just acting too. But when it came to the national anthem, neither Persbrandt nor I knew the lyrics. So the crew behind the camera had to teach us, and eventually they wrote them down on a paper plate.

The film also paints a portrait of 1980s Sweden, how do you relate to that time, are you, like me, technically a late ’80s baby yet still a true eighties-kid at heart when it comes to the culture?

Yes! I have always been obsessed with eras other than my own. I love the music and clothes from the sixties, seventies, maybe not camel-hair legwarmers, and the eighties, but maybe not the full mullet package. The best part about being in period films is the time travel, it’s like when you were little, walking around IKEA pretending to live in one of the model rooms. When I saw myself and the extras at costume fittings, I actually felt nostalgic, recognizing my parents in old photo albums from when they were young.

Based on Filip Hammar's own life, do you have your own "Cake General"-story in you, a story or a character from when you were little that could be portrayed in a similar way?

I have realized that my solo performance piece revolves around similar themes, about finding your thing and finally succeeding at something. It’s both a tribute to outsiders, to small towns and also a kind of existential anxiety, a wish to leave a mark on Earth. But like Filip, I love collecting characters that I have encountered over the years. Maybe one day I will make something from that catalogue.

Next fall we’ll see you in 'Lyrro'?

I’m so happy I got to have a hand in it, goals! I play two smaller roles so I was a bit surprised to see myself pop up in the trailer, it was so much fun to play completely new characters that allowed for a bit of eccentricity. I play a pastel-colored brat and a check-in clerk.

Peter Dalle must be like a dream director to work with for an actress like yourself with a light-hearted fun side?

He was incredibly kind, funny, and generous. I could tell even during the audition that he had a great eye for detail and was open to suggestions. I felt really seen.

Lately you’ve also been training with the often in-flight-magazine-featured PT Lars Wallin. Are you getting generally fight-ready, or preparing for an upcoming role?

I’m just generally fight-ready! (laughs) No, but it’s fun to fight for pretend, and doing an action role has, always, been a bit of a childhood dream. There have been a few conversations here and there, so we’ll see where it leads.

Are you trying to “make it happen” in LA, now that you live there. How long before we'll see you in a Netflix series?

It would be a dream to work in the star factory, there are just so much happening that you’d never even hear about in Sweden. I want to work everywhere, in as many different roles and projects as possible. I love languages and would love to act in English, but right now I’m waiting for my work permit, and if all goes well, I’ll be ready to go all in.

What kind of cake would you most like to bake 510 meters of?

Princess cake!