SOFIA KAREMYR TALKS PARTISAN

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

Do you even need to audition anymore or is it really enough to just hand over a résumé filled with the many awarded projects you’ve been part of?

First of all, it feels completely crazy that something I’ve been involved in has gotten recognition at such big festivals and events, I’m eternally grateful for that! But to answer your question, yes, I definitely still audition. The difference compared to a few years ago is probably that the projects I audition for keep getting more fun and more interesting the more I work.

You’re still somehow early in your career, how do you choose your roles today?

I do not really choose that much, I’ve been lucky to be asked to audition for projects that I’ve found interesting. So much is really about timing and luck! I have always thought I don’t want to get stuck in a “box”, for example, always playing a young, broken girl on the edge since that’s what I did in 'Call Girl', and I’m really happy I’ve been able to show quite a broad repertoire so far. I always get interested in a project if the script is good, that is the first thing that grabs me. And if the character has multiple layers, like being able to show both vulnerability and strength. That’s always extra exciting. My roles in both 'Love Me' and in 'Partisan' were really rewarding in that sense.

Would you say you are self-critical in your work?

Yes, definitely. Almost after every shooting day I think about the scenes I did and what I could have done better. It’s the same when I watch my work. It’s both a blessing and a curse because while it can be tough I can also learn from myself.

'Call Girl' drew a lot of attention abroad. As has 'Partisan', not least at Cannes. Have any self-tapes gone international yet?

Yes, they have. Not least thanks to my fantastic agent, who has many international contacts. It’s so much fun!

There are definitely some thematic similarities between your roles in 'Call Girl' and 'Partisan'. Was it a coincidence, or something Amir Chamdin had in mind?

I actually thought a lot about that during the filming of 'Partisan' and I recognized some of the feelings I had played in 'Call Girl' since I play a much younger character than I actually was at the time, Nicole in 'Partisan' is seventeen, I was twenty-five, I think that helped me get into the right mood, because in a way I had done it before. I think it was a coincidence, though, at least it’s nothing Amir and I ever discussed.

You were only seventeen when you got the role in 'Call Girl'. Was that the first thing you ever auditioned for?

Yes, it was. I had been doing theater at the Calle Flygare acting program when I was a kid and during high school, for a few years before that audition, but 'Call Girl' was my very first contact with the film industry.

You were actually pretty shy before acting came into the picture?

When I was little, I was very shy, that started to change a lot in middle school and especially when I started high school and found my place a bit, shyness is often tied to confidence, and I think once I found the things and environments where I knew I was good, it became easier to take up space and be myself. That’s still true today, I think many can relate to that.

Would you like to do more theatre than you have?

I’d love to do theater as well, alongside film. When I also studied theater at Kulturama, I really enjoyed the feeling of being on stage. They’re two very different art forms in many ways, and I think it would be really rewarding to do both. It is, however, hard to get a foot into the theater-world in Sweden if you haven't gone to the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Stockholm, but maybe I will find a way someday!

Staying playful and collaborative on set despite the industry’s tough side is not always a given. What do you value most in others?

What I appreciate most is humility, listening, showing respect, and building some kind of a relationship with each other no matter what your role on set is. I love when the whole team really feels like a team, since the days are often so long and intense, it’s just vital that everyone feels safe and seen. I’ve been really lucky to pretty much always end up on sets like that, and that’s such a gift! It is so important in this line of work to back each other up, to see beyond the jealousy that sometimes can arise if someone else lands a role I also auditioned for and instead celebrate each other. It’s tough enough as it is.

Your role in 'Love Me' is also very interesting because you were directed by someone who had long been in the shoes of an actress herself. What was it like working with Josephine Bornebusch?

It was really wonderful. She’s exactly the kind of person I just described, attentive and humble. She truly cared about the atmosphere on set and about us actors’ sense of safety, especially in emotionally demanding scenes. She gave us time to get into the right mood, sometimes even picked out music for us to listen to beforehand. And she was great at giving encouragement! Sometimes I would get a text after a long day that could say something like, “So damn good today!”. Invaluable.

While you are in two of the most talked-about Swedish-projects right now, you were also just on Gotland shooting another one. I am not sure how official that is yet though?

No, I don’t think I can talk about it yet, unfortunately.

What do you dream of doing next?

I dream of continuing to play complicated, demanding roles, to keep challenging myself, and to keep working with such creative and talented people as I have already had the chance to. I also dream of being able to play a "role model". A character who can somehow help someone out, or a few people, who might need it.