He seems to be everywhere we look.
If we switch on TV4 he’s the hell-raising charmer on Swedish noir hit-thriller Gåsmamman, season 5 and 6. When we visited Norway he melted our hearts on NRK’s smash hit EXIT.
Christian Magdu is becoming a household name in the Nordics.
We got an afternoon with the Swedish thespian in Stockholm to speak about career, acting, dreams and the future.
Can you tell us a bit about your journey into acting? How did you get started?
In a way it started very early, but I wasn’t really aware of it. I come from a movie-loving family, as kid I wanted to be Steven Spielberg and make movies like his — Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Close Encounters. Almost every weekend my dad, mom, sister and I went to the local video store and rented great films on VHS — Back to the Future, Ulysses 31, Star Wars. I was shy as a child and didn’t feel too popular at school. So I lavished stories, like movies, video games, books and comics, they were my escape. Then in high-school I slowly grew more confident and got this sudden urge to actually perform a short play in Swedish class. Time stood still while I was on stage and that’s when I knew this is where I had to be.
What was your first acting role and what did you learn from it?
My first role per se was as the main character, Sapo, in Fernando Arrabal’s “Picknick on the battlefield” that I did in high-school. My first professional job came shortly after, when I graduated at 19 and was hired by the theatre in Gothenburg. I went on tour with Corona Artis (a baroque ensemble, editor’s note) with the one man show “Europa 1697”. It was a great and scary experience. I was just starting out and was kind of green and had to learn the ropes on the job, just by doing it. But the director and playwright, Leif Olson, believed so much in me and that helped me grow as an artist. I started my film career in 2003 with the feature “Camp Slaughter” for SandrewMetronome.
Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced in your acting career so far and how you overcame them?
Acting, making films and television, and theatre of course, is the best job in the world. But it requires a lot of stamina, hard work, a bit of luck and quite a lot of naïve thick skin to carry on and rise up every time you get beaten down. It’s not ironically referred to as the “no”-business for no reason. You get rejected all the time, for all kinds of reasons: you’re too young, too old, too attractive, not attractive enough, too ethnic this or not enough of that yada yada. I’ve worked on films that took years to get off the ground, but once they did it was all worth it. You gotta get up and push on. As Rocky so eloquently puts it in Rocky Balboa: “Life ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”. Or ”Every champion was once just a contender who refused to give up”. That’s inspiring and so true in any business, but I’d say for this business in particular.
How do you prepare for a new role? Do you have any special rituals or techniques?
It really depends on the role and the project. My rituals are more in my private life. I’m a creative person at heart and I need to balance my urge to keep doing the work and finding balance in life. Meditation is a great daily ritual for me, or routine if you so like.
As an actor I start by reading the whole script — many times, not just my lines. The first couple of times is just to understand the characters, plot and relationships. How does my character fit into this story? What’s his role and want or need? I then dive deeper into the material, like what does the character say and why? Also, and almost more importantly; what is he not saying, what’s in between the lines? Film is a visual medium, the more visual you can be in telling the story the more it impacts the audience. A mentor of mine once said, “if you can watch a piece of film or television without sound and still make out the main relationships, that’s good acting”. And it’s not about showing off or being overly-clear. It’s about what reads from our eyes and bodies.
I enjoy challenging myself to try new things and stretch beyond my comfort zone. I think great actors must have lived a life and have a sort of “backpack” full of experiences. But just as important is to have a vivid imagination and really want — and dare — to go “there”. Wherever it’s necessary to reach the dramatic truth and fullest palette of the character.
Who are some actors or actresses you admire and why? Have they influenced your acting style?
My favorite actor of all time is Meryl Streep. Hands down. She can really do and be believable in anything, as any character. I’ve never seen her perform less than stellar. Al Pacino, Denzel Washington and Ralph Fiennes are other favorites. There are so many that inspire me. Leo DiCaprio has had a wonderful career with loads of great work.
As for influences I try to always do my best work. I can’t say I have a general acting “style” — not one I’m aware of anyway. I try to make my characters real AND interesting. Just “real” can often come across as bland, safe and kind of boring. I like to take risks. Sometimes you fall on your face, but hey — that’s life. Get on back up! (laughs)
Can you tell us about your most recent project and the character you’re playing?
I shot Gåsmamman and Exit very close, almost back to back. My characters on those shows are worlds apart. Yussuf, the recurring antagonist of Gåsmamman, is an ex-secret agent who now works for a powerful and deadly, international, crime syndicate. He’s smooth and brooding, kind of snake-ish with a rogue-ish charm. I loved taking him on for two whole seasons of the show and really grow into him. I hope audiences got to see a different type of “bad guy” that they don’t usually see in this kind of genre that’s often crammed with different versions of “tough guys”. I’d love to do a spin-off of his life! (laughs)
Exit was something completely different. It was a guest star, but it was so warm and heartbreaking. He’s the brother of Magdalena, the Moldavian girl who works as a prostitute and falls in love with one of the main douche bags. When I read the script I felt touched by his bleeding heart and could relate so strongly to loving a sibling, even though my own sister isn’t at all like her, of course. But that’s the magic of make-believe and relating emotionally to the humanity of the characters. I can see a storyline for him in the future, keeping in mind what happened to Magdalena…
How do you handle the pressure and expectations that come with being an up-and-coming actor?
I don’t know that I handle it in any special way at all. I don’t know if I can, really? All I can do is stay sharp and ready, physically and mentally for the next opportunity that comes along. Keep my creative juices flowing and staying busy with things that inspire me. And on top of that not to overwork myself, to slow down occassionally and just enjoy life with my family and the non-acting stuff I have in my life: friends, hobbies, great food — those kind of things.
Can you share a memorable moment or experience from your acting career?
There are so many I don’t even know where to start… One memory that pops up is when I prepared for a show called Oskyldigt Dömd (TV4). I was the guest star, a Polish man that had been incarcerated for five years but was innocent, it was part of a deal with a mobster to take the hit for him. I was very method acting at the time and I had never been to jail, thank God. So I was lucky enough to be able to visit Sweden’s maximum security penitentiary for a day and really live as my character in a jail he actually would have been placed in. It was a surreal and very intense experience. People believe Swedish jails are like some kind of hotels and that may be true compared to the worst countries in the world, but believe me they still ain’t no walk in the park.
When I auditionen for this role I was actually up against an actor who had polish background and could speak the language. I thought “oh well, that’s me out of it” but I went in and gave it my all with the best Eastern European accent I could muster. That same night the casting director called and said “the director wants you — can you work on the accent?”. I was like “Absolutely!”. So I came up with this idea to call this guy Marek that I had recently met, that was from Poland and had moved to Sweden for work. I asked him if he could help me read the lines of the character and I would record him. “But I don’t speak Swedish!” he protested. “That’s the point!”, I said enthusiastically and went on to record and then transcribe his pronunciation verbatim. Apparently I did such a convincing job that while we had a break on set, the First Assistant Camera-man — who happened to be polish — came up to me and started firing away in polish. He looked happy, but I had to stop him and say “Dude, I have no idea what you just said, I don’t speak polish”. And he laughed in amazement and gave me so much great feedback.
Wow, that’s such a fun story. So, how do you balance your personal life and your acting career?
It’s difficult sometimes. I have young children and both me and my wife (screenwriter Christin Magdu) are right in the middle of our careers, so it’s a lot of puzzling, traveling and trying to be there for one another. At the same time, the love you experience in a family is such a blessing. I would never want to be without that no matter how hard it is sometimes to lay the life puzzle.
It’s important to feed your body and soul, both with great food and exercise but also with whatever fills your mind, heart and soul. I am philosophically, historically and spiritually interested and that keeps me fulfilled on a personal level and in my development.
Like, what’s all this we’re doing for?
I love learning about wine, for example. A glass of wine is like a piece of art, it’s something alive, something made personally by a craftsman that you experience with your own personal tastebuds. You take this natural raw material, grapes, and with knowledge, skill, craft and patience you refine it into this cultural drink. It’s like a sort of alchemical process. I think that resonates with acting as well; you take a fine, raw material — your talent and the text — and you process it through you, the craftsman, into the performance.
What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their acting career?
Act. Wherever, whenever. Act as much and as often as you can. Acting is a craft and you need to practice it, a lot. Don’t think about being a movie star, you have no control over that. Seek out like-minded people and act in school plays, local theater groups, amateur films et cetera. If you can get into a reputable acting school by all means attend, but remember the school is for your personal growth. It won’t guarantee you anything in terms of being hired when you graduate, other than in certain theaters, and no one is really interested in your training, just your craft. What I regret most about my four years in theater school is I didn’t try out more things and failed more often. I wanted to please and get the teachers approval. So many of us in this line of work have holes within us that we want to fill, more often than not with other people’s approval and that makes us vulnerable in a bad way. Find your worth as a human being, a worth that is inherent in you, and not reliant on how “successful” you become or perceive yourself to be. Cause that hole can never be filled with things outside of yourself, no matter how “big a star” you end up becoming. Just look at all the tragic lives of many famous and wonderful actors that are no longer with us.
Also, like sports, acting doesn’t have to be professional. You can be a great actor anywhere, even perform monologues. If you want to pursue an acting career make sure you do it for the right reasons and have a plan for the long run and really train to be in the Olympics of showbusiness. Most actors hardly make ends meet — and it doesn’t always have to do with their talent. If you want to be an actor to be famous, don’t do it. Few become famous and there are a lot of other, easier venues to become famous — or infamous — than this calling.
You’re a polyglot and have travelled and worked in many countries and places, including LA and Hollywood. Can you tell us a little about that?
Traveling is wonderful, I was bitten by the traveling bug growing up as my parents took us on so many vacations all around the globe. To experience a new place and culture really adds so much to the backpack I was talking about earlier. Los Angeles is a crazy, but really fun place — especially to be new in. For a while we were a bunch of Swedish actors traveling there on a regular basis dipping our toes in the business. Some went on to win Oscars (Alicia Vikander, ed’s note)! Vampires were all the rage 2010, so I acted both on stage (Vampire — The Masquerade) and did a small stint on HBO’s True Blood. I auditioned for a starring role in Sony’s 30 Days of Night-sequel and got to act in a really fun tv-show signed Illeana Douglas. It was called Easy to Assemble and was this idea of actors working at IKEA (!). So my character, “Thor The Swedish Actor”, got to go wild around Illeanas friends that joined the show, famous actors like Keanu Reeves, Craig Bierko, Justine Bateman, Eric Lange and Corey Feldman. It was a fun time
What kind of roles are you most interested in? Do you prefer a certain genre?
It’s always the role that interests me. Some acting gigs you have to take on just to put food on the table, but the ones that ignite my soul are the ones I’m constantly looking for. I’m interested in complex characters with strong obstacles, like the sad, romantic count in The English Patient. I would love to do a film like that one day, I really feel I could do great work in that. I wouldn’t say I favor one genre over the other, even though there is an emphasis on drama and thrillers in my body of work. But I guess that’s also because those are the two most predominant genres we make in the Nordics. I often hear from peers that I’m really funny, so I’d love to do more comedy and show audiences my funny bones.
How do you handle criticism and rejection in this industry?
Like everyone else — lots of heavy drinking! (laughter). No, seriously, Criticism in itself is never fun but it can actually be something constructive that makes you better. If you can look beyond your bruised ego and if given from a place of good intention to make the recipient better. Or if you can channel your disappointment into fuel, like “I’ll show them!”, that’s also a different side of the coin. Rejection hurts a lot too. When you know you’re so right for something and know you would have killed it in that part, it’s just so painful to not have been given the chance to prove it. Those who critique do so from a safe place of power and it is fairly easy to find faults in other peoples’ work. So it’s a great responsibility not all critics really understand. At the same time you gotta remember criticism is subjective, what someone likes might be something someone else loathes. And that’s an extra layer of X factor in this business, there’s no objective judging of quality and talent in terms of end results. Mediocrity is everywhere. It’s not like in sports, who runs the fastest or scores the most goals. It’s all about someone’s taste and perception and that can give you the chance to show your work and find an audience. Getting in the door is half the battle.
I save all the positive messages and reviews I get and throw away the bad stuff. Thankfully I’ve not received a lot of criticism for my work in my career, although like all working actors I have been in some productions that turned out to be not-so-great.
What steps are you taking to improve and grow as an actor?
Good question! I think for me there are two parallel processes. One is working on my actual craft as an actor, to practice interesting or challenging material, read scripts, fantasize about characters and do self-exploration; creative writing, listening to music and meditating for example. Movement is great for creativity, I get lots of good ideas at the gym or walking in nature! The other part is related but more about my personal journey: meeting interesting people and listening to them and grow my horizons. I try to constantly gather new experiences, new insights and keep in shape. And by “in shape” I mean at the level of staying healthy mentally and physically to do good work. I admire the physical ambitions some actors have, and a few make a great living off being ripped. A great physique can be a nice complement to your talent, no doubt, In my humble opinion though most actors should spend more time practicing craft and picking up scripts and not just focus on picking up weights at the gym. That’s not the core of great acting.
What are your long-term goals in the acting industry?
To be the best actor I can be and be involved in great projects that people love. Hopefully to leave some kind of mark, for an audience to enjoy my work long after I’m gone. I think we’re all suckers for fame when we’re young, it’s part of our coming-of-age, to be approved and loved by others. With age that becomes less important, at least for me. I don’t want to be famous, I want people to know and appreciate my work — which may sound contradictory but it isn’t. I love getting great feedback for my work, but I also enjoy eating a burger with my kids in peace and not be asked for an autograph. I understand that can sound strange, it’s kind of inherent in the job of an actor who’s seen on camera and has a unique name to be “known”. But at the same time you can be Ralph Fiennes-known for movie-buffs and superstar-Tom Cruise-well-known for everyone, you know what I mean? Fame-wise I’m happy where I am right now, “a familiar face” for most people.
Can you share a bit about your lifestyle outside of acting? What are your hobbies and interests?
I love stories! My wife is a screenwriter and also writes books, so I love diving into her world and characters. I’ve also re-discovered the joy of watching movies and reading books. And when I have the time, story-driven video games on consoles are a treat. For years I was so busy with work and toddlers that I kind of lost sight of everything else. I love traveling and the pleasures of a great plate of food with a nice glass of wine. That is not just nourishment for my body, it feeds my heart and soul. My wife always says: “I’ve never seen anyone savor a great meal like you!”. And it’s funny, cause it’s true! I’m happy I’ve still got a lot of my inner child inside of me, who can get excited for things and stand in awe and wonder at the beauty of a sunset or a piece of art, like a painting, piece of music or great film. My spirituality also means a lot to me and it gives me strength and inner peace to talk about it with like-minded people.
How has becoming an actor changed your perspective on life and art?
At the risk of sounding pretentious, it’s changed everything for me. People are sometimes asked “If you could turn back time and do things differently, what would you do?”. And the honest truth is I would pretty much do the same things I’ve done. That’s not to say I’ve not made mistakes and experienced my share of sorrow, heartbreak, deceit and fear along the way. But that road brought me here. I still have dreams and goals. I see actors as shamans, for me this is a shamanistic artform. We gather the tribe, dress up and tell them something about life. We entertain, touch their hearts and souls and make them laugh, cry and reflect on their own lives. They hopefully also realize that they’re not alone in their fears, dreams and longing. We all share this human condition. That is why great art is universal. Timeless stories can be told in any language — even one you don’t understand — as the essence of the story will still resonate with you.
Considering the times we live in today, communal experiences like theatre, film and concerts, with stories and music that make us not think about the state of the world, are more needed than ever. And a lot of great, classic films are available for us to experience easily, long after the creators are gone. So build your own library of films on physical media, don’t just stream them. You will be glad you did one day. Just like having real books in a bookshelf.
What impact do you hope to make in the film industry?
Well, it kind of goes back to the previous question about long-term goals as an actor. I want to do great roles in great films, to entertain and to touch. And hopefully make a long-term imprint so that new audiences will discover and enjoy my films in the future. A future that is full of potential, but also dark clouds with the emergence of A.I. in entertainment.
How do you stay grounded and focused amidst the glamour and glitz of the industry?
By focusing on the work, my family and my interests. And remembering what all this is really about. Sure, it’s great to be appreciated and having your picture taken, because it means someone cares about what you do. But that’s not the work or what I get up for every morning.
Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you’re excited about?
In this business we’re very superstitious and don’t want to jinx anything! Haha! There is currently a movie in development with me as one of the leads, a wonderful and action-packed comedy that’s never been made in Sweden before. I hope we can get it off the ground in the next few months and share it with an audience in a darkened theater soon.
As an actor, how do you hope to evolve in the next few years?
I want to use more of my current self and be even more exciting, naked (metaphorically speaking) and impactful. I want to stretch and show audiences my other sides, my humor. We are the same, yet not the same during our lifetime. That’s why we should welcome each new age and the possibilities it brings. What’s important in your 20s isn’t as important in your 40s. And that’s how it should be. “To learn is to change”, as the Buddha is said to have put it.
I like that idea.
Photos and text: Fredrik Johansson, free lance journalist and contributor for stardom.se
