How are you, have you stayed healthy?
– God no. As the weeks went by I had a fever, a sore throat and a cough. It feels like I’ve been through almost everything at different times. I felt really bad in Gothenburg. But when you have that kind of resistance in your body, you almost get a little bit of adrenaline. You become a rock star, you drive Showbiz.
How does being the center of attention affect you?
– I actually haven’t read that much. But I’ve realized that it’s not really this type of exposure that I love. As an actor, you have a certain distance when playing a role and often film well in advance. Everything is pure here. You stand up for yourself and are exposed to opinions. I am always very relieved after the Saturday broadcasts. But you quickly realize: “That’s right! It’s a new week.” At the same time, it’s incredible that Mello exists. I usually read all the news and am pretty dystopian. Then it’s nice to be reminded that there are also happy children with glittery hats and feather boas. That’s why I’ll check every year now.
How are you feeling heading into this weekend’s finale?
– It’s a fantastically big arena, so it’ll be a lot of fun. It’s a great starting field, with a great mix, just the way you want it. And we do a really fun interlude, me and Gina (Dirwai, editor’s note) to say goodbye and tell you what this job is really about. Then I will die on my sofa and only rise again on Tuesday.
The Melodifestivalen final will be broadcast on SVT/SVT Play on Saturday at 8 p.m.
Read more about Melodifestivalen here
