The stars of Young Royals are “excited” for viewers to witness the new direction for their characters in season two.
Following the forbidden romance between the fictional Prince Wilhelm of Sweden (Edvin Ryding) and his classmate Simon (Omar Rudberg), the Swedish drama premiered to universal praise last year; critics commended the performances of the aforementioned duo and, for casting teenage actors in teenage roles (imagine that?), its authenticity.
With a combined Instagram following of – wait for it – four million, the series catapulted Edvin and Omar to global superstardom. In the past year alone, Omar has released his critically-acclaimed debut studio album, OMR, while Edvin has been yo-yo-ing across Europe for the upcoming disaster film, The Abyss.
Ahead of the season two premiere on 1 November, Edvin and Omar tell GAY TIMES that they’re “even more nervous” pre-release than the first season because of the outrageous new storylines.
“I had a lot of fun during season one and, ahead of season two, I was pretty anxious beforehand because I had a long period of time where I didn’t understand why he did what he did this season,” teases Edvin.
“I thought, ‘How will I be able to defend this, as an actor?’ But then I realised I shouldn’t defend this. This is Wilhelm, he’s coming from this place and this is the way he reacts to it. Once I figured that out, it was super fun.”
Omar says he “fucking screamed with happiness” when he read the new scripts.
“Like, give some drama!” he laughs. “I just love when stuff happens and this season never gets boring because there’s a lot going on.
“I think people will be like, ‘What? Simon actually did that?! I never thought that about Simon.’ But at the same time, it’s really beautiful to show that people make mistakes and nobody’s perfect, not even Simon.”
The first season of Young Royals culminated with Wilhelm’s cousin August (Malte Gårdinger) leaking the sex tape of the future king and Simon, with Wilhelm denying his involvement to the press. Following the scandal, Wilhelm confesses his love for Simon in front of the entire school, who doesn’t reciproctate.
Edvin says the characters are “on very different platforms” at the beginning of season two, with Wilhelm spending Christmas break alone “in his late brother’s room, not talking to his mother nor his father.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong Omar, but I think Simon has been very lonely and heartbroken too because neither of them wanted it to end like that,” he continues. “I think the difference is maybe one of them still has hope, or maybe both, but it’s very different because Wilhelm is motivated by revenge or desperation.
“He wants to punish August and he wants Simon back. That’s his two main targets. It’s very complicated and I think the audience will see that as they watch the show.”
In their interview, Edvin and Omar reveal why filming season two was ‘challenging’ and how their lives have transformed over the past year.
The stars also embrace their inner producer slash writer as they pitch an idea for a Young Royals and – get this – Heartstopper crossover. You hearing this, Netflix? Make! It! Happen!
The brand new issue of GAY TIMES also includes interviews with My Policeman star David Dawson and the cast of BBC Three’s groundbreaking new slasher comedy Wreck, while diving into the all-LGBTQ+ cast of Bros and how queer women have shaped the horror genre.
You can read our full interview with Young Royals’ Edvin Ryding and Omar Rudberg from 14 October via the GAY TIMES app, Apple News+, Readly and Flipster.
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