The role as Per Gessle in the film about Gyllene Tider inspired Valdemar Wahlbeck to quit social media.
The first thing I did was to delete Facebook and Instagram, he says.
The film "Sommartider", which has its cinema premiere on July 17, depicts Gyllene Tider's journey from young, awkward guys from Halmstad to pop stars after their breakthrough in the late 1970s.
But it's not a documentary portrayal. Director Per Simonsson's film is a romantic portrayal of pop life, as if it were a text to a Gyllene Tider song.
This rollercoaster of emotions, longing for love, heart and pain. It was a great inspiration, he says.
"Do your thing"
Valdemar Wahlbeck plays Per Gessle and recognized himself in much – since he himself is from Gyllene Tider's hometown Halmstad. But playing an icon, who is also very much alive, is not easy.
I didn't really know what to do. So I asked Per and he said "do your thing, it'll be fine". And that's what I did.
Per Simonsson tells that Per Gessle was a bit skeptical at first.
I noticed that he was on his guard until he read the first version of the script. Then he understood that it's not a documentary.
Inspiration
When Valdemar Wahlbeck compares today's world with the 1970s, he sees it as a time when there wasn't much to do, which was good for creativity. You had to come up with something other than scrolling.
It has inspired me a lot, to take a step back and go out and do things. The first thing I did was to delete Instagram and Facebook.
We'll see if I get them back. I have nothing against social media. But the way I want to live my lifestyle, I just thought it took up too much time.
Valdemar Wahlbeck has grown up in the entertainment world, as the son of comedian Peter Wahlbeck. Other celebrity children are also in the film, such as Jesper Parnevik's son Phoenix and Lancelot Hedman Graaf, son of entertainment profile Magdalena Graaf and football player Magnus Hedman.
Lancelot Hedman Graaf has his own music career, but didn't back down from being associated with Gyllene Tider as well.
I used to think like that before. But then I'm such a ridiculously manic person. So I can't keep thinking like that. I'm doing music, I'm competing in thaiboxing, and then suddenly I'm sitting here and I'm an actor.
But aren't you too cool to play Gyllene Tider?
Haha! Yeah, maybe. But we had stylists, they didn't, says Valdemar Wahlbeck and laughs.
Valdemar Wahlbeck attends the Ballet Academy and aims to become a musical artist. But as a younger man, he tried his hand at his father Peter Wahlbeck's job, as a stand-up comedian.
I went around to some pubs in southern Sweden. And came up with some of my own jokes and snatched some of dad's jokes sometimes, he says and laughs.
We joked about me being the first to go around and take my dad's jokes, but, no, I'm not a stand-up comedian. I'm an actor.
