With his chill and super friendly demeanour, Malte Gårdinger could not have been more different from the character that he plays on Netflix’s queer show Young Royals. In the series, the up-and-coming Swedish actor does a wonderful job of portraying August - a seemingly overtly-confident royal family member and school prefect who on the inside deals with a ton of insecurities. Although August's attempts to remain in power can be only described as despicable, for Malte, it’s important to understand the basis of his actions. “His behaviour comes from the fact that he’s just really scared to lose everything that he has and his way of dealing with that makes him really impulsive,” he explains. “Everything that August does is a reaction to his terrified state.” A couple of days before the series' season two premiere, we spoke to Malte about going back on set and the challenges of portraying a villain.

What did it feel like to go back on set for the second season? Did you feel there was more pressure surrounding the project now that the show has been a hit?

No, not really! I felt like it was easier to reprise the role that I’ve already done before and work again with people that I’ve gotten to know over the past couple of years. I knew what to expect, so I definitely felt more comfortable [this time around].

I feel like the second season of the show definitely has a darker and more grown-up tone. In your opinion, what are the biggest differences between this season and the previous one?

In the second season, every character gets another layer to them – we’re digging more and you can get deeper into every person on the show.

Yeah, that’s definitely the case with the character that you’re playing, August. This year, we get to see more of the insecurities that he’s facing, and understand a little bit more the basis of his behaviour. What would you say are the biggest challenges with portraying a dark character like him?

I would say that the biggest one was showing August in a completely different set of circumstances. He’s definitely so much more vulnerable now. I had to find that dark place inside me and I did the best that I could to not bring myself down too much [while doing it]. Some of the harder scenes for me this season were the ones where he’s in a state of panic on the inside and trying to push it down.

Do you in any way empathize with what he’s going through?

Yeah, of course! I feel like I have to get the reasonings [behind his actions] to be able to stand for it in the moment. For me, his behaviour comes from the fact that he’s just really scared to lose everything that he has and his way of dealing with that makes him really impulsive. Everything that he does is a reaction to his terrified state.

Once you saw the scripts for the second season, what were the aspects of August’s storyline that you were most surprised to see or most excited about getting to play on screen?

I was quite excited for him to not be as on top as he was in the first one. It was interesting to see how he would react and handle the position that he’s in now. I was really pumped about trying to showcase that!

Young Royals is for many young people a show that definitely has a big impact on them growing up, for example when it comes to exploring their identities. What would you say were the films or shows that were really important to you when you were younger?

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a big one for me! Also, Little Miss Sunshine and The Tree of Life. They all bring that [warm] feeling when I think about them.

Who is an actor that you look up to?

Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s such an interesting person and an amazing actor.

Yeah, back when he was still acting, he was the master of transformations! Which one of his roles were you most impressed with?

I would say his role in Gangs of New York, where he puts on that 19th century accent - that was the first time I realized just how much research he does for every role!

Let’s switch gears a little bit: outside of acting, what’s something that you're good at that not many people know about? Do you have any secret talents?

Well, I write music and play both piano and guitar, but I feel like most people might know that already. [Laughs] I can also do a breakdance move where I spin around on my shoulders called the windmill – I learned how to breakdance as a kid and now it’s my party trick!

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Interview by Martin Onufrowicz

Photography by Marco van Rijt

Fashion by Hilda Sandström

Casting Imagemachine cs

Grooming by Martin Sundqvist

All clothes Prada