A modern nightclub on Hamngatan in Stockholm has been transformed into the early 1980s Café Opera. There are half-full glasses on the bar counter and theater cigarette smoke is heavy in the room.
— Come on guys, show that you’re happy that you just released your second record! shouts director Per Simonsson.
The as-yet-untitled film’s Golden Times quintet are celebrating the album “Modern Times” and have just played their songs to an audience of extras. None of them are trained musicians and before they started recording they had to take music lessons – some from real Golden Times members.
— I was so excited and nervous when Micke Syd invited me home. He said that I won’t be able to play like him, but the important thing is that I play with my heart. He showed me “Sailors”, which I thought was the most difficult to play at the beginning, says Phoenix Parnevik.
Director Per Simonsson confirms that Micke “Syd” Andersson’s drum lessons paid off.
— They understood the music as well as possible and now everything fits like a charm and sounds great. I am very proud of them.
16 to 23 years
The five protagonists are between 16 and 23 years old. The oldest is Lancelot Hedman Graaf who plays Anders Herrlin and the youngest – just like the real Göran Fritzon – Xavier Kulas. The latter is like Valdemar Wahlbeck from Halmstad.
“It was nice when Per Gessle read the script and said, ‘It wasn’t exactly how it was, but that’s how I felt,'” says director Per Simonsson.
The fact that Wahlbeck is the son of the comedian Peter Wahlbeck was noticed when the film plans were announced. Especially since two more of the main roles went to so-called “nepo babies”, children of famous parents.
— When we found Valdemar, we had no idea who his father was. I was a little nervous about introducing him to Per Gessle, because Peter Wahlbeck is such a provocateur and has been giving Gessle and others swag over the years. But Gessle thought it was incredibly fun that it was Valdemar, says Per Simonsson.
Wahlbeck was discovered at an open casting in Halmstad, but it took a long time before the role was his.
— It seems that people don’t understand that there are auditions. For me, it took a whole year of auditions, where I got to try playing against different people and singing. It’s hard to sing like Per, especially when everyone knows what he sounds like and can compare it to the original, says Valdemar Wahlbeck.
Valdemar Wahlbeck in the role of Per Gessle in the Golden Times film. Press image.”Get hell”
On this particular day, no concert scenes will be recorded, but several members of the team attest that the lead actor’s voice is something very special – and also similar to Per Gessle’s hoarse voice.
— For me as a director, that nepo baby thing is completely uninteresting. I want actors I can work with. It would be stupid to bring someone in because they are a name and then have hell on the recording, says Per Simonsson.
The film itself takes place between the years 1979 and 1984. The actors are dressed in unbuttoned shirts, vests with rhinestones and tight jeans. But the hairstyles are different and have a more modern twist. According to people from the film team, Per Gessle has pointed out that the guys look like the originals – but better looking.
— Since the film takes place in the late 70s and early 80s, the challenge has been to create this fun world that I myself grew up in. But we decided early on to give it more of a fairytale feel than a documentary, says Per Simonsson.
Valdemar Wahlbeck plays Per Gessle in the film.