Edvin Ryding: The Teenager Who’s Claimed the Crown

Edvin Ryding is arguably the teen sensation of the moment, thanks to his starring role in the Netflix hit series ‘Young Royals’. Amidst this whirlwind of sudden fame, he sits down with us to share everything about what is, so far, the peak of his professional success.

How did your acting career begin? Is Wilhelm your first “big role”? Could you tell us a bit about your earlier projects?
I’ve been acting for thirteen years now—since I was five. Yes, it’s been quite a while! I actually started acting by chance. There’s a casting director here in Sweden named Maggie, who’s been doing castings with young actors for what seems like forever. I think we got in touch with her through a family friend. Back in 2008, she was looking for actors for a project but hadn’t found the “son of the family” yet. She was like, “Do you know any five-year-old boys with brown eyes who want to act?” And I was always the kid being dressed up and put on stage, so they thought of me. I auditioned and got the part! That’s how my acting career began. I remember it was a thriller series for Swedish TV called The Man Under the Stairs, but that’s about all I recall—though it was fun. Actually, fans have managed to find photos of me from back then!

Fans can be worse than the FBI…
Yes! I’m not sure if they’re worse, but it’s wild that they found those photos…

What was the casting process like for Young Royals? Any funny stories? How did you get picked to play Wilhelm?
I’m not entirely sure. I mean, I was contacted—or rather, my agent was—and they said, “Hey, there’s an audition for this series, and they want you to try out.” That was around May 2020. Initially, I did a couple of solo auditions with just the casting director, and later, they started bringing in other actors who were auditioning for different roles. It was a fun experience but quite a long one—I auditioned from May until July. That’s three months, which is quite a bit for a casting process. Then, one day in June, Omar walked through the door, and I recognised him right away—I’d been following his music career on social media for a while. I’ve said this before, but we clicked instantly, and it was so much fun. During the process, we also had a lot of chats with the director about the project, which was really refreshing. It made me super excited about it, so overall, it was a fantastic experience.

Did you know what the show was about from the start?
Not really—I didn’t get to read the script until I landed the part. But as I mentioned, we had several conversations with the director, where we went over the basic plot. He went deeper into Wilhelm’s character with me, of course, so I had a pretty clear idea of what the show would be like.

Are you aware of the impact this show has had on the LGBTQ+ community, especially since this time the “gay character” isn’t just the “gay best friend”, but the main character with a storyline beyond their sexual identity?
I think it’s amazing. That was one of the things that excited me most about the story and something I picked up on very quickly. Both lead characters are part of the LGBTQ+ community, and that’s fantastic. As you mentioned, we’re so used to the “gay best friend” trope, and there are many shows that do it really well—don’t get me wrong. But I think it’s refreshing for people to see a character from the LGBTQ+ community in the leading role. I’m really happy and proud of what we’ve achieved. I don’t think anyone expected the positive impact it’s had. People have written to me saying things like, “The show gave me the courage to come out to my parents,” which is incredible. I can’t imagine anything more important than having that kind of influence because it means we’ve really made a difference in people’s lives. There’s a ‘before and after’ Young Royals, which is crazy to think about. That makes me really happy. We even made it to the top ten in countries where LGBTQ+ rights have been under threat or didn’t exist for a long time.

Switching gears a bit, how did your family react when they watched the series? Did they like it?
Oh, yes, they’ve watched it. They’re incredibly proud of me. That’s one of the things that makes me happiest because the people I want to make proud are my family and friends. They’ve been there throughout the whole journey—whether I had issues at work or personal struggles, they’ve always been by my side. Making them proud means everything to me. So yes, they’ve seen the show, they loved it, and that makes me so happy. Some of them were even surprised by the storyline, which was important to me because they’re honest with me.

Artistically, do you have any sources of inspiration?
Mmm, a lot of things inspire me—people, my friends, my family, even strangers on the street sometimes. All these impressions have an impact on me. Artistically speaking, there are many actors who inspire me, and I’ve been fortunate to work with some of them here in Sweden, which I’m really grateful for. The more experienced actors are the greatest because they do amazing things, you know? I respect them a lot, and they’re good people, which is inspiring too. At first, I was nervous, but after getting to know them, you realise they’re just people. I’m lucky to call some of them my friends now.

Speaking of actors, how was it working with Omar? What’s he like as a co-star? Did you enjoy working together?
Absolutely! I don’t think people missed how much fun we had (laughs—referring to their social media posts). Working with him was incredible. We were able to collaborate on our characters, help each other out, and there was a lot of communication, especially when we felt stuck. We both enjoyed what we were doing and constantly consulted each other—on how to approach scenes or improve dialogue and stuff like that. He’s a great co-star and a fantastic person, and we had a lot of fun together. I think that shows on screen.

How has your life changed since filming Young Royals? We’ve seen that you now have over a million followers on Instagram!
Yeah, it’s crazy! I’m really happy about it—it’s something I didn’t expect, but it’s nice that people want to stay connected, chat, and interact. I love that. But even so, my private life hasn’t changed too much. I’ve got really good friends that I can still talk to like I always have. But yes, it’s been a big shift… a million followers!

So, would you say you’re handling the fame well?
Well, I think you never fully get used to fame. It’s hard to grasp the scale of it—so many people follow me and message me. Thankfully, it’s all been positive so far, so it feels good.

Have you received any negative comments?
Not really. The most “negative” feedback I’ve received has been constructive criticism, either about the show or my acting. I don’t see that as negative at all—in fact, I find it really important to have those conversations so I can learn and improve. It’s crucial for me as an actor so I don’t make the same mistakes in future projects. But no hateful comments so far.

Tell us about your upcoming projects… Are there any specific roles you’d love to play next?
Good question. Well, I can’t talk about any specific future projects right now, as I haven’t had any recent discussions about that. But what I do know is that I’d love to do things that haven’t been done before. Of course, I’ll continue acting, but I want to do something different—not just different from what I’ve done, but something that hasn’t been done yet. Do you know what I mean? My favourite films are my favourites because of the stories, the actors, the direction—I love them! But I want to be part of projects that touch people. I think that’s what makes a film or series great. I’m not sure I can categorise the genre I want to act in. Movies that make you feel… Actually, I want to do all kinds of films!

And finally, the question everyone’s been waiting for! Do you know anything about a second season of Young Royals? Anything you can share with us?
Mmm, no, not really… As far as I know, it’s still up to the team to make a decision. But come on, we’re not blind! We know Young Royals has been really well received, and we’re so grateful for that. But I can only speak for myself—I’d be thrilled to do a second season!

You know fans would go wild for it, right?…
I swear, I’m #teamsecondseason!