Young Royals' Omar Rudberg talks "weird" sex scenes and s3 hopes

Rainbow Crew is an ongoing interview series that celebrates the best LGBTQ+ representation on screen. Each instalment showcases talent working on both sides of the camera, including queer creatives and allies to the community.

Next up, we're speaking to Young Royals star Omar Rudberg.

"It's been love, a lot of love," Omar Rudberg tells us when we ask about Young Royals' considerable fandom. "I haven't seen anything else but love – for real."

And it's not just love from Sweden either. Since season one premiered on July 1, 2021, Netflix's intimate gay love story has become more famous than perhaps any Swedish royal in real life, especially among teen fans on an international scale.

"I was hoping that this series was going to be big in Sweden and hopefully Scandinavia," says Omar. "But it blew my mind – everyone's minds – when the series just flew away all over the world."

All this love is absolutely deserved, and the adoration continues to pour in now that Young Royals has returned for its second, highly-anticipated season. Digital Spy caught up with Omar to discuss *that* ending, season three hopes, and how his friendship with Edvin Ryding has evolved throughout the making of this show.

omar rudberg, edvin ryding, young royals, season 2

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What do you think it is about Young Royals that's drawn so many fans in outside of Scandinavia?

I would say the message behind it. We really work on showing what teenagers actually look like, what teenagers go through, and how teenagers feel, and what they do when they feel some things, and showing real teenagers, and real love, and real relationships, and how it goes in life when you're a young teen and you're in love, or when a friend does something stupid and you get really upset about it.

I just think that people can relate so much to this series because we're trying to tell this story as true as possible.

You get to sing and perform more this season. Talk us through what that's been like for you.

It's been amazing. I love singing. That's my number-one thing in life. I could just live by using my voice.

I love singing so much. And to get to do it in a series like this, playing a character – and also playing a character while writing a song, expressing the emotions and feelings that this character has through singing and through music – that's literally what I do for a living, also.

"People relate so much to this series because we're trying to tell this story as true as possible."

Sometimes I go to the studio, and I write songs, and I express my feelings and emotions and everything in a song. It's an amazing feeling to get to do it in Young Royals. It's amazing to get to release the music, as well, from the series – and not only from the series, but from my character, you know? It's special.

You and Edvin [Ryding] share a lot of intimate moments together that are key to the show. Is it awkward to film those scenes or is it just another part of the job for you?

When you compare our friendship today as it was in the first season – we got to know each other even more now. I feel really safe when I work with Edvin, and when I hang out with Edvin, because I know what I have with him. I know what kind of relationship we have.

He feels the same way as I do. We just know that we've got each other's back. We're close friends. We feel safe working together. And that was something we had to learn, also, in season one. We didn't really know each other.

Netflix

We had to get to know each other while filming, basically. But this time, we already know. We've been through it all. We've been hanging out for the last year, after the first season was released.

I feel like we have even more chemistry today. In front of the camera, when we play Simon and Wilhelm, we feel safe enough, so we can do it even more. We can go deeper, and not be afraid or feel awkward or uncomfortable.

The only thing, though, is that after a whole year of hanging out together as friends – then we're going to meet up and start kissing and touching and lying in bed without a shirt on or whatever – it becomes weird. Because we're just used to hanging out as friends. And now we have to go back to that world again.

We're like, "Wait, what?" And then we just start laughing. We cannot take each other seriously. We can't look at each other in the eyes. It's just a funny and weird situation at the same time. But it's great. It has its charm.

What are your thoughts on the end of season two when Wilhelm does his big speech and turns to smile at Simon? We don't get to hear his reaction aside from that look of shock, so what do you think this means for Simon?

I think that Simon's heart dropped. That was like Wilhelm signing a paper where Simon asks him, "Do you love me?". Wilhelm just writes in the paper, "Yes, I do". I feel like Simon got to really feel that moment. He did that for him. He actually said that.

"I feel like we have even more chemistry today."

Because I remember, right before that, he said, "We can be together. Whatever it takes, I just want to be with you. Even if it had to be a little secret, it's going to be our secret. But don't let us have secrets for each other. We always have to be real with each other."

And then Wilhelm just says that. That really shows how much he really loves Simon. Simon realised that, "Wow, this is for real".

That's what I really love about the show. We show the love for each other. Not anything else. It's the love between the characters, and it's so beautiful to see.

If the show returns for a third season, what do you hope happens next?

That is so hard because it can go in so many different directions.

I have a lot of ideas. But you know what? Me and Lisa Ambjörn, the head writer, we want to sit down and talk about what we see and what we feel, and the ideas, and what's actually going to happen in the story.

edvin ryding, omar rudberg, young royals, season 2

Netflix

I feel like it was a lot clearer for me when it came to season two. It was like, "This happened in season one. This can happen in season two." With season three, it's like, "Now we're talking. Now it's getting real."

So I don't know. One thing that I really just want to see is Simon and Wilhelm – will they be happy? So we can get a taste of the love. The 100% love – the unconditional love – and being together. That's something that I want to see.

It can't be like that all the time. It has to be interesting. It has to wake the feelings. But that's something that I'm looking forward to, to see them like a "we against the world" kind of thing. That would be so beautiful to see.

Young Royals seasons 1 and 2 are now available to watch on Netflix.