DIRECTORS CUT - Felix Herngren
DIRECTORS CUT - Felix Herngren
When Felix Herngren steps out into the morning light at his home in Palma de Mallorca, he has just finished the first of the day's many Teams meetings. The well-known Swedish actor and film director has privately changed his backdrop, from Sweden to Mallorca, and found a new home in the warm Mediterranean light. However, work on several projects in Sweden continues simultaneously, and Felix moves from meeting to meeting, discussing scenes and lines in films that still exist only on paper.
In his new home city, he moves comfortably through narrow streets, across open squares, and eats lunch in the sun whenever possible. We join Felix on a walk that ends at Palma Sport & Tennis Club, a meeting place for many Swedes who have moved here. Entrepreneurs, creatives and families gather over a match or a session in the gym.
Our theme, Director's Cut, refers to Felix having made a personal selection from Oscar Jacobson's collection. Finding what he feels suits him best. But also about "cut" in its most literal sense - the precise fit. The hallmark of Oscar Jacobson: a precise silhouette, in perfect fit, with craftsmanship in every seam and material.
The interest in clothing has always been there. He speaks about the drape and construction of fabrics with the same passion as he does about dramaturgy. For Felix, style, like film, is a matter of details and the whole picture at the same time.
This is Felix Herngren's Director's Cut: a personal interpretation of Oscar Jacobson, a conversation about style, at a new chapter in life.
You live mostly in Mallorca, what made you stay?
Fitting in isn't really what I always want. I've always had a longing to live abroad. When we ended up in Mallorca by chance, it felt completely right to give it a try. I actually thrive best in environments I don't quite know, among people who are different. That's something that draws me in.
You're known as an actor but work mostly as a director. What drives you behind the camera?
Being in the middle of a film production is fantastic. A large group of people with completely different skills and personalities coming together to tell a story. Every phase is so different. In the development stage, we pitch characters and plots, sometimes throwing weeks of work in the bin. It can be tough, but the alternative is worse. Sitting at the editing table with bad material - there are just a few things worse than that.
Your series Där solen alltid skiner is set in an environment similar to your own life - how much of it is autobiographical?
A lot is taken from my own life. I could have ended up in the same downward spiral as Tom in the series, but I managed to avoid it. The expat life raises existential questions about what life is really about and how to make the most of the years you have left.
How has your interest in clothing developed over the years?
It started when I was working in advertising in the 90s. I met people who dressed differently, and at this time, I could afford to buy better clothes myself. I loved walking around the shops in Soho when I was in London. I got some grumpy comments from colleagues about my choices, but in hindsight, I was right. Building a wardrobe of well-tailored pieces in quality materials gives me, at least, pleasure and style for life.
Are you as particular about fit and details as you are about scripts and editing?
As a director, I almost always wear black from head to toe for technical reasons, so that my reflection won’t be visible when filming. I work a lot with costume designers and stylists, and when I'm in front of the camera as myself, not a character, I sometimes get help from a stylist. Not because I don't have my own clothes or taste, but I love it when someone else who is talented has thought it through and chosen things I probably wouldn't have tried myself. It's really fun to be surprised.
Is there a project you're particularly proud of that didn't get the attention it deserved?
Not really, but perhaps Ulveson & Herngren. It didn't get great ratings and was panned by Dagens Nyheter. But that series had something special. The idea came during a dream I had, while I was going through a divorce. I saw myself and my then-wife arguing until she suddenly went physical and transformed into the Swedish actor Johan Ulveson. The nightmare became comedy, and the fights became choreographed dances where we knocked over fridges and long sticks at each other. It became like scenes featuring the comic strip characters X&Y from the Swedish MAD magazine. When I woke up, the idea was pretty much fully formed. I went to SVT(Swedish Television) the next day and pitched it.
