Interview: Martin Wallström
Known for his powerhouse of a performance as the dangerously ambitious Tyrell Wellick in the critically acclaimed series Mr. Robot, Swedish actor Martin Wallström has established a name for himself within the industry as a reliable supporting character actor who can be trusted to deliver unforgettable performances regardless of the size of the part. His latest film, The Similars director Isaac Ezban’s sci-fi thriller Parallel, sees him step confidently into the spotlight with a fantastic lead performance as headstrong businessman Noel that will undoubtedly raise his profile even more. We had the chance to talk to Wallström about everything from the sci-fi genre to how he approaches complicated roles to improvising on set with fellow cast members.
Film Updates: Congrats on an excellent film! I had such a great time watching it.
Martin Wallström: Thank you. Are you into sci-fi?
Film Updates: Yes, actually!
Martin Wallström: Which [sci-fi film] is your favorite? If you had to name one favorite sci-fi film, what would it be?
Film Updates: Probably Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar.
Martin Wallström: That was interesting to hear because I have never been a big sci-fi fan. But when you mention Interstellar, the sci-fi [elements] are used as a trojan horse for a great story [and to explore] philosophical themes. And so it’s interesting to just hear what people have to say [when you ask them what their favorite sci-fi film is] because I guess for most people, [the overall story and themes are] what they’re interested in. It’s not just about the cool shots. I find that interesting.
Film Updates: Yeah, I think that’s definitely the case with this movie. That’s interesting, though, that you don’t consider yourself a fan of sci-fi films. May I ask what drew you to this movie in particular?
Martin Wallström: I talked to Isaac Ezban, the director [of the film], and saw his film The Similars, and I thought that he had a very interesting and appealing way of using sci-fi as a [gateway] to something more philosophical [in order to] ask bigger questions. So that was one of the reasons why I wanted to work with him. I also found the part really interesting, that character, and even though I could see why I got this script sent to me, because the character, of course, resembles Tyrell, [my character] in Mr. Robot but having been able to do a character like that and then be given such a broad arc that lets you go from this average, next door guy who just wants to become someone [to that type of character]. It’s just so nice to portray.
Film Updates: Noel is probably the most complex character in the film. How do you approach a character like that? How do you get into that headspace?
Martin Wallström: In the beginning of the film, he’s almost very cautious about the mirror and what the [characters] want to achieve with it. But as time goes by, he starts to use it more regularly, almost as if he’s had this thing his whole life. [In terms of how he viewed the parallel versions of himself], I started thinking about adoption and if you’re adopted and you know you have a sibling, you know that somewhere else in this world, there is someone who is almost exactly like me. I started to read a lot about that topic, and saw different TV shows about adoption where all these people live what you would think of as normal lives, but they have this sort of – well, they talk about this parallel reality. Like, ‘that could have been me if I hadn’t been adopted’, so that was a big inspiration for me, to look into that and to bring that into this world. Also, the other characters really embrace the mirror from the beginning and I think [Noel] has this more serious outlook on it and who should be given the opportunity to use it. So he’s very serious about it.
Film Updates: I noticed that Noel doesn’t actually get any kind of backstory in the film. Not as much as some of the other characters at least, so I wanted to ask – was there any iteration of the script that had a bit of a more fleshed-out backstories for him or were there any discussions between you and Isaac about the character’s motives?
Martin Wallström: No, we didn’t and that was never a problem for me. I felt like when Noel went into that parallel universe, I could explore his motives [and] his desires in a more subtle way. In the film, he has this meeting with a professor and that professor in Noel’s original world is a Nobel Prize winner. But in that parallel universe, he hasn’t been discovered yet. So Noel goes there to just see what kind of work he does. He has this sort of fascination of like, ‘I’m here, I can touch this’ and that sort of gave me more than having an actual backstory the way some of the other characters had. I never missed that, actually.
Film Updates: The film is a very dark movie at times but it also had a lot of lighter moments. One of those moments is the scene with the Godfather impression. I interviewed your co-star Mark O’Brien last week and he told me that the scene was your idea. Can you tell me about how that came about? How did you come up with that?
Martin Wallström: It was a collaborative effort, really. What I will say about it is that it was 100% the best day I’ve ever had on a movie set. I’ve never had that much fun. In the beginning, they had another idea of what that scene would be like and because [co-stars] Mark, Aml [Ameen] and Georgia [King], who are all writers and directors themselves, were there, when it came to developing and shaping scenes, we were able to work so brilliantly together. I sort of felt that the [original] idea [for that scene] that was in the script never fit that well into the story. So I started thinking about well, if Noel and Josh were to combine their fantasies – because Josh, he goes into the mirror back and forth, just playing [around] and fulfilling his own fantasies, and I thought it would be nice if they would go in together, that Noel would act the same way too. So I started thinking about, what would his thing be? Well, maybe he wanted to be The Godfather. Noel really wants to be the biggest and the most successful [person] so I came up with the idea of The Godfather because it felt like something Noel would fantasize about, and Isaac and Mark thought that it would be funny, so we combined it with Josh’s dream of blowing up a million dollars. Honestly, if there was a mirror into a parallel universe, I would go back and relive that moment.
Film Updates: Okay, so I can’t let you leave without asking about Mr. Robot. That show has such a dedicated fanbase but there’s also this smaller group that have sort of rallied around Tyrell as a character and I think a lot of that has to do with your performance. You did such a great job at humanizing him and adding layers to the character. Are you aware of the Tyrell Wellick fanbase?
Martin Wallström: No, I didn’t know that! I knew the show had a very supportive fanbase but I didn’t know Tyrell had one as well. But of course, to have something that so many people actually care about and have all these theories about, and are interested in it and invested in it, it’s just such a great gift. I talked to my manager just before [this interview] about how sometimes some people don’t like doing press because it takes such a long time and I just remembered when I was in drama school. We were doing our final play and no one wanted to come and see us. We had to give away tickets! Like go through the city and just give them away! No one cared! Just being in something that people care about and that they’re invested in is just wonderful. Sometimes, it’s just unbelievable that people do care and that they’re invested in something I’m part of. It’s just a wonderful [feeling].
WARNING: The question below contains spoilers for the ending of Parallel.
Film Updates: I want to talk about your final scene in the movie. It’s a pretty, pretty brutal scene. Was that all CG? How did that come together?
Martin Wallström: We had to do so many takes [of that scene]. The glass had to be shattered in one take, it had to be completely intact in another. I had to run in one take and then stand completely still in another. It was a long process. But I think what they did was – I don’t think it was that much CGI. They actually had like half of a doll that looked like me, and then when it separated from the glass, it was just blood and guts – so ketchup possibly, I don’t know what they use for that. But there wasn’t that much CGI involved when it came to the final scene.
Parallel is now playing in theaters and is also available on VOD.