BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — “A Life’s Worth,” the Swedish series that is now being broadcast on the streaming service Viaplay, deals with young soldiers thrown into Bosnia’s brutal conflict in 1993. It features all the elements of a production dealing with war – guns, uniforms, armored vehicles and much more paraphernalia for an armed conflict.
The production goes deeper. What it also has are the fears of young people, the uncertainty of a future, constant emotional turmoil and deep friendships as a group of young Swedes who are part of a NATO force. Those personal elements are what attracted Edvin Ryding to the project.
“It’s a psychological drama. In my mind, it’s about how these people are affected by this horrible conflict. And not just the soldiers but more importantly the local population, the victims of the conflict,” Ryding says during a break from film “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” now filming in Germany.
“A Life’s Worth” doesn’t only explore the horrors of war, but also the humor, hope, and friendships that sustain the soldiers through it. The eight-part series is Sweden’s most ambitious war drama to date.
Four Swedish rookie soldiers – Forss, Babic, Strand and Kilpinen – voluntarily venture into the heart of conflict in the Balkans – some driven by duty, others by the prospect of adventure. They are deployed for their first overseas service to the tangled, bloody conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where their mission is to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians while staying neutral. However, it proves impossible to solve by peaceful means as a cycle of atrocities and revenge between Bosnians and Croats threatens the stability of the region.
Ryding stresses his job is to take what the character is going through and find a connection within himself as an actor. It helped that Ryding and the rest of the cast had a long period to prepare for the physical and emotional demands of the production.
One source to prepare for the role Ryding used was talking to his friends who were in the Swedish military. The fact that boggled him the most was that each one of his friends was presented with a card that told them their life expectancy.
Those who were part of military action were told they were expected to last no more than five seconds. Ryding found that unfathomable.
“Obviously none of us have been in a weaponized conflict, so we needed to do as much as possible to get as close of a feel to that as possible,” Ryding says, “I definitely try and experience what it’s like to live with the not knowing if you’re going to die that day or not.
“I could never fully understand what that’s like. That’s reality for these people. We did our best.”
Ryding was able to draw from past TV and film performances to help him create the character of Johan Strand. He is best known for his starring role as Prince Wilhelm in the Netflix teen drama “Young Royals.” Other credits include “Mannen under trappan,” “The Crown Jewels,” “The Stig-Helmer Story,” and “28 Years Later.”
The actor has been involved with two major franchises with “28 Years Later” and “Hunger Games.” He feels a lot of pressure when working on those projects because they already have large fan bases.
He calls working on an original project like “A Life’s Worth” as being freeing. He was able to create the character from the ground up.
Ryding has been involved with projects that were all original and some based on a previous project or book. “A Life’s Worth” is based on Magnus Ernström’s novel, A Half Year, an Entire Life.
Whether Ryding will look at the original material is different from project to project.
“I felt like since it’s based on real events and real experiences, I found it necessary to educate myself as much as possible through Magnus’s book on which the script is based,” Ryding says. “Magnus and some of the other veterans were on set with us as consultants so we could ask them as much as possible about their experiences.
“I found that really vital and useful. In other projects, it could be way more of how I can’t look too much into it.”
The final element that helped Ryding get into the right acting frame of mind came from the wardrobe department. He has always found what he is wearing helps him get into character.
What ended up being the most important part of his wardrobe was his shoes.
“It’s so helpful with the costume, the shoes. Maybe in a project like this even more because it’s part of the experience of being a soldier. The physical aspect of it and having to carry the gun and walk around in the gear,” Ryding says. “It was heavy, and I found that it really helped me physically.”
New episodes of “A Life’s Worth” are available each Thursday through Nov. 27.
The Viaplay streaming service features thousands of hours of premium Nordic and European series and films from Scandinavia’s largest and most recognized television/streaming platform.
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