. RydingEdvin chats about transforming into royalty ahead of the scandalous sophomore season of YoungRoyals.
fan when I was younger.” Both shows conjure timely resonance in narratives exploring sexual orientation framed through a prism of self-discovery. Still, the actor professes he has avoided defining Wilhelm with a label. “Sexuality is not the focal point or the problem here, which I think is a very important message to tell,” he explains. “His issue is not that he’s in love with a boy, it’s that he’s the Crown Prince.
The apple of Wilhelm’s eye is Simon, played by 23-year-old Venezuelan-Swedish singer and acting newcomer Rudberg. “He was amazing in season 1, but he stepped it up this season, which makes me so proud,” Ryding says of his costar. Having grown so close, Ryding notes that their characters' butting heads made for a new challenge: “There’s something method about it, because I feel like I know exactly why Wilhelm is doing what he’s doing and Omar knows exactly where Simon is coming from.
Ryding embodies this headstrong Prince with a tactile physicality, executing anxious mannerisms with minute attention to detail. That, in part, is due to his education. Having started acting at 5 years old, Ryding temporarily entertained drama school but was put off by the perspectives of fellow applicants: “I felt like they had a different focus on the art of it… I didn’t like that.
Studying human nature is clearly fascinating for Ryding, who animatedly recites his “very thorough” monarchy training and the ritualistic formalities of royal youth: “They’re being told you need to look [at people] in the eye, shake their hands, say your name, and then they’re allowed to speak after you.