some incredibly important things the director (rojda sekersöz) and head writer (lisa ambjörn) said during deep talk- netflix about the creation of young royals and their inspiration
âRepresentation isnât about pressing things into places where they donât exist. Itâs about portraying reality as it actually is, because we donât do that.â
â when you do stories about the working class or the lower class, itâs very obvious. Then, you talk a lot about class. Journalists ask you those questions, those issues are debated. But when you do stories about the upper class, the class issue isnât brought up in the conversation surrounding the piece.
âWhen we depict the working class through Simon and Sara, I donât want it to be portrayed as the working class is usually portrayed. That itâs dirty, poor, problematic, with problematic family relationships.... it also shows how the working class can be.â
âthat itâs still hard to be homosexual or bisexual or LGBTQ+ at these schools. You think that the rest of Sweden has come far, weâre at the forefront, we have democracy and equality and equality between the sexes. But there are people at these schools who might be together with their roommate, but thatâs not talked about until a long time has passedâ
âI think it was important that this LGBTQ+ theme that it isnât a sign, that it just exists in the world.â
As filmmakers at some point you have to take a stand about reproducing certain stories around LGBTQ+ characters, and instead just let them be people and characters who âhappen toâ have a certain sexual orientation or a certain identity, but thatâs not at the forefront, itâs there as part of their character.â
âCreating representation is just about saying: Letâs look at the whole world. Letâs look at all the stories that can be told and that arenât told, and are actively disregardedâ
âThatâs what I like about making this into a youth series, we constantly show and we trust our audience. We donât have to tell our audience how they should feel and think or what is right or wrongâ
â so important to have a wide search in casting, and not be stuck on a particular skin colour or a certain clothing size, or whateverâ
âin film or tv, you look for the things youâre familiar with. Itâs a vicious circle when you donât see people like you portrayed. Then you donât think you stand a chance, and you donât apply for things.â
âAnd then somebody is watching this and seeing themselves in it. Maybe they cry maybe they laugh, itâs magicâ
âThat we talked about, was that weâd cast real young people. That theyâd look like real young people, because a lot of the dramas I watched, I loved everything, everyone I saw... but I was never able to feel that âshe looks like meâ, we might think about the same things but that person is gorgeous. We have the most beautiful cast in the world.. but they look like real people.. itâs so damn important â âand most importantly theyâre not 30 year olds playing 16 year oldsâ
Thatâs something.. the pressure, that anxiety, that coverage that isnât just like normal media, but anybody could film you... thatâs something we worked hard on in this series because itâs something that is part of everybodyâs not just young peoples lives.â
âWhereas now, youâre meant to have YouTube channels or you can look at the whole Megxit thing, and just posting or participating in the media where ordinary people are. This causes that last wall to fall, in front of the small private space you may haveâ
âYou want to get famous. You want attention. You might think that you want attention, when you might need acknowledgement. But attention doesnât have to be positive. It can be very damaging. Everybody needs that acknowledged. To feel that youâre capable and pretty or whatever it is. That you are enough.â
âThose who become known on social media... often have a particular socioeconomic background. You must be able to afford to buy things or be able to generate collaborations.. the class structure is perpetuatedâ
âAt that age, you feel a lot of things very deeply. You think itâs your last chance. Or, âI will neverâ itâs rewarding to dramatise and work with..
In conclusion- the incredible people behind young royals- especially these talented and more than important women - ingrained so many important and essential things into this show that is v cool and necessary to acknowledge and appreciate.