This article gives support to the above notions, I reckon;
13/5 2001
The actress who couldn't say noAlthough she has had acting roles continuously since she was 9 years old, Rebecka Liljeberg doesn't want to call herself an actress. Still, after the roaring success with Fucking Åmål, now it's time for Rebecka Liljeberg's international film debut. Today's 20-year-old celebrates her birthday in S:t Petersburg doing rehearsals for the shooting of the German-Russian-Swedish co-production Bear's Kiss. According to Rebecka, the Russian movie director Sergei Bodrov (Prisoner of the Mountains and current Cannes-topic The Quickie with Jennifer Jason Leigh) wants the film to be finished in time for next years Cannes festival.
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I play the lead role as daughter to a circus artist. It's going to be fun, although I think it's hard to be away from home during summer when everyone else are free, says Rebecka Liljeberg.
The film is made in English with European actors. Memfis Film, who produced Fucking Åmål, are also involved in Bear's Kiss.
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It feels good because I know them so well. Making a film is such a strange life, I very much enjoy not to dash about and most of all want to stay at home: playing football, go for a picnic, go to school - usual stuff.
To "dash about" is probably something many would like to do in her place. Rebecka is aware of that:
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I would gladly give away my role, but I can't do that. At the same time as I think this is really fun I also feel that I have done this enough. Since it is not my choice of career I would like to move on, but I am always hindered by getting offers that I can't refuse. Of course it's real luxury problems, she admits.
On weekdays Rebecka Liljeberg goes to school. She dropped out of Kungsholms Gymnasium after the first year and is now studying at Åsö Adult Gymnasium.
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Previously, I was pretty tired of school. Now I want to be finished so that I can start studying at the university. I'm considering scientific as well as humanistic subjects.868 000 Swedes have seen Rebecka Liljeberg in her Guldbagge-awarded lead role in Fucking Åmål.
Still, people are calling out for her in town and the film is turning up on new places all over the world. Thanks to Fucking Åmål she has visited places like Cannes, New York, Taiwan and Hongkong. The shooting took place in a revolutionary period of her life.
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I took a leap into the adult world: moved away from home, learned to know many new people - it was unbelievably rewarding.At the same time Rebecka discovered the back side of film and media industry.
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I have seen friends being used, especially those who have arrived into the world of acting a little bit too fast and been overwhelmed by all the attention. You are in the newspapers all the time even if you don't want to and finally you have exposed yourself so much that the only ground you are standing on is the fact that people know who you are. Then, when people are not interested anymore, you will fall. But I believe I have managed to keep both feet on the ground, says Rebecka Liljeberg who, although afraid it might sound pathetic, sees her mother as her real role model.
- I'm not afraid of becoming like her at all. Except that she might be a little bit too cynical sometimes, she is an unbelievably good woman. She works as a principal in health care for disabled people.For the uninitiated, Rebeckas career path might seem fixed. In junior school, a film team from SVT came to her school and hand-picked Rebecka for the role as Sofie in the advent calendar Sunes Jul (Sune's Christmas). She played youth theater in Nynäshamn and did the short movie Närkontakt (Close Encounter), which led to Fucking Åmål. After the improbable film success she has been seen in Längtans blåa blomma (The Longing's Blue Flower), Casa Balkan at Stockholms Stadsteater and the films Sherdil and Där Regnbågen Slutar (Where The Rainbow Ends). Today, she also writes a column in Svenska Dagbladet, last time it was about TV-turnoff week.
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It was an exciting experiment, says Rebecka who herself stayed away from TV the whole week - except sneaking in on the season finale of E.R.
- I'm angry with a lot of things. We are living in a downright consumption society where the whole point is to buy more stuff. I don't feel it's quite alright.- For the moment it's real fun to write, drift about and get a lot of money for little work. But I'm dreaming of becoming a doctor, because it feels more down to earth and concrete. You know that the things you do really mean something.Lars Collin © 2001 SvD
(English translation made by Peter Svensson)
[italics by DMt. ]
"To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize" - Voltaire