Interview with Actor Jorgen Lindstrom, Child Protege of Ingmar Bergman
Widely considered by many film buffs and critics to be one of the most important figures in the history of film and one of the best directors in the world, his films like Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, Persona and “Fanny and Alexander (to name a few) are often mentioned in numerous “best films of all time” lists.
He influenced filmmakers as varied as Woody Allen, Robert Altman and Steven Spielberg. His contribution to the art and language of cinema is unquestionably unparalleled.
Among his cinematic contributions is The Silence part of a film trilogy which also includes the films Through a Glass Darkly and Winter Light, an esoteric drama about two emotionally distant sisters and a little boy (who is the son of one of them) traveling into a strange city and staying in a strange hotel.
While there, the little boy goes into strange adventures involving an old man and performing midgets while the sisters struggle with their own personal inner demons. The little boy was played by child actor J �¶rgen Lindstr�¶m.
I recently came into contact with Mr. LindstrÃ?¶m via the wonders of e-mail and the internet. I have recently seen ‘The Silence’ and ‘Persona’ and wanted to know more about the actors involved (especially LindstrÃ?¶m since I found that he has not acted since the 1960’s and there was no immediate information on what he has been doing since) so I surfed the net and managed to locate the e-mail address of this (former) young actor.
Born in Nacka, Sweden in 1951, J Ã?¶rgen LindstrÃ?¶m is the youngest of three children. He taught himself how to read at age 5 and his father saw his son’spotential called a Swedish radio station to ask if they needed a child for a play. They did.
He got the part and worked steadily in film, television and radio for the next ten years. He worked with Bergman no less than three times – in addition to The Silence, he also had a one-line role in a television version of Ett Dromspel, directed by Bergman and of course a small but rather memorable appearance in one of Bergman’s most famous classics Persona as the boy at the end of the famous opening montage. (Which people say is actually the son of the character played by Liv Ullmann).
In spite of having worked with one of the great masters of cinema on three occasions, it was only later on that he truly realizedwhat a real privilege it was to work with Bergman and the rest of the cast and crew from these films.
His short but memorable acting career was even made more memorable by his second feature film after The Silence, his one and only non-Bergman theatrical release Night Games, which reunited him with his The Silence co-star Ingrid Thulin.
The film’s very frank depiction of sexuality (which even included a full-frontal nude scene from him) caused some controversy and even resulted in the resignation of film legend Shirley Temple from the panel of jurors in the film festival screening it since the festival organizers refused to withdraw the film.
“I don’t think it was such a big deal”, Lindstr Ã?¶m remembers with a laugh, “I do remember reactions in the papers, people worrying about that poor kid, who would be ruined for life. Well, I was 14 at that time, and not quite an innocent child any more. I can’t remember being embarrassed or anything. In fact I remember walking about nude on the set between takes. I don’t know. In a way, I guess I was still a child and innocent about it all, in another way I also knew a bit about ‘the facts of life'” How does he feel about it now? “I think it’s kind of funny. No big deal. I sort of enjoy telling friends who have not yet seen the movie that they will be able to see me in the nude. Haha!”
But his most famous on-screen was his roles with Ingmar Bergman who he remembers as a ‘very nice person’ who saw him in a television version of a radio play he was doing and pretty much handed him one of the roles in “The Silence” right then and there.
“As far as I know there was never talk of another actor for the part” he says “As far as I remember, I just sat in front of him in his room while he looked at me, and that was it” .
Just what was it exactly like to work in an Ingmar Bergman film set? “I remember that the atmosphere between takes was relaxed, but that the actual filming could be quite intense”, the now 53 year old LindstrÃ?¶m reminisces. “I guess it was obvious to me, even at that young age, that this was serious, and important.”
LindstrÃ?¶m’s final encounter with Bergman came in the form of a very brief cameo appearance right after the opening montage in the film many consider to be one of Bergman’s very best: “Persona”.
“Of course I’m not really ‘in’ that one.” LindstrÃ?¶m says. “I only came in to the studio for a few hours, if I remember correctly, and did my ‘scenes’.” Those ‘scenes’ as he referred to them would be his final big screen appearance.
“Ithink basically I wasn’t passionately interested in that world.” LindstrÃ?¶m, on why he chose to cut his film acting career short. “I enjoyed it while it happened, but I never had an ambition to really become an actor. I think it’s as simple as that.”
After finishing school, Lindstr�¶m accidentally found himself working in the film industry but in a film laboratory where he stayed for 24 years.
A lifelong bachelor and a long time fan of American musical icon Bob Dylan admits to having fond memories of his acting career in Sweden but does he miss it? “ No, I don’t miss it. Never have, actually.” Would he consider making a comeback?
“I think it’s a little too late for that”, he laughs.
Like Bergman, LindstrÃ?¶m, too, is retiring this year but probably unlike the legendary filmmaker, LindstrÃ?¶m says “ I don’t know what I will do for a living the rest of my life.”
He does however have a passion for music, “I’ve spent much of my free time listening to Bob Dylan, collecting the recordings, going to as many shows as I’ve been able to. I’ve seen 136 so far. So music, and friends, are the most important things in my life” And movies: “I love David Cronenberg. Hal Hartley. Aki KaurismÃ?¤ki. Alexander Payne. Bill Forsyth. I love most everything Billy Bob Thornton does. As for older stuff, I used to watch many movies by some of the great European directors in the 70’s. Fellini, Antonioni. BuÃ?±uel and Pasolini. I’ve probably watched ‘Zabriskie Point’ dozens of times”
Since retiring from his short film career in his childhood, he has not kept in contact with Bergman or with any of the cast and crew from his acting days.
Do people still recognize him from his acting days even after all these years? “It happens, but very rarely. It’s mostly new friends who happen to sit and watch ‘The Silence’ without knowing I’m in it”, he recalls. “So it’s a part of my history, a part I’m very glad to have.”
Now that Ingmar Bergman has finally retired from work, does J Ã?¶rgen LindstrÃ?¶m have anything to say to him after all these years should he have the chance to reunite with him: “Why not make one last movie, Ingmar? ‘Return of The Silence’!” , he jokes but adds in a more serious note, quoting a lyric from a Bob Dylan song: “Time is an ocean, but it ends at the shore/You may not see me tomorrow.”
