We had a sit down chat with Swedish-Ugandan actor William Wasberg and took us on a personal journey of his film making career and how he has faced it rough both in Uganda and Sweden.
William placed in 'Jay walking' as a young man who convinces a man who is on the verge of taking life to live on. Tell us about this short film and your experience doing it…
Below is our full interview:
Who is William Wasberg? How would you describe yourself?
I am a Swedish-Ugandan actor that is based in New York. I moved here from Sweden three years ago. I am a huge sports and tech nerd, and love to work out a lot or build computers and play video games. But my biggest passion will always be acting.
Tell us about your family background?
My father is a Swedish musician and my mother a Ugandan born teacher that had to flee during tough times and ended up in Sweden. I also have 4 siblings, 3 of them with the same mother and father, but the oldest of us is fully Swedish. On my mother’s side we have family all over the world, but most of them are still living in Uganda.
What are some of things you plan to do, places you plan to visit or foods you would love to taste when you visit Uganda?
I definitely have to go to Kampala and meet my family and friends there, and try traditional Ugandan food. I remember my mom describing it, and I have always wanted to try it.
You have worked in the US for a year now, how would you compare the acting scene in Sweden and US where you are now?
The acting scene in the US is so much bigger, there are a lot of projects happening every day and you find artists all over the country. In Sweden the acting scene is quite small and private, most major projects are made by and with the same people.
In 'Jay walking' you play a young man who convinces a man who is on the verge of taking life to live on. Tell us about this short film and your experience doing it…
In Jay Walk my character finds a suicidal blind man standing on train tracks ready to get run over, because he lost his ability to play golf. Trying to convince a suicidal person that life is worth it is not an easy task, finding something that can trigger their spark. It is scary because you never want to be the trigger that makes them do something even rasher.
You joined the Afrikaans Women’s Repertory. A huge highlight so far. You're the only man in the ensemble. What does this mean to you?
Joining the repertory meant the world to me, being able to work on and perform plays that focuses on black issues. Vivian “Bonnie” Wright the director, writer and one of the founders is an amazing woman, that writes incredible grounded stories. Bonnie had her first repertory for over 20 years before they went their own ways, and now being the only male regular in the new repertory is a huge privilege. I have learned a lot from her and feel blessed that I have gotten the opportunity to work with her.
