Young Royals season 2 spoilers follow.
Two seasons in, all of our "young royals" have changed and evolved somewhat, but none more than so August, the so-called "villain" of the piece.
Has he completely reformed and become a lovely, standup guy? Absolutely not, but thanks to a nuanced script and Malte Gårdinger's own layered performance, August's softer, almost sweet side has started to emerge, which makes August more fascinating than ever to watch.
Digital Spy spoke to Malte Gårdinger about everything his character goes through in season two, including August's relationship with Sara and those final moments which change everything for him.
August does some questionable things, but we also see a human side to him this time around in season two. Would you say he's more than just a "villain"?
Yeah. I think that this season really emphasises that in every character. We get to dive deeper into every single character’s flaw, but also the, maybe, better sides to each and every one of them.
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What have you found particularly challenging about playing August in Young Royals?
The biggest challenge was to, firstly, just get back into that sort of space. It’s the first time I’ve ever had to come back to a character. And also because it’s not really the same. He’s changed a lot. That was a challenge, to still be him, and get back to a space, but to also be in a completely different mind-set.
August's vulnerability definitely comes through in his relationship with Sara. And that also brings a number of shirtless and even naked scenes into the mix. Were they awkward to film, or is that just another part of the job for you?
Not really. I feel like it’s always a bit uncomfortable. There’s one scene in particular where I’m fully naked. I feel like that’s more of a personal development type of thing, like: "I’m going to push myself."
Because I was fighting for August to be naked – like where you see his butt cheeks. It was a good contrast to him speaking on the phone. I really wanted that. And I was happy with the results. I feel like it was a good experience.
The sex feels awkward in a very realistic way, like when August is fumbling for the condom. Why do you think it's important to see that side of teen sex onscreen?
Our idea was to make it fun and sort of awkward. Because it is sometimes sort of awkward. But in a good way. It doesn’t have to be cringey – that sort of awkward. It can be this sort of beautiful awkwardness, where it’s nice. I hope we capture that sort of realistic awkwardness with the fiddling of the condom, and the little giggles, and the fumbling around.
There's a really intense moment in the season two finale when Wilhelm aims a hunting rifle at August. Can you tell us more about filming that scene?
It has to be his lowest, lowest point in all of the series so far. It was honestly quite scary, even though it wasn’t a real, loaded gun. You got into it. When you look into that barrel, you get this sort of… you kind of get it, either way.
It was super-exciting and super-fun but it was also terrifying – in a good way. I feel like it gave something to the scene. Yeah, it was great. It was a good day.
Things get even worse for August when Wilhelm overtakes him and performs the speech at the very last minute. How do you think this impacts August?
I feel like that could be the final sort of straw for August, because in his perspective, Wilhelm has been very much like, "I don’t want to do this."
August's biggest dream is to take his place. So I think that was a betrayal for him: "Oh, so now you’re going to change your mind? The second I’m getting there?"
I think he took that pretty hard. It’s going to be interesting to see how it plays out if there is a season three.
We also see Sara call the police at the end, presumably about August and the sex tape leak. What do you hope will happen in season three?
I still hope to understand his reasonings more, and his fears. That’s always been… I want to dig into his past, and his relationship with his dad, and all that. Particularly, with all these things that happen with Wilhelm and Sara, I think he’s in a dark place.
I don’t really know what he will do. He could do something bad.
Is there a particular scene or moment that you wish was included but had to be cut for time constraints or any other reason?
I can, honestly, admit that I’ve not seen it. I’ve not seen it because I’m too scared [laughs]. There might be something that… I don’t know what they have left out. We’ll see.
I think it’s a new thing for me, because I’ve just felt like every time I watch myself, I get into this sort of… I have a tendency to get into a bad place. I’m trying not to watch anything.
What do you hope fans take away from watching the show?
There’s a lot of different things to take away from the season. But I think maybe just trust your gut. There’s always going to be people that try to… Now it’s very concentrated because Wilhelm is the prince. But if you have these people that tell you to do certain things, or there’s this pressure – sometimes you should just follow your gut.
Young Royals seasons 1 and 2 are now available to watch on Netflix.
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After teaching in England and South Korea, David turned to writing in Germany, where he covered everything from superhero movies to the Berlin Film Festival.
In 2019, David moved to London to join Digital Spy, where he could indulge his love of comics, horror and LGBTQ+ storytelling as Deputy TV Editor, and later, as Acting TV Editor.
David has spoken on numerous LGBTQ+ panels to discuss queer representation and in 2020, he created the Rainbow Crew interview series, which celebrates LGBTQ+ talent on both sides of the camera via video content and longform reads.
Beyond that, David has interviewed all your faves, including Henry Cavill, Pedro Pascal, Olivia Colman, Patrick Stewart, Ncuti Gatwa, Jamie Dornan, Regina King, and more — not to mention countless Drag Race legends.
As a freelance entertainment journalist, David has bylines across a range of publications including Empire Online, Radio Times, INTO, Highsnobiety, Den of Geek, The Digital Fix and Sight & Sound.
