Alba August: Forgets she's pregnant on stage

A big role at the Cultural Center City Theatre, new songs in Swedish, "Så mycket bättre" and a baby. A lot is happening now for Alba August. I think it's nice to mix the art forms, she says.

» Updated: September 24 2024

» Published: September 06 2024

Alba August: Forgets she's pregnant on stage
Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

Tonight, the drama comedy "Closer" premieres at Kulturhuset Stadsteatern. In the play, she plays Alice – a former stripper who gets drawn into a messy quadrangle drama about love, sex, lies, and loneliness.

I don't get who she is, says Alba August in the dressing room behind the stage where she will soon meet the genre audience.

She lies in every scene, takes on different masks, and plays a game all the time. But now I've kind of landed in the fact that she's actually just telling the truth. She's 100 percent honest and pure. She just wants to be loved and experience real love.

The play was written by Patrick Marber for the British national stage in 1997. It has also been made into a Hollywood film, where Alice is played by Natalie Portman.

When the story is now being staged in Stockholm, it has received an addition – music by Alba August.

"Loves Swedish"

She was eager to blend art forms, she explains, to combine her artistry with theater. And after a meeting with director Sunil Munshi, it became clear that she would both play one of the roles and write music for her character.

The EP "Alice" with three tracks is being released simultaneously with the premiere.

It's an EP about love. It's like the same theme with a starting point from Alice, where one of the songs is the main track in the performance.

The Alice songs also became an entry point to singing in Swedish, which she hadn't done before.

I really love Swedish. It has felt closer to my heart in some way now that I've sung these songs. Maybe a little less like I'm going into my artist character. It becomes more me, which makes it more vulnerable, she says.

"Mom worked too"

A lot is happening in life right now. Alba August is expecting a child with her love, star producer Pontus Winnberg.

I felt like crap in the beginning and wanted to like end my life, but now I'm doing well. You're just tired and stressed, but it's not really different from before. But it's fun! It's somehow nice to let go of control and just go with it.

Playing theater while pregnant is no problem.

The character is not pregnant, and I forget about it as soon as we start playing.

How do you think life will be affected?

It's impossible to say how this will change. Mom worked too, had like three kids and a crazy career when we were small. It's very inspiring, and I haven't seen many examples where it hasn't worked.

Born 1993 in Copenhagen. Lives in Stockholm.

Made her acting debut in her father Bille August's film "A Song for Martin" from 2001.

Has since participated in productions such as "The Serious Game" (directed by mother Pernilla August), "Young Astrid", "The Rain", "Quick", "Orca", "All Except Us", "Incidents by the Water", and "Stockholm Bloodbath".

Made her music debut in 2020. The first album "I Still Hide" came the following year. This summer, she played, among other things, at Way Out West.

Currently starring in "Closer" at Stockholm City Theater, where she plays against Helena af Sandeberg, Pablo Leiva Wenger, and Johan Rheborg. Is one of the participants in this fall's round of "So Much Better", which was recorded this summer.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

The Traitors Wins Program of
1 MIN READ

The Traitors Wins Program of the Year at Sweden's Riagalan Awards

Swedish Authors Call on Culture
1 MIN READ

Swedish Authors Call on Culture Minister to Address Meta's AI Use

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper
1 MIN READ

Uppsala Pavilion Wins Prestigious Kasper Salin Architecture Prize

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to
1 MIN READ

Muse Delays Istanbul Concert to 2026 Over Organizer Concerns

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out
2 MIN READ

Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Sold-Out Stockholm Shows

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at
1 MIN READ

Michel Houellebecq Debuts Concert at Danish Literature Festival

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost
1 MIN READ

Bruce Springsteen Unveils Seven Lost Albums in New Box Set

Royal Library to Create National
1 MIN READ

Royal Library to Create National Digital Book Lending Standard

Drake Gains Access to Key
1 MIN READ

Drake Gains Access to Key Documents in Kendrick Lamar Legal Battle

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable
1 MIN READ

Italian Director Nanni Moretti Stable After Heart Attack in Rome

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Lena From Appointed Permanent Secretary at Academy of Fine Arts

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera
1 MIN READ

Ralph Fiennes Steps into Opera Directing with Eugene Onegin in Paris

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida
1 MIN READ

Christina Nilsson Shines as Aida at Birgit Nilsson Days in Båstad

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board
1 MIN READ

Hilma af Klint Foundation Board Stays Intact Pending Court Decision

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish
2 MIN READ

Love is Blind Reunion: Swedish Couples Share Joyful Updates

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to
3 MIN READ

Incurably Ill Woman's Journey to Fulfill Her Desires Becomes TV Series

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson
1 MIN READ

Swedish Radio Journalist Åke Pettersson Passes Away at 77

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz
1 MIN READ

Swedish House Mafia Joins Denniz Pop Awards Jury

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm
1 MIN READ

Medea's Children Returns to Stockholm Stage 50 Years Later

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded
1 MIN READ

Swedish Violinist Johan Dalene Awarded Alfvén Society Scholarship

Genre image
1 MIN READ

60s Hitmaker Johnny Tillotson Dies at 84

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted
1 MIN READ

Culture Minister Unfamiliar with Noted Directors Nolan and Widerberg

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins
1 MIN READ

Swedish Artist Lap-See Lam Wins Prestigious Norwegian Art Prize

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions
3 MIN READ

Dick Bengtsson's Art Challenges Perceptions at Stockholm Exhibit

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes
2 MIN READ

Hollywood Remembers Val Kilmer: Tributes Pour in for the Iconic Actor

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land
1 MIN READ

Tarantino's Hollywood Sequel May Land on Netflix with Fincher Directing

New Films and Series: Minecraft
3 MIN READ

New Films and Series: Minecraft Movie Debuts and More This Week

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen
2 MIN READ

Susanne Yakes Could Be Chosen as Listeners' Summer Host on P1

Munich 1972: How Live TV
3 MIN READ

Munich 1972: How Live TV Coverage Changed Journalism Forever

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from
2 MIN READ

Val Kilmer, Iconic Actor from Top Gun and Batman, Dies at 65

The Hives Announce New Album
1 MIN READ

The Hives Announce New Album and European Tour Starting October

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023
1 MIN READ

Meg Westergren Honored with 2023 Fatima Prize by Karl Gerhard Society

Authors Demand UK Action on
1 MIN READ

Authors Demand UK Action on Meta Over Alleged Book Copyright Breach

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert
1 MIN READ

Ane Brun Cancels Istanbul Concert Following Protest Backlash

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize
4 MIN READ

Marion Brunet Wins Alma Prize for Young Adult Literature

Oliver Stone to Testify in
1 MIN READ

Oliver Stone to Testify in Congress on New JFK Documents

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran
1 MIN READ

Maria Montazami and Samir Badran Join The Traitors on TV4

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings
1 MIN READ

Masked Singer Tops TV Ratings with 1.5 Million Viewers

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed:
1 MIN READ

New Beatles Biopics Cast Revealed: Mescal, Quinn, Keoghan, Dickinson

World's Largest Children's Book Prize
3 MIN READ

World's Largest Children's Book Prize Set for 1 PM Announcement