At the age of 36, Christoffer Strandberg is at the peak of his career, but as the star of the whole nation, he has had to keep quiet about certain topics. Now he puts the cats on the table by means of stand up.
Christopher Strandberg bought a Balmain hand-stitched coat weighing over five tons because he was seduced by online shopping.
– These are the things you don’t tell your spouse at home, he says with a twinkle in his eye.
The actor-presenter first thought that he would return the jacket after the important filming. Strandberg ended up shedding clothes in his Siuntion home, and now he burps in his jacket on the Kansanmies stand up tour. It is the single most expensive item of clothing he owns.
– I realize that my work situation will not always be like this. I can’t enjoy life like this forever, says Strandberg.
At 36, Strandberg is at the peak of his career. Coming from a Finnish-Swedish family with a working-class background, the actor who graduated from the Swedish-language program of the University of Theater in 2014 is a figure known to the whole nation. He got his start in the public eye from MTV3’s Putous sketch show. Now he hosts Petottilis and Top Gear Suomi programs on Nelose.
He has never made more money than he does now. The living situation allows Strandberg to spend 10,000 euros annually on clothes.
– For me, cars and clothes are things that I don’t buy with reason, but with emotion. High-quality clothes will last forever, if I just keep the same measurements, he says.
Strandberg says that he buys cars and clothes with feeling. Arttu Timonen
– I don’t spend beyond my means, I do save, but I also let money go. I wonder about people who have money and are tickled or just focus on getting more money. What exactly are you saving all that for?
Christoffer Strandberg says that he is at the point where he wants to break up his bug-eyed and always positive image. He does that through stand-up comedy.
– Finnish-Swedishness, gayness and style. On the surface, I’m anything but a man of the people, but that’s the joke. My values are from the country.
Deeper than the surface
Strandberg says that he is a chameleon by nature, adapting to different situations. The contradiction can be seen in the way he idealizes the traditional country life and his fishing family roots, and on the other hand, he saturates himself with trendy Marimekko jeans and leather for the interview.
On the Kansanmies tour, the actor-presenter plans to speak more directly than ever before about gayness, politics and Finnishness. And about the Finno-Swedes, to which he belongs.
– I will reveal the truth about us. And it’s not pretty!
For Strandberg, style is a means of self-expression. He says he dresses according to the situation: a sweater and vest for a family dinner, and an elegant suit for the premiere. Arttu Timonen
Strandberg admits with a laugh that certain stereotypes of Finno-Swedishness are part of his life as well. The freshly cut lawn and the planted garden of the Siuntion home, as well as the style-conscious interior, which breathes life into the functionalist style trend. The crab party isn’t coming to their house because Tendon-spouse hates shellfish.
There are only two cars parked in the yard of their single-family house, because more would be flexing, and embarrassing for Strandberg.
Strandberg does not represent the noble branch of Finno-Swedes, or the Björnwahlroos-like banker branch.
– I don’t come from money. I’m a country boy who suddenly has money to buy things that I couldn’t even dream of as a child, he says.
– My father is a farmer and my mother is a physiotherapist. There were fishermen in our family even before the war. There was no lack of anything in our family, but nothing extra was bought. I am proud of my roots from Šunti.
Conservatism is not the first thing that comes to mind when Strandberg is seen in the spotlight in a Dolce & Gabbana leopard suit. You can make him a tribute to his fishing family by appearing on the stand-up stage in Balmain overalls, not grandfather’s fishing overalls.
The actor has only started getting money in adulthood, and he has learned to enjoy his earnings. Arttu Timonen
About the actor’s work
In the interview, Christoffer Strandberg is asked a couple of times what is at the core of that chameleon. There is no immediate answer to that. Finally, he starts talking about his vocation, which has defined his life since he was a child.
– I have been acting since I was 12 years old.
According to him, there are other routes to becoming an actor than through the Theater School. You still have to study, because according to Strandberg, the actor must get inside the text and understand the time in which the play text was created, and how its content compares to modern times.
– You don’t become an actor by making one film because you’ve become famous on social media. I don’t call myself a stand-up comedian either, although I do stand-up now, he shakes.
Finnish social media stars performed Tuukka Temonen directing Cancel– in the hit film and the film won the Jussi award for the audience’s favorite film. Strandberg reflects that he does not consider the stars of the film to be actors in the deepest sense of the word.
– They do act in that movie, but that doesn’t mean that you become a professional actor. It’s not something you turn on and off. It’s really hard studying.
– I’m old-fashioned and I think it’s important to respect professional titles, especially in a time when culture is being driven down not only financially, but also spiritually.
He knows that someone might be offended by this opinion, but he stands behind his words.
An actor’s job requires years of study, says Christoffer Strandberg. Arttu Timonen
“Heterosexuals, free yourselves!”
With the same certainty, Christoffer Strandberg wants to ventilate the discussion about sexual minorities. He has a thing for straight people.
– Heterosity is locked in such a sad position that “well, we’re the norm”. How exciting is it to be “the norm”? I now challenge you, straight people, to liberate yourselves, he declares.
He says he understands the hate reactions aroused by the Pride movement, why anyone’s sexuality should be celebrated. Strandberg says that it should be a matter without emotional charge, but because of history this is not the case.
– What separates Finland from Russia is precisely the rights of minorities, Strandberg downloads.
– I also think that the Pride movement has a place to look in the mirror as to why Pride is made more and more exclusive. It’s the wrong direction. I think Finns should be proud of how we take care of equality.
For him, homosexuality is a normal part of everyday life, and nothing miraculous in itself, but he understands that the topic is of interest in social discussion.
Where are the gray Paavo Väyrys of politics today, who keep things as they are, asks Strandberg. Arttu Timonen
The actor himself would like to return the gray Paavo Väyryset and Riitta Uosukainen to Finnish politics, in order to get rid of the constant noises and gossip. An army of brawlers has nested in the parliament building, which is suffocating Strandberg.
– Certain political forces have succeeded in painting that Finland is the world’s biggest crisis center. I’m just saying, get it off me and us! We have very little genuine, constructive discussion, he says.
– I love my home country and I believe in Finland, but I have completely lost my faith in social media as a place where you could have constructive discussions and learn something.
He sees stand-up as a way to overturn old thought patterns. It’s wonderful to be cheeky, that’s why he also builds a pig-like dictator out of himself on stage.
– Then the audience can wonder if that’s irony or if this guy really thinks that way.
On the Kansanmies tour, a dictator dives from Strandberg. Whether it’s a joke or not, everyone in the audience can think about that. The tour continues in different locations until June 12. Arttu Timonen