Raimo Grönberg, known for his role as Gunnar Mustavaara in the series Salatut elämät, turns 70.
Today, Raimo Grönberg takes a relaxed approach to life and looks forward to each coming year. MTV
When Raimo Grönberg was fifty, he thought, let’s see if he can still see his sixties in this life. Now there are 70 years on the meter.
– But it doesn’t really evoke any other thoughts. Is it that old age when friends comfort that seventy is the new fifty? Grönberg laughs gently on the other end of the phone.
– People have nothing to worry about here, when we still live in a peaceful country, Grönberg continues.
An energetic pensioner
Grönberg has officially been retired for seven years. In practice, however, he still works at Salkkarei on average two or three days a week. The arrangement suits the actor more than well.
– I don’t have any serious health problems, so it’s quite nice to come here. Yes, I’d rather have it here than lying on the couch at home, Grönberg laughs.
Grönberg has almost 50 years of acting experience.
– I have already gained enough experience here that I can already enjoy acting without stress.
In 2017, Grönberg was seen for the first time in the series Salatut elämät. Initially, the actor accepted Pest in the series only for a short time, because his predecessor Antti Seppä retired on a fast schedule. Now six years of taival in the program are already behind us, and there is no end in sight.
In the photo Grönberg with his actor colleague Jarkko Miettinen. Jenni Gästgivar
But what is the secret of the actor’s good health?
– I think it’s partly in the genes.
Grönberg is an active exerciser, and he also goes to the gym from time to time. He describes his diet as “relatively healthy”.
– And I’m quite curious by nature! I believe that curiosity is such a force that it drives me. I like to find out about things and go to see museums, theaters and movies all over the world. I tend to be on the move all the time, and don’t stop at my place or sit around complaining about things.
At work, Grönberg feels that he gets a good flow from his co-stars of different ages.
– There are so many young people working here that nobody stays still with them, the actor laughs.
The best years
When Grönberg thinks about the past decades, it is difficult to single out an age that stands out above the others. All in all, Grönberg values the past years.
– Every age has its own advantages. I have been able to experience 70 years of life, and I would be much poorer without all these experiences. Things haven’t always worked out, but those are also important experiences. I’d rather say I’m 70 years rich than 70 years old.
Grönberg, who brought Kajaani to the attention of the general public decades ago, has been seen over the years in the TV favorites Tumma ja hehkuva veri, Taivaan tulet and Pirunpelto. Over the years, working in theater and television, as well as on the big screen, there has been a huge number of roles and, of course, a life lived.
Grönberg has had a comprehensive career as an actor. MTV
According to him, how the years show up in Grönberg is especially evident when he is relaxed.
– I am much more relaxed now than when I was 30 or 40 years old! Back then, I was perhaps a little bit attuned, because that’s part of that youth and “adulthood”. Being one already knows then what life is.
– Today I also know that you don’t have to get involved in everything, but sometimes you can say that you just don’t understand everything.
When thinking about life lessons, Grönberg remembers a recent meeting with a colleague with dementia. During the meeting, a colleague with a long and respected career fell into his own thoughts and stared into the distance.
– Then he seemed to wake up from it for a moment and stated that: “Everything is a great vanity”. There was quite a lot of wisdom in that, when it was reflected in everything he had experienced.
In Grönberg’s eyes, organizing his own birthday parties has also been a futility, so there will be no such ones this year either, even though he will be 70 years old.
– I’ve never celebrated turning ten. The only thing I’m doing for my birthday is a trip to Paris in the spring. It feels important now, so you get a little break from everyday life.
Hidden lives from Monday to Friday on MTV3 at 19:30. See all TV programs and broadcast times in Telku’s TV guide.