Photographic illustration of Slate. Photos by Hanna Andrésardóttir and Netflix.
On Netflix Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of the Fire SagaWill Ferrell plays Lars Erickssong, the son of an Icelandic fisherman who has dreamed his entire life of winning Eurovision. Now middle-aged, he’s caught playing at the local bar with Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams), who “probably isn’t” his sister. There, angry locals who refuse to listen to the original Fire Saga compositions demand endless interpretations of a novel local hit, “Haha Ding Dong.” When a bureaucratic mistake (and maybe some elf help) sends Fire Saga to Eurovision, Lars has a chance to show his disapproving father (Pierce Brosnan) in Husavik that he really has what it takes.
In fact, before Eurovision 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19, one of the favorites to win the competition was this year. real Icelandic entry, directed by Daði Freyr Pétursson, 27. Last winter, a video of Daði and his group Gagnamagnið (made up of his wife, sister, and some friends) making their “Think About Things” entry went viral. The song is tremendously catchy, and the performance, with its choreographed dance moves, coordinated jumpsuits and charismatic wise attitude of 6’9 ”Daði, was the overwhelming winner at Söngvakeppnin, the Icelandic competition to determine Eurovision’s entry into the country. I spoke to Daði about Will Ferrell’s version of Iceland, how his strange little group became a betting favorite and why he doesn’t feel so bad about the Eurovision cancellation.
Blackboard: Was it a bit surreal to see your exact life story reflected in every way in a movie?
Daði: Ha ha, yes, it was exactly like my life!
“I sent a song in 2017, not as a joke, but I thought it was something interesting for try.”
– Daði Freyr Pétursson
In Eurovision singing contestLars, the character of Will Ferrell, has been dreaming his entire life of winning Eurovision. Were you a fan of Eurovision when you were little? Have you always dreamed of competing?
I was never like a superfan growing up. I always saw it. Most people in Iceland look at it. So I’m as fanatical as a normal Icelandic, more or less.
Your group is made up of you and your friends and family. How did you end up bringing this group into the Icelandic competition?
It was very strange how it happened. I submitted a song in 2017, not as a joke, but I thought it was an interesting thing to try. And it was accepted. First I was going to get a friend of mine to sing the song, but he left me after two or three weeks. So I decided to do it myself. Since you can have six people on stage, I decided of course that I will bring as many people as I can, because it will be more fun.
In 2017 you were runner-up. And then you entered again for 2020, and you won Söngvakeppnin.
Oh yeah.
Watching his video, his acting style seems very different from what I consider Eurovision’s acting style: moderate, the staging is a bit ironic, not exaggerated. In a way, the fictional fire saga, whose performance at one point includes a giant metal hamster wheel, looks more like the stereotypical Eurovision competitor than you do. When you were creating this performance, were you trying to create something a little different than what is usually in Eurovision, or do I have a wrong idea about what a Eurovision performance is?
Eurovision is very diverse. There are many different acts in the competition. He wanted to use as many cliches as he could, such as with the wind machine, dancing, and instruments. And crazy costumes and confetti. That’s the way I make music and the way I am, that maybe I’m not your typical Eurovision contestant. Also, we did it all ourselves, more or less. A friend of mine made the costumes, and the band members did just about everything.
Where you grew up?
I moved to Denmark from Reykjavik when I was 1 year old and then came back when I was 9 years old. When I returned, I went to a field school about an hour from Reykjavik.
Have you ever been to Husavik?
I’m … pretty sure I did.
I thought it was interesting how Lars and Sigrit are seen as weirdos in Husavik. But I have found Iceland very welcoming to oddballs.
Yes, definitely. The way Icelanders are portrayed in the film is very inaccurate. We came out as super bigoted, closed-minded, and angry people, but that struck me as quite funny. I don’t think people think that’s what Icelanders are like.
They become so celebratory and welcoming to Lars once they see how hard he tries. And there are moving scenes with Lars and his father.
Yes, but … still a little anger there. the plus A precise part of the film is that the audience always wants to hear “Haha Ding Dong”.
Wait, is it a real song?
Not.
Fire Saga is a loser in Eurovision. As the real competition approached, you became a favorite among bettors. Tell me how that happened.
Before winning in Iceland, Jan Böhmermann, who is a German television presenter, tweeted it, and from there he started growing on Reddit, and Russell Crowe tweeted about it. It started to get many more views. That’s a big part of why he got so high in the polls, because a lot of people were watching him.
There wasn’t even a conspiracy theory that Netflix was secretly promoting you?
That was super fun for me. There were a lot of people supporting other contestants in the Icelandic competition and somehow they couldn’t believe that the song was good and that the performance was good and that people just enjoyed it. They convinced themselves that Netflix was pulling the strings.
Due to COVID-19, this year’s Eurovision was canceled. Fire Saga gets to have the experience that you don’t have. Does the film reflect your expectations of what it would have been like in Rotterdam? Did you expect big parties and songs full of stars and everything? Having a charismatic Russian singer trying to seduce your band?
Charismatic Russian singer, probably, the long song probably not. That was one of my favorite scenes, the long song, seeing all these Eurovision contestants in one scene. I think it was a nice thing because all Eurovision fans will see that movie. They will really love that scene.
But it is much more professional, the real competition, than in the movie. It is presented as something more chaotic and casual, and all super rushed and last minute. This is not how it works at all. It is a great production and super professional.
Was there any part of you that saw the movie and thought: I’m so sad i’m missing thisor Oh thank god i’m missing this?
Watching the movie didn’t change how I feel about not competing at Eurovision.
What is like
Which is not so bad. I wanted to experience it with all my friends. Because we are not a real band. We don’t play concerts in real life. It would be a very good thing to do with those guys, but the song has gone much further than I ever thought it would be, even if we had competed.
I have a few more questions about how the film portrays Iceland. Straighten American Spectators: Could Someone Really Jump Off a Fishing Boat and Swim to Husavik, Like Will Ferrell Does?
I mean, it depends on how far away the fishing boat is. I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t have survived.
“For me, Sigur Ros is not even sad music. It feels good music.”
– Daði Freyr Pétursson
When Icelanders are sad, do they listen to Sigur Ros?
That is a fact. That is the law. You need to listen to Sigur Ros if you are sad. Or else you are imprisoned.
Oh God.
For me, Sigur Ros is not even sad music. It is a music to feel good.
All the Icelanders I have spoken to roll their eyes when the Americans start asking them about the elves. How do you feel about the elves?
It really is not part of my life. But I thought it was fun to include that in the movie. That was an aspect I did not expect.
The way Icelanders are portrayed in the film is very inaccurate, but I still found it entertaining: watching an American comedy happening in Iceland, with many Icelandic actors, some of whom I know personally, and all of whom are talking to a super icelandic accent
What did you think of Pierce Brosnan’s Icelandic? How did it go?
Not so good! It was also a lot of fun, the first scene of the movie, all these Icelandic actors speak perfect Icelandic, and then you see it. I had to activate the subtitles to understand it.
The attempt! It is a difficult language!
Ha ha, it doesn’t really change anything if you have a good pronunciation.
You have recorded a version of “Volcano Man”. Can we expect versions of “Double Trouble” and Sigrit’s love song?
No, probably not. Although the last song, the Sigrit song, I really enjoyed that, it’s a good pop song. The final performance gave me goose bumps.
What about “Haha Ding Dong”? Will you record “Haha Ding Dong”?
Oh, that’s an amazing song, but I don’t think I can add anything to that. It is perfect as it is.
