Superstars in Norway

A day on the set with Ylvis

Ylvis have been shooting their latest masterpiece (yeah I said it) “Stories from Norway” for over a year. As the second episode “Superstar in Norway”, chronicling the notorious case of Justin Bieber’s tantrum in Oslo, has finally been broadcast, I thought I’d share my experience of being on set as an extra at the shoot of the episode.

The Ylvisåker bros’ production company Concorde had been looking for extras on and off for other episodes, but mostly something specific like old men or a 10-year-old boy. But in early June there was a call for just a lot of people, no specific requirements. I knew I was going to be taking a language course in Bergen in June anyway, so surely it would be no problem to take a weekend trip to Oslo. So I signed up.

Soon I received an email with the lyrics to a song I had to learn by heart (“Where Did He Go”) and - *gasp* - an audio file of the song. A new song! By Ylvis! Sung by Ylvis! Yes, I was excited. From the file name I gathered that the track was recorded 25 % faster than it should. Filming it at that speed and eventually slowing down the video and audio to normal speed creates that dreamlike effect you often see in music videos.

What’s more, I had indicated that I can dance (which took balls because we’re familiar with Janteloven in Finland too!), and so I also received a link to a video of choreographer Thea Bay teaching the choreography. Yes, I was really excited about that too! Thea is so cool, what an honour to be taught by her. I loved doing the choreography, it was so funky.

Other instructions were simply to wear clothes you would wear at a concert and be available for the whole duration of the shoot.

On the day of the shoot I arrived at around 10 am at Chateau Neuf, the same place where the actual Bieber incident took place in 2015. To my delight I discovered a bunch of friendly and familiar fellow fans I’ve met online and at gigs – a great fan representation. There were quite a few Norwegian fans present, but also a couple of Swedes, a German, and delightfully two other Finns beside me. 

Finland represent

I found the others sitting around a table filled with Justin Bieber posters. Except on second look I realised they were pictures of Vegard posing as Bieber! I totally cracked up. At the same time I admired Ylvis’ attention to detail. The pictures were perfectly silly.

We were each instructed to take or create a Bieber sign we would be waving, and face paint was provided to write Justin’s name on our faces. A make-up lady later went around and added face paint here and there. I chose to draw a maple leaf on my cheek, partly as a “hello there” to Canadian Ylvis fans. I was already giggling in anticipation to see their reaction to Ylvis making fun of their most ashamed export product.

 We were escorted to the actual concert room and told to find a place right next to the stage. I got lucky – I first stood on the left side of the stage, but got moved on the other side – right there to tug Bieber’s shirt as he would be trying to dry the water off the stage.

Once we were in place, Vegard came on the stage dressed as Bieber. He had clearly studied carefully the footage of Bieber in Chateau Neuf – the movements as well as the lines. He came to the edge of the stage, trying to find his path and remembering lines.

The director Ole Martin Hafsmo, known for directing all Ylvis’ music videos, gave directions to us. He told us to react to Vegard like he’s Bieber, not “plain old Vegard”. Erm, nothing “plain old” about Vegard, but whatever. He told us to try to reach for him and scream.

So we screamed. The whole day. I tried to save my voice and scream with technique, but I was still hoarse for two days afterwards. I also kept apologising to the girl in front of me. I wonder if she had any hearing left after that day. (BTW, a warning about the videos on this page – I do not recommend listening to them with earphones. You have been warned!!) 

We started by doing the whole sequence of… Bieber-Vegard? Biegard? Veber? Justinåker? performing “If I Was Your Boyfriend”, after which he started talking to the audience. He then came to the edge of the stage, spilled the water and left to get a shirt to dry up the stage. As he came back, our job was to tug the shirt and his sleeve, trying to touch him and draw him nearer. It felt really awkward and rude to be doing it – I would never do that to an artist, not even touch them without their consent. But now there was not only consent but orders, so we tugged and pulled. Then Vebieber would say “fuck this, I’m not doing the show” and storm off the stage.

Ole Martin Hafsmo gives directions and Vegard rehearses

A concentrated belieber

After rehearsing the scene a few times Bård showed up dressed up as a girl. I had seen a picture he had posted of himself on Instagram the previous day, but it was still quite startling to see him like that in person. He said hi and positioned himself right next to the stage, among us in the audience. After that he was completely in his own world. He would talk to the director and let the make-up lady groom him, but otherwise he had a distant look of concentration that signalled that he was working and should be left alone. And he was. At times he would fiddle his phone, and I think he was also shooting footage on it. I’m not sure if they ended up using any of it though.

We kept filming this scene for a few hours – in full, in pieces, from several angles, with screaming and without screaming. The last must have looked extra silly – we had to pretend to be screaming, but make no sound, so that they could record Vegard’s lines.

At one point the director asked if anybody wanted to pretend to throw up because they’re so excited to see Bieber. A girl volunteered, and they gave her some fake vomit to spit out. Too bad they apparently couldn’t fit that in the final cut!

WARNING: Loud screaming in the beginning! The rest of it is us screaming silently :D

Around one we had a lunch break with really tasty sandwiches. Before going on break the director said that as a reward, we would be allowed to ask a question from Bård and he would answer it on stage. Nobody came up with anything even remotely interesting – how could you in a situation like that? Someone asked if he was embarrassed to play a woman, and he said no. Someone else then asked what was the most embarrassing thing that had happened to him while performing. He said he had to think about it, and after the lunch break he told the story of complimenting a member of the audience for her pregnancy, when she actually wasn’t pregnant. The upshot of him being on stage was seeing that he was wearing a pair of ladies stretch jeans that fit like a glove except they sagged at the butt area. Yeah Bård, it’s impossible to find the perfect pair of jeans!

Grooming Bård with fellow Finn (who happens to be a professional hairdresser) grumbling in the background that they should be using sheen spray, not hairspray. :D :D

Some more people arrived and we started filming the section with “Where Did He Go”. They filmed us singing it by the stage, and then told everyone to climb up to the rafters where the new people were already waiting. At this point I suddenly spotted an old man who looked suspiciously like Vegard looking at the monitors on the stage. Sure enough, Vegard had had a costume change and was now ready to play the old man who wants to get laid. 

 Here you can hear how the music sounded when played back 25 % faster. 

Please excuse my terrible pitch, I was trying to sing extra loud...

A couple more hours passed with us singing the song on the rafters and by the stage, with different soloists being filmed. We had to look desolate. Some people were sprinkling water on their faces. I managed to push out a few real tears even. In the finished film though I look like I’m overdoing it by a mile. Shit!

At around four we were finished with that part of the shoot, and those who had signed up to dance were asked to go outside behind the building. Most of the others were relieved of duty.

I think at this point inside they filmed all the slow motion footage with the bottle spilling on Bård, while Vegard went to change back to his Bieber gear.

Outside we prepared to welcome Justin in a black limo by lining up around the street and going through the choreography with Thea. This turned out to be a bit tricky, because right opposite me was a line of girls who were clearly from some kind of a dance group. They were really good dancers, but they were doing the choreography slightly differently than shown on the video, and of course as a mirror image to us who were opposite them, so I must say my performance was less than perfect. But luckily our side was hardly filmed, so it was ok. Actually I think the entire choreography bit was cut. I hope it wasn’t because of my bad moves! :D

WARNING: Loud screaming!

At this point I spotted Bjarte lurking around. I got the feeling he was involved, which turns out he was and it made me really happy.

We did Bieber arriving in a black car several times. Lots of screaming again. Then we moved positions and the guys playing journalists came in. I ended up standing at the corner of the tv van. Bjarte would walk right past me to go talk to a camera, and then Bård and the other journalists would start their dance beside him.

“Superstar in Norway” was now blaring from the loudspeakers, and I got super excited about it. Such danceable funk with a bassline that was clearly related to “Another One Bites The Dust”. We the fans were told to once again scream and wave, but be careful not to dance to the music. Good thing they said it, because the song was almost too good not to dance to! Bård seemed extra happy to be dancing. He was pretty much leaping around and grinning like a little boy. He looked amazing in his slim suit, too.

Try not to dance along

The last scene we shot was Bård and Bjarte as policemen trying to keep fans in check behind the fence. You know what that means – more screaming. Poor bros, they probably went deaf. They both looked super cute in their police uniforms, rosy cheeks and all. Bård’s fish stick moustache was spot on.

WARNING: Very loud screaming! The final shot of the day.

We were finally finished with the day at around 8 pm. That’s about 10 hours of work just for us, even longer for Ylvis and especially the crew. But it was so much fun, and it was wonderful to see that the crew and the performers loved what they were doing.

For me the best thing about the day was simply seeing Ylvis work and the entire production machine work around them. I could just stand there and observe not only the performers, but also the director, producers, make-up people, cameramen, photographer, choreographer etc. I was interested to notice that it was an international crew – some Swedes, and at least the costume lady spoke English. As someone who has aspirations to become a comedy writer/director/maybe performer, it was fascinating to see it all, and at the same time I felt that I understood what was going on and I got the feeling that I could do it too. On the night train back to Bergen I felt happy and inspired.

A true belieber

The result

I kveld med Vegek

What would you do if you were a Norwegian comedian with a weekly talk show on tv, but suddenly had a double booking you couldn't get out of? Well, every other person in Norway already has a Polish gardener and a Polish plumber, so naturally you decide to go look for substitute talkshow hosts in Poland.

That's at least what Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker did. In September 2015 they announced that they will be holding auditions in Warsaw to find substitutes for themselves and their sidekick Calle to host an episode of I kveld med Ylvis the following spring. Dozens of hopefuls showed up, but only three were chosen: Radosław Zalewski as "Bårdek", Jacek Czaja as "Vegek" and Dandris Jordan as "Callek".

Ylvis and Ylvek (source)

Radosław and Dandris both worked in entertainment before, but Jacek was a policeman, and as it turns out, an Ylvis fan like us. Except he also happens to be the perfect Polish Vegard Ylvisåker. We're naturally all curious to know everything about his experience of working with Ylvis. So I sent him an e-mail and asked him about it.

Tell us about yourself. Who is Jacek Czaja? 

I am 35 years old, born and raised in Poland in a city of Czestochowa. I have two younger brothers: Mateusz who is 27 years old, and Filip who in 15 years old. My father is the owner of a construction company and my mum is an artist-painter. For the last 8 years I've been married, and I have one child, a 9-month-old son Julian.  I work as a policeman.

I notice you'’ve studied photography. Have you worked as a photographer? What else have you studied/worked with?

After graduating from junior high in Poland, my parents sent me to Red Hook High School in New York State USA to get my general education and to learn English. I was 16 years old and I took part in an exchange student program. I lived there with American family, very nice people.  I graduated in 1999.  Then I went back to Poland where I worked in my dad's company, but after a few years I decided that I would like to visit USA once again, so I moved to Palm Desert California where I got my degree from the Community College in Art-Photography. Unfortunately I couldn't afford university in the US (it's really expensive), so I went back home.

In Poland I worked for my dad again, but after one year I decided that I want to travel again. This time I moved to Southampton England where I worked for a year at "SpecSavers" the eye glasses Company. Then my father needed me at home, so I went back to Poland to help him. I got my backhoe loader license and worked for him for a while.

Then I decided that I will stop my travels, establish family of my own and get a full-time job that has some prestige. I always wanted to be a policeman so I decided that I will try, and in 2008 I became a policeman. While I was working as police I also attempted state college in Czestochowa city, and after three years I got my Bachelor's Degree in English Philology.

Do you have hobbies?

Yes in my free time if I have some, I like to watch movies and play PS4 games, but lately I really don't have free time, anyone who has small child at home will understand what I mean. 

Have you performed on stage before? 

Only when I was a child I performed school plays etc. Never anything professional.

Have you ever dreamed about a career in entertainment?

I am this type of person who always wanted to achieve more then "normal", "regular" people, I always wanted to amaze my parents, people around me, prove to myself and to others that I can do anything, and anything is possible, so yes.

The Audition

Were you an Ylvis fan before going to the audition?

Yes, I became an Ylvis fan instantly after my colleague Adrian (the other cop from casting) showed me at work "What does the fox say" on YouTube. After I saw that video I started checking out the rest of Ylvis songs and "I kveld med Ylvis" show, and I became real 100% fan.

Why did you decide to go to the audition?

I remember that I was at home watching morning TV, and suddenly I saw Ylvis brothers on Polish TV announcing that today in about 3 hours they will be casting for their show. The casting was in Warsaw, which is over 200 km from my hometown. I screamed to my wife "look Ylvis is in Poland! the casting is today..." She joked that I should go there, and I said sure but I wasn't really thinking that.

Then I called Adrian and I told him that Ylvis is right now in Polish TV. Then I went to his house for a cup of coffee. When I went to his apartment, he told me that we must go to the casting, I told him that I don't know if this is such a great idea, I have a plans with my wife already, Warsaw is far away it will take us half of the day to drive there, take part in casting and then come back. But on the other hand I really wanted to go there, at least to see Ylvis, talk with them, maybe take a picture together.

Then I called my wife and asked her if I can go, she told me that I am too old for this kind of shit, there will be lots of younger, better looking, more talented  guys and I don't stand a chance, so I said  I am going anyway. She was pissed off but I knew that she will be OK if she will stay alone with Julian for a half of a day, so I went.

Jacek and Adrian at the audition. (source: Jacek Czaja)

What was the audition day and the situation like?

First of all it was a really hot day. While we were driving to Warsaw my car broke, something happened with the computer. Sometimes that happens when it's really hot outside, and I lost acceleration. My car can usually accelerate to 100km/h in 8 seconds, but now my acceleration was like 25 seconds. I swear that is the truth, you can ask Adrian, I thought that we will not make it to the audition. But after 3 hours we were there. I was stressed like crazy. All the way to Warsaw we were talking about what we will do when we see Ylvis, what we will tell them.

Finally when we got there we were so stressed that I couldn't even speak, seriously. I couldn't write down my signature on the questionnaire. Then we entered the stage: I was extremely stressed, but at the same time also very happy to see them and talk with them. They let us take a pictures together and even made short movie for my wife. I already felt like a champion and I was going home proud of myself.

What happened after you found out you had been chosen as Vegek?

Well because I was over 200 km away from home, the Polish woman who was some sort of manager told me that I can drive back home, and if I will be chosen they will call me in a few hours (around 05:00 pm). All the way back I was so exited, I mean I saw Ylvis, I talked with them, I got a selfie, everything went the way I hoped, they even made a video message for my wife so she would not get angry with me.

Around 05:00 pm I was almost at home. I was checking my cell phone all the time and I was waiting and waiting and waiting some more... At 05:05 I gave up, I said to myself it is 5 minutes past deadline, they must have chosen somebody else, dammit!

Next I went to do some shopping, and when I was at the cash-register I saw my phone ringing, an unknown number. I picked up and the Polish woman that I mentioned earlier said I had been chosen. I asked her what about Adrian but she said that only me. That sucks I thought to myself but what else could I do. I couldn't believe that they chose me. I thought this is not happening, this is unreal! It felt like I just won a lottery! I was shocked, for the first time in my life I actually won something! (I know this whole my excitement sounds a little bit silly because I am a cop and I acted like a child, but every Ylvis fan should understand me).

I should mention that when I came back home, my wife wasn't angry at me any more. She was smiling and said that I am really an idiot if I thought that I will win. Than I told her that they just called me and I won!!!! She was in shock, she could not believe me, instantly she was proud of me. I was laughing as hard as possible, I think my entire neighborhood could hear it. I was laughing, screaming and smiling at the same time.

How did your boss and coworkers react when you told them you are going to quit your job and go to Norway to be a comedian?

It wasn't like that. I was planning to quit the police for at last a few years. I just needed a good push to do this. When I got to police I was young (26) and very naive. I thought that in this type of job the most important is to be fair, obedient, hardworking, to follow orders etc. After 5 years I noticed that only policemen with good connections are getting promotions, better positions with better salary. I had no connections in the police, no family members there so I was stuck in a same place. I was fine with this until I became a father 9 months ago. The money I was making in police wasn't enough to support my family. That was a main reason why I wanted to change my occupation.  Meeting Ylvis and winning casting was a great opportunity to change my life.

Ylvis and Calle posing with Jacek's mother's painting. (source: Jacek Czaja)

Your mother painted a beautiful picture of Ylvis. Is she a big fan?

Thanks, I am glad you like it. My mom is an artist. She has her masters in art. Her father was also a painter, so I guess she got her talent with the DNA. She wasn't a fan of Ylvis, but now she is. When she heard that I am going to see and work with such famous people, she decided that I should bring a gift. I guess she was thankful that they chose me and are giving me this opportunity to change my life.

Working with Ylvis

What are Bård, Vegard, Calle and Magnus like behind the scenes?

I have to say that I have never met nicer people, seriously. All the time we spent together, everyone was so nice, supportive, helpful, and we were joking all the time, all day everyday. If we needed anything, we just had to ask and they got it for us. I love them all and miss them.

Did you spend time with them outside work?

We really didn't have that much free time to spend together. After a whole day of shooting, everyone was so tired that we wanted to just go to the hotel, eat, relax and prepare for the next day. People don't realize that what you see in TV, let's say 3 minutes of prank, it really takes at least 4 hours to make it. You record 4 hours of stuff and then you choose 3 minutes of best material.

What was it like working and living with Radosław and Dandris? What are they like? 

Of course in the beginning we were strengers to each other so we had to learn how to live together under one roof, but after a very short time I can now say that we are really good friends, and I  miss them also very much, great people.

Roadtrip!

What was the most challenging thing you had to do with Ylvis? 

Putting on this very tight striped shirt during "the charades” on the live show. I was so not happy with it. I hate tight clothing. 1400 people was watching live and even more on TV.

What was the most fun thing you did?  

Its hard to point out one... But there is a funny story behind "Moro I Mørket” where Ylvis and Ylvek had to clean up after a drunken party in total darkness. Just 5 minutes before we started recording, Callek saw in the corridor a woman standing with a metal cage. Inside it was a rat, so he told us that probably in the next prank Magnus will use that rat and others wild animals. When we were already in darkness, Radosław also said that something bit him in the washer machine. Then Callek said that there must be lobster on the table because also he got bitten, so when I heard them screaming I was sure that on the table were also snakes, cockroaches, worms and hedgehogs.  We were really scared during filming. When the light went back on and I saw table content, I couldn't believe how stupid I was.

What was it like filming two men in one suit?

2 men in 1 suit was so hard to do but still super fun. Walking with Radosław was so hard for both of us. To maintain balance inside the suit I had to lean forward and Radosław had to lean backward. We both felt that we will fall. Inside the suit was so hot. I am glad Radosław is straight, otherwise that would be a little more chellenging.  

Were you embarrassed by doing those pranks?

In the beginning I was asking myself what the hell was I thinking, in this age (35) with my physique, I am not typical tv-star material! I wasn't embarrassed to do pranks, not at all.  But to tell you the truth, I was embarrassed of myself being an overweight cop. I always had a weight problem, all my life struggle with that.

Did you film any pranks or segments that were not shown on I kveld med Ylvis?

I did an intelevator prank and also a prank with small cars and a huge horn. Callek did something with a stick and pedestrians, but I wasn't there so I don't know the details.

I kveld med Ylvek (source)

How much did you rehearse for the live show?

Really not that much, but I guess it was enough. We started rehearsal Tuesday 11:00 am.

What was it like learning the dance and working with choreographer Thea?

She is so nice, smart, very talented, beautiful, great sense of humor, very patient.  Dancing is her life. I also think she is the kind of person who would never harm even a fly. Really she is a perfect package, miss her too.

What was the live show day like? What happened during that day? Were you or the others nervous?

We all where very nervous, even Radosław who works as an actor in Poland, and Lukasz who is a music television presenter 4FunTV. The night before the show we couldn't sleep. We went to bed 3:00-4:00  in the morning.

Did everything go according to plan with the show?

Yes, we didn't have any suprises. Beside this stupid tight stripes shirt hahahahaha...

The stripes were cool, Jacek (source: Jacek Czaja)

Did you learn any Norwegian during your stay?

Unfortunately we really didn't have much time for that. I only learned a few words: tenk fort, tusen takk, flass, spedbarn.

Are there any funny anecdotes you’d like to tell us about working with Ylvis and Ylvek or about your time in Norway?

Viewers probably don't realise but Ylvek got information about what we will do for the next prank exactly 5 minutes before filming. We never knew what we should be wearing or what to prepare for.  So every day was very exiting and a little stressful for us, but it was good and positive stress. And we always had fresh clean underwear, just in case hahaha...

The Future

Would you like to work with Ylvis again? Are there any plans?

Absolutely not!!! .... Just kidding, of course I would like to see those ugly faces again. Plans? You know Ylvis, they never say anything too early, so I guess we have to wait and see.

What would be your dream thing to do with Ylvis or Ylvek? 

The dream come true would be to make a music video together, and of course to make some more pranks and maybe try one more live show? You see for me personall , this whole thing is very important because back at home I am just a regular nobody, a simple guy who lives in small shitty city, but I always wanted to be somebody. Being in this project gives me an opportunity to make an imprint of my existance in the history and become somebody.

A star is born (source: Jacek Czaja, desirestudio.pl)

Has this experience changed you in some way?

Yes, I am more confident, I feel much better about myself now. Also friends and colleagues respect me much more now.  I think I have proven to them that you should never judge the book by its cover.

What are your future plans? Are you going back to work with the police, or would you like to pursue entertainment? Or perhaps something completely different?

I am definitely done with the police force, but strictly from personal reasons. I would like to move abroad, work on construction or maybe something else. I am a licensed welder and a gravemaskin operator. My dream destination is Norway.  I really fell in love with that country. I hope some day it will come true.

What do you think about Ylvis/Ylvek fans? What would you like to tell them?

I can only tell them that they are wonderful! Awewsome! Really great! Every idol dreams about fans like that, seriously great people!

Thanks for everything, for being fans not only for Ylvis but also for their twin brothers from Ylvek. Love U all.