The NRK series “Rykter” portrays the young people of Western Norway – NRK Vestland

The recording of what is referred to as “new Council bank», has taken place this summer in the sea gap in Western Norway, in Øygarden outside Bergen.

What is it like to go to secondary school in a place where everyone knows everyone? The new youth initiative “Rykter” will try to answer that.

On a small, fictional island in Western Norway, viewers get to meet 10th graders. Then a city boy moves to the island and gets to know the “strile youth.”

– There are few people on the island, and it is difficult to get to know people who have known each other all their lives, says Teo Tomczuk (16), who plays “Mathias”.

Want smaller city series

Tomczuk is the lead actor with, among others, Sisilja Skeistrand Garen (17), who plays “Thea”.

– The series cannot really be compared to “Rådebank”. Here there are boats and not cars, and young people trying to find out who they are at the same time as they have to fit in with social media, boyfriends, conflicts and classmates, says Garen.

The two are both from small places themselves. He from the island municipality of Solund and she from Øystese in Hardanger.

– What you recognize is that if you have done something in the village, others find out before you do it yourself, says Garen.

Garen thinks viewers are tired of watching series that depict environments in Oslo.

– There are no series that represent this age group apart from city life. It’s just city, city, city, city. There is nothing from the districts, so we don’t get to see what the differences are, says Garen.

For the actors, a series about their youth is long awaited.

Tomczuk had few classmates growing up. Only around 800 people live in Solund today.

– If you have a friend, you must be that friend for the rest of your life. That’s the friend you have, and can’t choose between more. You can’t become unfriended with it, because then you’ll just get a lot of unfriended people, he says.

Depicts the “streaks”

Several places along the coast in Hordaland will be seen in the series, including Askøy, Bjørnafjorden and Austevoll. In August, the recording took place in, among other places, Glesvær in Øygarden.

And the young people in the series, who are usually at village festivals and boathouse parties, also take a few trips to the city during the series.

It is thus the “strile” that is depicted, which in the past was used to refer to fishermen from the districts who came rowing to Bergen.

– A bit exotic

– I think it’s exciting for urban youth to see what it’s like to grow up in a small place, and that it’s a bit exotic, says episode director and casting officer Nina Knag.

Casting started a year and a half ago. Most have never been actors before.

– The starting point was to find an exciting cast with different backgrounds in Western Norway. We have considered many thousands, says Knag, who says when the new actors have now become seasoned.

The series premieres on NRK in the autumn.