How did you end up in Hollywood, Helena?
Growing up in Sweden, I decided pretty early on that I wanted to go to acting school. I continued my studies in London to learn English. And I was all set to start working on a cruise ship as a dancer, but I faked an injury at the last minute, took my backpack, and moved to LA.
Sounds pretty ballsy.
And I only brought one set of clothes with me! I was in LA for two weeks, getting called back to auditions with the same shirt on every day. And it was highly recognisable – a pink shirt that said, “It’s your lucky day.”
And you actually scored a job out of that?
When the producers of Iron Man 2 called, they told me, “Hey, guess what? It is your lucky day.”
What was it like working with Robert Downey Jr?
Surreal. Most of the movie was basically improvised. So there was no way to prepare, and there were no warnings if he was just going to run with it and do something crazy.
Speaking of crazy, are you into the Hollywood party scene?
I’m a bit boring when it comes to that. I just love to bake chocolate cakes and anything unhealthy. It makes me very popular. Though I don’t know if I could bring them to the set – actors worry about the carbs.
We’re sure your growing legion of fans would appreciate some home-cooked goodies!
Yeah, maybe that’s what I should do. And they wouldn’t be weirded out at all… getting a brownie… in the mail. But I do read all my fan letters.
Look out for ours – it’s the one with the nude photos attached. Uhh… we’ve said too much.
Jesse Brukman
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