Herman Tømmeraas Talks SWEETNESS, Fame, and Playing a Rock-Star Idol
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Shannon McGrew
In Emma Higgins's feature film SWEETNESS, when superfan Rylee (Kate Hallett) learns that Payton (Herman Tømmeraas), her rock-star idol, is spiraling into addiction, she makes it her mission to save him, whether he wants her help or not. But when her desperate plan spirals out of control, she kidnaps him in a delusional attempt to “fix” him. What begins as compassion turns into captivity, as she locks him away in the name of love.
For the release of SWEETNESS, Creepy Kingdom’s Shannon McGrew spoke with actor Herman Tømmeraas about his role as Payton. During their chat, they discussed everything from preparing to portray addiction authentically to navigating the pressures of performing live on stage and building the film's intense dynamic with co-star Kate Hallett.
Thank you so much for speaking with me today, Herman. Payton is a character who is both desired and deeply broken. How did Emma help prepare you for that rockstar persona who has lost control of what he’s doing?
Herman Tømmeraas: Emma and I had a long conversation on the phone where she explained what she wanted to do with Payton and why she wanted Payton to be a certain way. The first day I arrived in Canada, she gave me a book about addiction, which was really, really interesting. Before that, I had done my fair share of meetings and met up with people who had similar addictions, just to be able to at least understand what it is.
This is going to sound so pretentious, and I don’t mean for it to be pretentious, but on the plane over, I sat and wrote 10 pages of why I suck [Laughs]. I sat on the plane, writing every explanation for why I am a terrible person as a way to push myself down a little. Don’t know if it resulted in anything, but it was really fun. I also watched The Basketball Diaries to see the addiction angle, and then, combined with the music and a little bit of my energy, that’s what became Payton.
Payton exists at this intersection of fame, addiction, and emotional collapse. What was the most difficult part of playing such a complex character?
Herman Tømmeraas: I, as many other actors, want to do [topics] like addiction justice. I don’t want to jump into a character and do my impression of addiction, and then someone watches it who has an addiction and goes, that’s absolutely not how it is, you want the opposite. You want people to go, ah, you know what, that’s sort of how it is. So, I did feel a bit nervous, especially in the more heavy scenes where I was going to be completely out of it. That is where I really try to bring it because that’s also usually what you can look at afterwards, being either happy or not happy at all. I made sure to put in some effort there.
Then, obviously, the musical performances. I am not a pop artist, I am not a rock artist, so having to pull that off on stage with a band, with no preparation whatsoever, and with fans, was out of my comfort zone. I honestly think the nervousness actually brought out something that kind of fit with the character because I was sweating like crazy, and that’s what they wanted.
The film suggests that stardom, in and of itself, is an intense addiction. How do you think about fame as a pressure cooker for Payton?
Herman Tømmeraas: What we discussed in the beginning, which I thought was really fascinating about Payton, is that as a musician, he started, in the beginning, making music that meant something to him, but didn’t really work out. Then, when his career started not going well, he got depressed. Then he started writing music about depression that gave him fans, but then when he started getting happier again, his music didn’t work because the people who were following him followed him for his depression, and that made him depressed again.
It’s kind of that whole circle of never going upwards because people want you to do good, but not that good. That’s also such a beautiful thing that works between Payton and Rylee as well, because Rylee is the definition of what we’re just talking about. She is the kind of person who sees him struggling and wants to help, yet she also wants him to write what he knows he can write. The only way to make him write is by pushing him all the way down into hell. It’s a beautiful symphony of never solving anything.
Speaking of the dynamics between Rylee and Payton, they subvert expectations. How was it working with Kate to build up the relationship between the two of you?
Herman Tømmeraas: Kate is a powerhouse, first of all. She has huge eyes, which send a lot of signals all the time, which means that when she acts, she can literally just close everything off, and then her eyes will either go, I like you, or, I dislike you, and then you can take that information the way you want.
For me, my favorite scenes were Kate and me in the basement because I had limited movement and so much going on in my brain about [Payton] being in pain and sad, and then having Kate walk down and sit in front of you with her eyes being 40% eyes in your face [Laughs]. It was the funniest thing. We really had a good time.
Without giving anything away, what do you hope lingers in viewers' minds after they leave the theater?
Herman Tømmeraas: One of the things I like most about the film is that it’s such a wild ride with so many plot twists. Seeing an audience, or a group of people, being divided, someone almost laughing, someone [horrified], to me, that is the beauty of having a crowd watching [together]. I hope people experience that and have fun with it. On a serious note, if someone is dealing with depression or addiction, I want people to understand that just talking to someone can help. Even if it feels like no one is listening, someone will.
SWEETNESS is now available On Digital and Demand.
