Top Dog’ s stars Alexej Manvelov and Josefin Asplund open up

Produced by Filmlance International, Top Dog is based on Jens Lapidus’ best-selling trilogy books The VIP-Room, Stockholm Delete and Top Dog, adapted for television by head-writer Veronica Zacco (The Bridge, Quicksand).

The series is co-directed by Molly Hartleb and Alexis Almström.

The eight-part series centres on ambitious business lawyer Emily Jansson, played by Josefin Asplund (Vikings, Sanctuary, Snow Angels), and the ex-convict Teddy Maksumic, played by Alexej Manvelov (Before We Die, Occupied, Chernobyl).

The two come from opposite worlds and have nothing in common - she is a lone wolf, driven by her ambition  -he is family-oriented, trying to rebuild his life.
However they are forced to collaborate when someone related to Emily’s world mysteriously disappears.

The series was produced by Filmlance’s Anna Wallmark, Olof Spaak and Teresa Alldén for C More/TV4, in co-production with ZDF and Film Capital Stockholm Fund. The series premiered this week on C More and launches October 18 on TV4.

ZDF Enterprises is selling the series at MIPCOM.

Alexej and Josefin at what stage were you both approached for your respective roles?
Alexej Manvelov: I was approached by Veronica Zacco who thought of me while developing the screenplay. A year went by. Then the project came back my way and I attended a casting process.

Josefin Asplund: I wasn’t approached as early. I did a few auditions, the casting team checked various options - having a slighter younger or older actor for the role - then they came back to me four months later and offered me the role.

Alexej, how would you describe Teddy and how did you prepare for the role?
A.M: Teddy is the main protagonist, a troubled person, searching for a new meaning in life. All of his capital is violent. He uses violence to get ahead in life and solve conflicts. I’m actually fascinated by the topic of violence and toxic masculinity and have written essays about it. I’ve been wanting to do this kind of part since I started acting. Top Dog came at the right time. I was mature enough to handle the role and therefore mentally prepared. 

I would say that we were a bit constrained by the genre, but the way Veronica wrote it gave us a lot of opportunities to do real life drama. The physical preparation was quite intense. I needed to create the character of someone who has been behind bars for 10 years. So what do you do in prison? You probably train, and eat, and perhaps read a bit. I did all this - I had a personal trainer, ate a lot-even threw up the first week because I wasn’t in very good shape.

Did you take Serbian-language lessons for your part?
AM: I come from Russia, and Russian and Serbian languages are quite similar, so I could phonetically remember lines in Serbian and understand it.

What traits of your character do you like most?
A.M.: I like his sense of honour, that for his principles, he was prepared to spend ten years in prison, but perhaps that was a misplaced sense of honour and loyalty.

Did you research the crime underworld culture in Södertälje?
AM: I went to Södertälje once with another actor to check the vibes. The research was more about as a man, how you are taught to be violent. It’s a cornerstone of masculinity in many ways. We were so lucky with the written material from Jens Lapidus and Veronica who is super good with humanity and creating suspense.

How involved was Jens Lapidus? Did he come to the set?
AM: Jens came to the shoot in Spain and even did a cameo. I had also met him in Stockholm and we spoke a lot. He is a true expert in the Stockholm underworld and knows inside-out what he writes about. If something is unbelievable…it’s probably true! The series breathes with that unique authenticity.

How was your relationship with the directors Molly Hartleb and Alexis Almström?
AM: I met Molly for the first time on this project but as soon as she expressed herself, I felt we spoke the same language. I knew I could work with her no problem and I trusted her. With Alexis, we had to discuss a bit more, clarify things. But I loved working with both of them.

The overall crew was wonderful. We had a real ensemble team, and Josefin and I were very relaxed together. No one tried to outshine the others; everyone on set felt in the scene - from the prop person to the cast - we all felt we were part of creating something special.

J.A.: As an actor, when everyone is super dedicated, this is when I just love my job.

Josefin your character Emily wants to climb to the top at her law firm, but struggles as an outsider. How would you describe her?
J.A: In many ways, she is the opposite to Teddy. She has no family, no friends, no loyalty, no boundaries. She is a careerist and wants to get to the top. But later on, you understand the meaning of her actions. She is actually not a posh upper-class lawyer. She has a different back story.

Had you read the books by Lapidus?
JA:I had read the first book - The VIP-Room, but then I stopped when we started filming, to concentrate on the scripts. I wanted to build my own vision and opinion of Emily.

How did you research the milieu of top-end lawyers…Did you find inspiration from other legal dramas?
JA: I talked to my lawyer friends and had to learn the specific legal jargon, which was quite demanding. But then, there is the personal side of Emily- outside office hours. And in any case, she doesn’t belong to the ‘lawyers’ elite. She is indeed an outsider.

Do you feel she is a likeable character? Her flaws do make her more human…
JA: Yes. I enjoyed the complexity of her character. She is not very likeable at the beginning, and it’s only slowly through the series that you get to understand what she’s going through and like her more.

The series is a Nordic noir, but the rhythm is quite slow, there are virtually no cops, and it is very close to real life, which makes it innovative in many ways...
AM: It’s indeed an evolution of the Nordic noir. We have to compete at the same level of the greatest international shows, but we keep the original identity of our content.

There is the Nordic angst, sometimes quite Bergmanesque, but at the same time, we take the story to a different place where you can enjoy watching it as a young audience, with the element of crime. Our mutual goal was to create something new. Ultimately, Top Dog is not just entertainment - it’s a true social drama at the core.

JA: This series is so important - it deals with the underworld crime. The authenticity is so strong - thanks to Jens’ imprint, I buy everything, even if it’s fiction. It’s also very character-driven, so that the characters grow in you. These two people [Emily and Teddy], basically try to solve a crime, but the characters’ personal journeys make it unique and perfect material for binge-watching.

AM: You see the crime underworld and the top lawyers’ world collide, but these are actually not that different and perhaps two sides of the same coin.

TV drama is booming. Would you be interested in having more control of the creative side - exec producing or directing?
AM: Absolutely. Some actors just do their job, to pay the rent, which is fine. But I like to be involved and discuss the series with the top executives, the directors, writers, how can I contribute to it the way no one else can. Storytelling is the most powerful medium.

JA: When I do a role, I also want to be part of it as much as possible. It’s great that actresses such as Josephine Bornebusch are more involved in the whole creative side. The writer and the actor are those knowing the character the best.