Text 1. Lights, Camera, Onni!

Listen and read.

Listen and read. 

What was your first role[explanation: role [rəʊl] – roll, osa]?

My first role was in Bad Luck Love, when I was only one month old. My dad Jorma played the main[explanation: main [meɪn] – pea-, põhi-] role, and I was his son. In 2005, my uncle Jalmari Helander directed[explanation: direct [daɪˈrekt], [dɪˈrekt] – lavastama; juhtima] an ad[explanation: ad [æd] – reklaam] for the 18th Love & Anarchy Helsinki International[explanation: international [ˌɪntəˈnæʃ(ə)n(ə)l] – rahvusvaheline] Film Festival[explanation: film festival [ˈfɪlm ˌfestɪv(ə)l] – filmifestival], and I starred in[explanation: star (in) [stɑː(r) ɪn] – peaosa mängima] it. So that’s how my acting career[explanation: career [kəˈrɪə(r)] – karjäär] started: fighting with sunflowers[explanation: sunflower [ˈsʌnˌflaʊə(r)] – päevalill] at the age of[explanation: at the age of [æt ðiː eɪdʒ əv] – -aastaselt] five.

What kind of[explanation: What kind of …? [wɒt kaɪnd əv] – Mis liiki ...? Millised ...?] roles have you had after that?

In 2005, I worked with my dad and uncle again, when we did the short film Rare Exports: The Official Safety Instructions. Later on, in 2010, Jalmari directed the movie Rare Exports, and I had a role in that too.

I had done another ad in 2008, “Kova Kuin Elämä”, advertising[explanation: advertise [ˈædvətaɪz] – reklaamima] rye bread[explanation: rye bread [ˈraɪ ˌbred] – rukkileib], and because of[explanation: because of [bɪˈkɒz ˌəv] – tõttu, pärast (eessõna)] that, I was asked[explanation: was asked [wəz ˈɑːskt] – paluti (umbisikuline tegumood)] to audition[explanation: audition [ɔːˈdɪʃ(ə)n] – esinemisproov; prooviesinema] for a role in the movie Skavabölen Pojat. There were about 500 boys at the audition, and Ilmari Järvenpää and I got the roles and played brothers in the movie.

While[explanation: while [waɪl] – samal ajal kui] we were making Rare Exports, my uncle decided that he wanted to have me in his next movie as well[explanation: as well [əz wel] – ka, samuti]. So he actually[explanation: actually [ˈæktʃuəli] – tegelikult] had me in mind[explanation: have* in mind [hæv ɪn maɪnd] – silmas pidama] when he wrote the script[explanation: script [skrɪpt] – stsenaarium] for Big Game.

Was it hard to act[explanation: act [ækt] – näitlema] in English?

No, not really. We used English when we were shooting[explanation: shoot*, shot, shot [ʃuːt, ʃɒt, ʃɒt] – siin: filmima] Rare Exports because most of the film crew[explanation: crew [kruː] – meeskond] were foreigners[explanation: foreigner [ˈfɒrənə(r)] – välismaalane]. I read the script in English, so it was pretty[explanation: pretty [ˈprɪti] – siin: üsna] easy to learn my lines[explanation: line [laɪn] – repliik].

How was it to work with famous[explanation: famous [ˈfeɪməs] – kuulus] Hollywood actors? 

At first[explanation: at first [ət ˈfɜːst] – esmalt, algul, alguses], it was exciting[explanation: exciting [ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ] – põnev, erutav], but pretty soon I realised[explanation: realise (BrE), realize (AmE) [ˈrɪəlaɪz] – taipama, aru saama] that they’re really nice and there’s no reason[explanation: reason [ˈriːz(ə)n] – põhjus] to be nervous[explanation: nervous [ˈnɜːvəs] – närvis, närviline]. Samuel is a real pro[explanation: pro [prəʊ] – proff], and his experience[explanation: experience [ikˈspiəriəns] – kogemus] made it easier for me too. We had a lot of fun. Once, when we were shooting a scene[explanation: scene [siːn] – stseen] by a campfire[explanation: campfire [ˈkæmpfaɪə(r)] – lõkketuli, lõke] and we were eating sausages, we got mustard[explanation: mustard [ˈmʌstəd] – sinep] all over our faces and laughed our heads off[explanation: laugh one’s head off [lɑːf wʌnz hed ɒf] – end ribadeks naerma].

Listen and read.

Have you performed[explanation: perform [pəˈfɔːm] – esinema, esitama] at school?

Only once. I had a role in a musical[explanation: musical [ˈmjuːzɪk(ə)l] – muusikal] when I was in the ninth grade[explanation: grade (AmE) [ɡreɪd] – klass]. Actually, I don’t like performing live[explanation: live [laɪv] – live’is, vahetult publiku ees] on stage – I get very nervous. Shooting a movie is very different because there is no audience[explanation: audience [ˈɔːdiəns] – publik, pealtvaatajad]. You get to know[explanation: get* to know [get tu nəʊ] – tundma õppima] the other actors and people working behind[explanation: behind [bɪˈhaɪnd] – taga, taha (eessõna)] the camera really quickly, so you can just forget[explanation: forget*, forgot, forgotten [fəˈɡet, fəˈɡɒt, fəˈɡɒt(ə)n] – unustama] about everything else and concentrate on[explanation: concentrate (on) [ˈkɒns(ə)ntreɪt ɒn] – keskenduma (millelegi)] acting[explanation: acting [ˈæktɪŋ] – näitlemine]. I have made friends with[explanation: make* friends (with) [meɪk frendz wɪð] – sõbraks saama (kellegagi)] other actors and crew members[explanation: member [ˈmembə(r)] – liige]. It takes a long time, months even[explanation: even [ˈiːv(ə)n] – isegi], to shoot a movie, and you work together closely[explanation: closely [ˈkləʊsli] – tihedalt], so you get to know one another[explanation: one another [ˌwʌn əˈnʌðə(r)] – teineteist] really well.

Is there anything[explanation: anything [ˈeniθɪŋ] – miski, midagi] that you don’t like about acting? 

Well, there’s a lot of waiting[explanation: waiting [ˈweɪtɪŋ] – ootamine] when you’re shooting a movie, and that’s kind of[explanation: kind of [kaɪnd əv] – kuidagi, teatud määral, natuke] boring[explanation: boring [ˈbɔːrɪŋ] – tüütu, igav] and frustrating[explanation: frustrating [frʌsˈtreɪtɪŋ] – pettumust valmistav, masendav] sometimes.

What about your school – how do you study during[explanation: during [ˈdʒʊərɪŋ] – ajal, jooksul (eessõna)] filming?

When I was shooting Big Game, I was in the eighth grade, and my mother was there with me – and my school books, of course. My teachers had made a study plan[explanation: study plan [ˈstʌdi ˌplæn] – õppeplaan] for me beforehand[explanation: beforehand [bɪˈfɔːhænd] – ette, eelnevalt], and I wrote a travel journal[explanation: journal [ˈdʒɜːn(ə)l] – päevik]. I studied the Second World War[explanation: world war [ˌwɜːld ˈwɔː(r)] – maailmasõda] by visiting[explanation: visit [ˈvɪzɪt] – külastus; külastama] a museum in Munich, got my PE while shooting, and so on[explanation: and so on [ænd səʊ ɒn] – ja nii edasi].

Do people recognise[explanation: recognise (BrE), recognize (AmE) [ˈrekəɡnaɪz] – ära tundma] you in the street? 

Well yes, quite[explanation: quite [kwaɪt] – üsna, päris] often. Most of them just stare at[explanation: stare (at) [steə(r) ət] – üksisilmi vaatama (kellelegi, millelegi)] me or say something to their friends and nothing to me. Sometimes they come and talk to me or want to take a picture with me. That’s when my friends usually tell me that they just forget all about my acting stuff[explanation: stuff [stʌf] – asjad].

What kind of plans do you have for the future[explanation: future [ˈfjuːtʃə(r)] – tulevik]? 

I’m going to finish[explanation: finish [ˈfɪnɪʃ] – lõpetama] school first and then try to get into Theatre Academy[explanation: academy [əˈkædəmi] – akadeemia]. I’m definitely[explanation: definitely [ˈdefɪnətli] – kahtlemata, kindlasti] going to continue[explanation: continue [kənˈtɪnjuː] – jätkama] acting.