Herman Tømmeraas talks bonkers new film Sweetness, his Harry Styles inspiration, and why that twisted ending was better for the fans.
Warning: Spoilers Ahead For Sweetness
In the dark new film Sweetness, Herman Tømmeraas takes a sharp turn away from his previous roles to play Peyton, a pop-rock artist trapped in a spiral of fame and addiction.
Growing up with a mother who was a dancer and a father who was a singer, Tømmeraas always felt a pull toward the stage, but nothing could have fully prepared him for the intensity of this production. Reflecting on the script, he told me that the project offered a unique blend of being “dark, funny, twisted, [and] weird,” while finally allowing him to step into the shoes of a performing artist.
The transition to pop stardom began with a “terrifying” first hour on set where Tømmeraas was met by a crowd of extras wearing shirts displayed with his own face. Despite his initial nerves and the realization that he wasn’t a professional musician, the pressure quickly faded once the music started.
“I realized, well, everyone here is paid to cheer, which means that it doesn’t really matter what I do, they will be happy. And that kind of took away the pressure. And it was just pure fun.”
To build the character’s visual world, he spent two days in Toronto for marathon photo shoots, cycling through 50 different outfits to create Rylee’s bedroom sanctuary seen in the film. Herman Tømmeraas found that being surrounded by images of his character at his peak, while he was supposed to be going through withdrawal and was drenched in sweat, helped create an authentic sense of misery.
When it came to his stage presence, Tømmeraas leaned into a specific blend of influences, looking to the visual energy of Youngblood and the performance style of Harry Styles. The wardrobe played a significant role in his movement; he explained that wearing a see-through crop top “kind of changes things,” leading him to embrace a more “femme” and expressive style on stage.
“We settled on an artist that Peyton should be visually the same as Youngblood… but we wanted his way of acting on stage to be closer to Harry. And then the best thing there was that since I’m a dancer, I really got to do the things on stage that I wanted to do.”
This physicality stood in stark contrast to the basement scenes, where he was forced to act while physically restrained with his hands behind his back. He credited his co-star, Kate Hallett (who plays Rylee), for helping him navigate these challenging moments, noting that her “dead serious” gaze and “energy transfer” made it easier to perform without the use of his body.
The film’s shocking conclusion, which sees Peyton die rather than find redemption, was a plot twist Tømmeraas championed. He preferred the sadder ending over a traditional happy one, believing it left the audience with a more visceral reaction. Filming the final scene proved to be a technical hurdle, as he had to convince the crew to let him keep his eyes closed to avoid twitching instinctively during the long takes.
“I’d rather have a movie people walk out of the cinema afterwards going, the heck was that, rather than going out going, I saw that ending coming. That’s a better twist for me.”
Beyond the dark themes of the film, our conversation drifted toward our shared love for live music. It turns out Tømmeraas is just as much of a fan as we are. He confessed to being a merch collector, specifically seeking out t-shirts with tour dates on the back. In a meta-moment of life imitating art, he made sure to keep a Sweetness tour shirt from the set, complete with the performance dates printed on the back.
Herman Tømmeraas’ performance in Sweetness is a testament to his versatility, moving seamlessly from high-energy dance sequences to the claustrophobic, emotional demands of the film’s second half.
He described the filming of the concert scenes as a collaborative high point, where the entire crew wore makeup and blended in with the fans to create an electric atmosphere. As we wrapped up, it was clear that Tømmeraas is an actor who isn’t afraid to get sweaty as heck or even handcuffed to a bed if it means delivering something truly authentic.
To hear more Sweetness behind-the-scenes stories and how Herman Tømmeraas survived those intense one-shot takes, watch the full video interview.
