Swedish-Ugandan Actor William Wasberg Talks to Satisfashion UG About His Influences, Dreams and Colorism in The Business

There is a consensus when talking about William Wasberg. The people he grew up with, teachers, siblings and parents, they would all tell you that when William was a kid he loved all different kinds of sports. He played basketball, tennis, and rugby and became good at all of them very fast. You could say that this, without it being his intention, was where him being in the center of attention first began. The sports field was his first “stage”. It soon evolved into being on an actual theater stage participating in school plays and eventually lead to filmmaking on YouTube.

“Filmmaking was so much fun for us. It gave my friends and I the opportunity to create content for ourselves and many others to enjoy” he says. “Being creative with my closest friends and coming up with different storylines in a non-judgemental environment really made me love the creative process, both in front and behind the camera.”

Wasberg is a New York-based actor and a recent graduate of The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He was born in Sweden to a Ugandan mother and a Swedish father. He started his career as an actor there before moving to The Big Apple. Here, he talks to Satisfashion UG about his influences, dreams and why acting is his ‘true joy’.

You are a Swedish-Ugandan actor based in New York. How much of those many cultural influences are you most drawn to?

Growing up in Sweden with an African mother I’ve always had a curiosity towards my Ugandan heritage and all the many different African cultures in general. Many of my friends are from a variety of different African countries. Moving to New York, where being black meant something completely different sparked an interest in finding out what being black actually meant whether it was Swedish, Ugandan or American.

Your mother is Ugandan. Are there any Ugandan words, references or even mannerisms you have picked from or learned from her?

Most cultural things I have picked up from my mother are her Ugandan cultural values. She was very determined to teach us to have respect for our elders and always take care of our family. I remember distinctly onetime when I was going out with my friends and my little brother wanted to tag along and I didn’t let him, she scolded me and told me that family comes before everything.

You say that the sports field was your first stage. How did you use sports to nurture your passion for acting?

I think the best thing my sports career has given me is discipline, and the ability to continue putting effort into failures to learn from them and evolve. Both of those aspects have come in handy multiple times when I’ve been working on a character and I’m having trouble figuring out how to approach it.

A sportsman who loves tech and acting. How did you realize that acting was your true calling?

I quickly realized while I was sitting at the desk in engineering school that what truly gave me joy was to entertain people, but I had to give up my sports career due to an injury I suffered while playing American football. I put school on pause and found the injury was a blessing in disguise, as it led to my true calling and what made me happy; acting. I always had a passion for acting  but at that point I realized that it was everything I wanted to do.

As a young passionate actor, how have you dealt with the cut throat nature of the business?

I think my sports background has saved me here too. Growing up trying out for teams, getting rejected and losing or winning games has toughened my mentality, and given me an ability to always keep looking forward having learned from my losses instead of dwelling in them.

In 2021 you became a member of the main ensemble of The Afrikan Women’s Repertory Theater in NY. How did you feel about this? Especially because it’s an all-black ensemble and covers issues that affect black people.

I remember how happy I was when I got the text message after my first performance with them saying “welcome to the family, we want you to be a part of our main ensemble!” This moment had an impact on my career because it was the first time an all black theatre gave light to black issues. I got a gratification I had been seeking out my entire life being mixed.

In Passin’ you play Glenn, a soon-to-be married struggling college student. What’s the significance of this role and ‘Colorism’ in the black community?

Glenn is a light skinned man dating a light skinned woman, both oblivious to the fact that their existence affects how people see other black people. There is a deep rooted bias in most communities throughout the world, that fair skin is correlated with money and wealth. Throughout the play Glenn and his partner get treated better than their darker colored peers, by both dark skinned and light skinned, as well as white people.

You also talk about the struggles of being ‘not too black and not too white’. How have you navigated through that?

A lot of black people feel like they don’t fit the mold of what a black person is. I have felt it by not fitting the mold, not being fully black on top of that; not having the skin color that does not fit in the white communities. I think that has made it so. I have had an urge to prove myself in both communities, and by doing so having different personalities that are amped up versions of myself that each group could accept.

All the roles and projects you have taken on so far cover issues that affect the black community. Why is this so important to you?

I think because of how I look I always have had a stronger connection to the black community, facing hardships white people have not. That has made me want to take on the questions that have affected me directly, as well as the issues that have affected the community that I have the strongest connection to.

You’re still pretty young in the business, what kind of actor do you want to evolve into?

I love character acting and would love to play many different obscure characters. I would love to play a role that uses my skills as a character actor to have a long term impact on the world.

Which actors have influenced you the most and why?

I have two categories here; the first one is the character actor’s with strong choices like Johnny Depp, Jim Carry and Willem Dafoe. They seem to have so much fun with their characters. I also have a strong admiration for refined black actors like Denzel Washington, Idris Elba, and Chadwick Boseman. What I admire most about these actors is that they could go from playing stereotypical black roles to playing Shakespeare. Watching this transformation made me realize that it doesn’t matter what box people put you in you can always break away from the stereotypes.