Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (2020)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Netflix

Release date: 6/26/2020

My IMDb Rating: 7/10 

#whatonwhatsgood Fan Club Rating: 66%

Directed by

David Dobkin

Written by

Will Ferrell, Andrew Steele

Produced by

Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Chris Henchy

Starring

Will Ferrell as Lars Erickssong

Rachel McAdams as Sigrit Ericksdóttir

Dan Stevens as Alexander Lemtov

Melissanthi Mahut as Mita Xenakis

Mikael Persbrandt as Victor Karlosson

Ólafur Darri Ólafsson as Neils Brongus

Graham Norton as himself

Demi Lovato as Katiana Lindsdóttir

Pierce Brosnan as Erick Erickssong

Cinematography

Danny Cohen

Edited by

Greg Hayden

Music by

Atli Örvarsson

Will Ferrell who plays Lars Erickssong discusses the overall spirit of positivity at Eurovision

"At Eurovision, winning is not as important as creating music and community.  This musical community really pulls for each other. Yes, someone's going to win, but for so many contestants, the fact that they get to perform and meet other musicians and have the shared collective experience is everything. That's what we wanted to celebrate."

“We knew that embracing the competition would be the foundation for genuinely amazing comedy. 

"Eurovision brings all of these nations together in harmony. It's a very uplifting event that celebrates all these nations and their music. In some ways, it's an escape."

"The EBU’s a unique organization. They know some people are a bit tongue-in-cheek about the whole thing, and they have a sense of humor. But the organizers also know that this event is a big deal musically. I didn't realize what a production it is until I actually went and saw the huge show they put on. They build the whole set from scratch only to tear it down when it's over. It was really important for us to capture the scope."

"On televised US competitions, we’ve pretty much had people standing in one spot and singing.  Eurovision is about these incredible performances where you frequently have choreography, bizarre props, costumes and make-up. But there are also people who just sit and sing a lovely ballad.”

Rachel McAdams who plays Sigrit Ericksdóttir discusses Eurovision and her character

"I didn't know much about Eurovision at first. When I started digging into it, I couldn't believe that the actual contest had been happening for so long. When we went to Tel Aviv to watch the rehearsals and finals, I understood why Will had been such a fan. It is just so massive, it's kind of hard to digest all the moving parts. And the audience knows all the words to the songs in the finals. I got so carried away — we had to leave before the results and I had to be dragged out by the hair!"

"Sigrit was a really shy, quiet child. Lars helped her find her voice and they've been inseparable ever since. They have an amazing friendship, but then there’s this unrequited romantic love. Or on Lars’ end, maybe it’s undiscovered love. They have some obstacles as they work toward sharing their lives in a new way.”

"Sigrit loves music for the fun of it.  She's not a performer in the traditional sense, and she's certainly not trying to reach a milestone the way that Lars is with Eurovision. Unlike him, she loves the place she comes from. She's happy to go along for the ride as long as she gets to hang out with Lars. She’s even a bit of a wild child when no one's looking.”

Dan Stevens who plays Alexander Lemtov discusses Eurovision and his character

“Lars's antagonist” - “the prince of Eurovision.”

“Eurovision is his domain, compared to the wide-eyed Lars. There’s a bit of fun to be had toying with Lars and also pulling Sigrit in different directions in terms of what she really wants.  He has a very operatic voice and uses it in poppy, big, bombastic songs.  At Eurovision, a lot of opera performers will go for the highest note out there. If a singer hits a really, really high note, they stand a very, very good chance of winning."

“If you're British, it's considered a bit like national self-flagellation, because the UK hasn't won the competition in decades and regularly comes away with the famous 'nul points'.  I’ve always found Eurovision to be a fun, very colorful world to enter, with a glorious mix of silliness and earnestness and politics. You're never sure if the contestants are really trying to win.”

Pierce Brosnan who plays Lars' father, Erick Erickssong discusses reading the script and working with Will Ferrell

“I read the script and I just fell off the chair howling. I love Will Ferrell. He plays with such a virtuosity of humor and intellect and silliness, and he has that brilliant clown within him as a performer. I was thrilled to be offered the role because I remember having a good time with Will when I was on Saturday Night Live years ago. He’s got a good heart, he's sincere and he listens."