An Interview with Helena Mattsson

Imagine leaving your country and heading for a whole new life in Hollywood at the age of 19 — would you be able to take that kind of leap of faith? Becoming a successful actor is much more difficult than most realize, so the fact that Helena Mattsson has only been on the scene for a few years and starred opposite actors such as Bruce Willis, Robert Downey Jr. and Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood) is nothing short of amazing.

Helena’s lucky streak continued when she landed a recurring role on Desperate Housewives as Preston Scavo’s conniving bride-to-be (and major thorn in Lynette’s side). Although her character met a dramatic end, Mattsson’s career continues to press forward as she stars opposite Robert Downey Jr. in the blockbuster Iron Man 2.

Get to know more about this charming young actress as we chat with her about her role on Desperate Housewives and where her career is headed in the near future — this lovely lady is about to become a household name!

Q: I understand that you moved to Hollywood at the age of 19, was this a difficult move?

Helena: “Yes it was. It was so exciting, but very scary in a way to come to a totally new country. My English wasn’t that good and I didn’t drive… it was pretty tough in the beginning. I’ve learned a lot since.”

Q: How long did it take to land a role?

Helena: “I was actually cast in something I had auditioned for in acting school in London. They flew me out to do the audition, so I started working pretty much right away.”

Q: You’ve had several guest-starring roles, which was your favorite?

Helena: “I’d have to say that the recurring role on Desperate Housewives has been the most fun because it’s one of my favorite TV shows. I’ve been following it for years, so it was exciting to be a part of a show I followed myself.”

Q: You guest starred on all 3 CSI shows, which did you enjoy most?

Helena: “My favorite character was the one I did in CSI: Miami because I got to play a psychopath killer. The other two I played a victim, it was more fun to play a killer.”

Q: You recently guest-starred on Desperate Housewives, did you enjoy the role?

Helena: “Yes, it was so much fun to play that character. She was pretty far off myself, so I had fun with it.”

Q: On the show you had several funny scenes with Lynette, which scene was the most fun to film?

Helena: “It was probably the scene where I threw soup on Felicity. We have this scene in the kitchen where we’re having a fight and I get really mad at her and throw a whole pot of red soup at her. We had a lot of fun. I actually slipped in the soup after I threw it on her, so we had a lot of laughs.”

Q: Did you know they were going to kill off your character?

Helena: “No, I didn’t. I knew it was going to be only a few episodes, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen. Every time I got a new script, it was a surprise. It was exciting to see what they wrote for me, so that last episode was definitely a cool one.”

Q: You appear in the new Iron Man 2 movie, tell us about your role…

Helena: “I only have a small role in the movie. I’m playing Rebecca, who is a fun, pretty girl. I have a couple of scenes with Robert Downey Jr.”

Q: Do you have any projects in the works?

Helena: “I just finished a romantic comedy called Audrey and I’m also currently recording the voice-over for a 3-D animated movie called Moomins and the Comet Chase.”

Q: Do you use Twitter or Facebook to connect with your fans?

Helena: “I’m just starting to figure that all out now; I’m so bad with all of that stuff.”

Q: Anything to say to the fans?

Helena: “Thank you all for watching Desperate Housewives and following what I’m doing. I read all of my fan mail and I really appreciate everyone.”

Source: About.com