level 7
VG (print edition), November 12th, 2013
(Norwegian original text HERE)
Ylvis are to many people synonymous with international fame, list toppings and star filled evenings in the wake of «The Fox». But not to Magnus Devold (26) and Calle Hellevang-Larsen (36).
The duo has become known as the Ylvis brothers’ «sidekicks» on the TV show «I kveld med Ylvis», and they have therefore followed Bård and Vegard Ylvisåker’s «The Fox» success very closely – but still from the sidelines.
When Devold and Hellevang-Larsen are asked to describe how the brothers are after the TV cameras have been turned off, they paint an image of two steady family men.
- Bård and Vegard use the few available moments they have for their families. They travel halfway around the world every other week, work and rehearse, so then they have to be with their families when they have time, Devold recounts.
Don’t stress
He says they also talk about serious things, and that the tempo is lower when they’re not on screen.
- They’re calmer than people would think in private. They don’t stress, and are more composed. Behind the scenes the atmosphere is very calm, Devold says.
Hellevang-Larsen, also known from the TV success «Snabbgrabbar» and «Raske Menn», met the brothers for the first time in 1993.
- We met at Fana skoleteater, and since then we’ve been very good friends. But we hang out more now than we did before. Every time we’re together there’s a mix of work and personal talk. I think that’s a good thing. Work is a part of life, he says.
He also points out that the two haven’t changed much, aside from the fact that they’ve started families.
Both agree that the Ylvis brothers are quite similar types.
- They’re both very nerdy, but Vegard is the biggest nerd. Vegard is fond of sharing half useless knowledge, and very concerned with how things work and are put together. They like puttering with things and reading. They’re also very fond of physics and science. Sometimes you think that they’re twins, they say simultaneously.
Tonight is the season finale of «I kveld med Ylvis», and Hellevang-Larsen says he never knows what to do the first days after a season is finished.
- It’s very strange. Then I always get sick. Because I’ve been going around pushing away sickness the entire fall. It becomes a sort of detoxification period, Hellevang-Larsen recounts.
But there won’t be much consolation from Bård and Vegard.
- On the contrary, Bård and Vegard aren’t very coddling. When they do hug, they always hug with a bit of a distance, Devold recounts.
