Fares Fares leans back on the sofa at his wife Clara Hallencreutz’s art studio. We’re in Stockholm, where the warmth and light of early summer have hit with full force and the city is heaving with people out enjoying it all. 

The Swedish actor has recently wrapped shooting on A Day and a Half, his directorial debut due to premiere this fall, and he’s clearly proud of the work. “Acting is fascinating, but with directing I get to tell the story my way, ” he says.