Two key protagonists at the centre of that question are Sebastian and Silo, played by Mihkel Kuusk and Karl Birnbaum. As I found while chatting with them, the two actors’ real lives, creative struggles, and philosophies seep directly into the film. And if you become a fan of these characters, you’ll be happy to know that their friendship isn’t too different either. Replete with banter, which began years ago in central Estonia, when director Meel Paliale brought the cast together for improv sessions.
Both actors found their way into Rolling Papers through moments of personal limbo. Birnbaum’s character, Silo, emerged from a New Year’s Eve conversation with Paliale in Tallinn’s Freedom Square, during a 5MIINUST concert Paliale was desperate to leave. Birnbaum convinced him to stay. Perhaps that feeling of enduring, that challenge against comfort and certainty, is the origin of Silo.
