Photoshoots and Interviews - 2018

[wanderingstar78]

This thread is for any of Alex's interviews and photoshoots published in 2018

These will be permanent files of ‘first-run’ interviews (video and text) with the actor, the articles that are written about the actor personally (not about his projects), and formal photoshoots.

[wanderingstar78]

Skarsjoy's latest magazine roundup. There are some really great photos of Alex during this awards season!

skarsjoy.tumblr.com/post/170232696733/magazine-roundup-23-alexander-skarsg%C3%A5rd-golden

Magazine Roundup #23 - Alexander Skarsgård Golden Globes & SAG/Big Little Lies edition 🏆🏆

In Touch Weekly (US, February 5, 2018 issue) - RAD BROMANCE! Alex and Jack McBrayer at the Golden Globes on January 7, 2018.


The Hollywood Reporter (US, January 25, 2018 issue) - Alex and Margot Robbie at the SAG Awards, January 21, 2018.


Hänt i Veckan (Sweden, January 24, 2018 issue) - Alex won his 4th straight award (this time, a SAG) for Big Little Lies. ‘Praised again. Alexander Skarsgård has won the award again. The night into Monday, he took home a statue on the TV gala Screen Actors Guild Awards, for his role in the Big Little Lies television series. He won in the category for Best Male Actor. The star has lately been praised greatly for his role as Perry Wright on the big award shows in Hollywood.’


Hello! (Canada, February 5, 2018 issue) - Alex and Margot at the SAG awards, January 21, 2018.


Entertainment Weekly (US, February 2, 2018 issue) - Alex at the ‘People and Entertainment Industry Foundation SAG Awards Post-Awards Gala’ and his SAG award. + some Sam Rockwell who is rumored to be in Mute. (I hope he is!)


Hello! (Turkey, January 25, 2018 issue) - Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård at the SAG awards.


OK! (Australia, Febuary 2018 issue) - Alex and Nicole Kidman at the SAG Awards. Caption says, ‘EYES WIDE OPEN - Continuing their gushy awards show loveliest, Big Little Lies co-stars Nicole Kidman and Alexander Skarsgård got up close and personal after taking out the top TV spots of the night. “I’m incredibly embarrassed and infinitely grateful,” he told the audience.’ Thanks for the photo, BeerWolf!


Şamdan (Turkey, January 10, 2018 issue) - Alex, Nicole Kidman and the Big Little Lies crew at the Golden Globe Awards.


Şamdan (Turkey, January 24, 2018 issue) - Alex and Nicole Kidman at the SAG Awards.




Close up of Alex from Hello! Turkey.


People (US, February 5, 2018 issue) - because I love it so much, here is his SAG People Exclusive portrait by Ari Michelson again. (sorry so blurry, but they used a tiny photo.) Ari also took this fabulous portrait too.


Extra (Sweden, January 25-31, 2018) - I already posted this, but in case you missed it and want to read the article, @littlebulletsucker was kind enough to translate the whole thing. It has quotes from his former Swedish co-stars (and his mother, My) and talks about how he had to work harder to be known for his acting and not just his hunky good looks.


I didn’t see anything of Alex at the Critics Choice Awards other than a sometimes mention in the text that he won too. Although one of the Swedish magazines had an article about him looking for a house in NY and they used a CCA photo.

#Alexander Skarsgård #Alexander Skarsgard #Big Little Lies #Jack McBrayer #magazine roundup #SAG Awards 2018 #Golden Globes 2018 #Bill Skarsgård #Margot Robbie #Assassination Nation #Sundance 2018 #Hänt I Veckan #THR #The Hollywood Reporter #In Touch Weekly #Extra #Hello! Canada #Sam Rockwell #Entertainment Weekly #Hello! Turkey #Nicole Kidman #OK! Australia #my digital scans #BeerWolf #Şamdan #Ari Michelson #long post #Samdan #sorry for the long post but I live for his praise #or at least really really enjoy it
January 28, 2018 – 70 notes / January 28, 2018

[wanderingstar78]

I hope Elle UK releases the full interview soon!

www.justjared.com/2018/02/06/alexander-skarsgard-recognizes-the-disgusting-gender-bias-in-the-film-industry/

TUE, 06 FEBRUARY 2018 AT 7:00 PM
Alexander Skarsgard Recognizes the 'Disgusting' Gender Bias in the Film Industry



Alexander Skarsgard is opening up about the gender bias in the film industry and how it’s not just a problem in Hollywood.

“There is a double standard [in the film industry]. I notice that with actress friends of mine. And it’s disgusting,” the 41-year-old actor said in a new interview with Elle UK.

“It’s not a problem that’s specific to Hollywood. I think you see this in many professions, where men in power think they’re entitled. So these women are very brave to talk about it, and I do believe it will fundamentally change things,” Alex added.

The Big Little Lies actor also opened up about being a feminist.

“I’m 100 percent feminist. Sweden is very progressive. In terms of equal rights, I think it’s ahead of most countries,” he said.

[wanderingstar78]

Here's the full Elle UK interview: www.elleuk.com/life-and-culture/culture/news/a41447/alexander-skarsgard-double-standards-hollywood-feminist-women/

ELLE UK Exclusive: Alexander Skarsgård On 'Disgusting' Double Standards In Hollywood
'I'm 100 per cent feminist'


GETTY
BY TEAM ELLE
FEB 7, 2018

Alexander Skarsgård, star of award-winning Big Little Lies and Tarzan, talks candidly to ELLE UK about the double standard in Hollywood, how his career has impacted his relationships, and why he avoids social media.

On gender bias in the film industry:
'There is a double standard [in the film industry]. I notice that with actress friends of mine. And it's disgusting. It's not a problem that's specific to Hollywood.


GETTY

'I think you see this in many professions, where men in power think they're entitled. So these women are very brave to talk about it, and I do believe it will fundamentally change things.'

On being a pro-woman:
'I'm 100 per cent feminist. Sweden is very progressive. In terms of equal rights, I think it's ahead of most countries.'


GETTY

On how appearing on TV from the age of 13 affected his relationships:
'To have people talk about you and say, "Well this is who Alex is…" when I had no idea myself, it just f*cked with my self-confidence. Because if a girl looked at me or seemed interested, I thought she was only interested because she had seen me in the movie.


GETTY

'It made me feel worthless. I wanted girls in school to like me because I was funny or cute or interesting – that's what you want isn't it? When you're 13? And I guess when you're 40 as well…'

On choosing to not have a presence on social media:
'Sometimes I think it's good to be bored, because that's when your mind wanders; creativity is born this way.


GETTY

'But we don't allow for those moments anymore, because if there are three seconds of downtime, you are on your phone or you're checking your Insta-feed or Twitter.'

Mute launches on Netflix in February. Read the full interview in the March issue of ELLE UK, on sale 7 February.

[em666]

^
thanks, but that's not the full interview:
78.media.tumblr.com/fcc08b032685017797f76df8e4a732c5/tumblr_p3rlpsi49Q1ubdydko2_1280.jpg
78.media.tumblr.com/f9ef7db5872431324d663529066526bc/tumblr_p3rlpsi49Q1ubdydko1_1280.jpg
via ASkarsonline:
alexanderskarsgardonline.tumblr.com/post/170600626075/new-interview-with-alex-in-the-march-2018-issue-of

[em666]

http://instagram.com/p/BfDVIfDjCSh

Alexander Skarsgård: ‘Hollywood is very silly. People are so anxious’

The True Blood actor takes glee in pricking the pomposity of his profession and wonders if he should be an architect instead


When Alexander Skarsgård was 20 years old, half his lifetime ago, he decided to give acting a shot. At the time, he had left his native Sweden for Leeds – “of all places” – and was studying English at what’s now called Leeds Beckett University. It was a toss-up between training to be an actor or an architect. “I was like most people that age, trying to figure out what to do,” he recalls. “And it was kind of: ‘Fuck it, Dad’s an actor, he’s super-happy doing it, maybe I should give it a go.’ I felt like, if I don’t try it now, there is a risk that I’ll look back 30, 40 years from now and think: ‘Why didn’t I? What an idiot!’

“Yeah,” Skarsgård goes on, smiling, “I’d like to be able to say it was a calling, that creatively I was just driven to do it, but um… I wasn’t.”

Two decades on, it turns out not to have been Skarsgård’s worst decision. In his first American film, he played a vacuous male model in Zoolander (“Earth to Meekus”), but that was followed by a fallow period: “For two and a half years, I didn’t work.”

The drought finally broke in 2007 when he landed a role as a US Marine in the Ed Burns and David Simon-led mini-series Generation Kill about the invasion of Iraq and then the big one, a recurring part as the mighty Eric Northman, the 1,000-year-old bar owner and “sheriff” in the cult hit True Blood.

“When they called me and said: ‘Oh, do you want to audition for this vampire Viking thing?’ I didn’t expect that show to last for seven years.” He laughs so hard he almost spits his lunch across the table. “Never thought that would happen.”

Since True Blood finished in 2014, the 41-year-old Skarsgård has been an eight-packed modern incarnation of Tarzan, and he has recently won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of a charming yet sinister wife abuser in the eight-part television drama Big Little Lies.

Skarsgård has become so successful that he’s in effect made himself homeless. On the day we meet, in the gilded surrounds of Hotel Le Meurice in Paris, he is on a brief stopover between Hamburg, where he’s been shooting with Keira Knightley, and Calgary, Canada, where his next film starts. The gaps between his last four projects were so small that he gave up his apartment in New York and put all his belongings in storage.
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“I’m not married and I don’t have kids, and I’m really enjoying it at the moment,” says Skarsgård. “There’s something quite Buddhist about the sense that you can only have eight items or whatever. Because I have my one suitcase and whatever doesn’t fit in that, I can’t bring. So the other day, I wanted to buy a pair of sneakers and I realised they’re not going to fit in the suitcase, so I have to decide, how badly do I want them? Because if I buy these, I have to leave the other pair. So in terms of consumption, it really makes you think.”

Skarsgård looks down: his slouchy V-neck tee and denim incongruous in the opulent, high-ceilinged Le Meurice. “So you’ll see me wearing the same T-shirt and the same jeans now for the next six months,” he says.

The size of a tree and strapping with it, outlandishly handsome even by Scandinavian standards, Skarsgård could easily have gone down the path of the himbo. But the reality, in person, is that he is both too smart and too silly for that to happen. He takes glee in pricking the pomposity of Hollywood and telling you how “crazy” most of the people are there. When he’s given a plus one for work trips, he prefers not to take an agent or a publicist, but a friend from back home: “A pot-smoking musician from Gothenburg.” On his Instagram feed (@rexdanger: “Danger is my maiden name”), he’ll post a picture of the Eiffel Tower with the caption: “When in Rome”; another recent image seems to show him urinating against a wall.
It’s not all jokes. Skarsgård will talk with intensity about the nine months he spent getting into shape for Tarzan: the relentless gym and dance sessions, the six precisely weighed meals a day, most of them tuna. But he’s not by nature the self-denying type: as soon as the movie wrapped, he spent three days on a couch eating mozzarella and bone marrow and drinking wine. For lunch now, he has a plate of Dover sole the size of a dustbin lid, but when I suggest that he’s taken the healthy option, he looks mortified: “No, no, no, there’s a lot of butter on this little guy.”
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Today, the main item on the agenda, in theory, is Skarsgård’s new sci-fi movie Mute, directed by Duncan Jones. The word “long-awaited” often flies around, but this is the real deal. A screenplay was written in 2003 by Jones, David Bowie’s son, and he planned for it to be his first film. But the budget requirements for the ambitious futuristic setting made that unworkable, so instead Jones made Moon, a scaled-back tale that starred Sam Rockwell as a helium-3 miner on the far side of the moon. That won him a Bafta in 2010 for the outstanding debut by a British filmmaker.

Mute, which Jones calls “a companion piece to Moon”, has since become “my Don Quixote”, a nod to the Terry Gilliam film that became a lightning rod for shambolic misfortune. In the intervening years, Jones has also made a couple of other films and had a turbulent period personally, including having a baby, his wife’s successful battle with cancer and the deaths of both his father and Marion, the woman who raised him.

Something else happened in those years: Netflix came along. Mute is set in Berlin in 2052 and follows a speechless Swiss-Amish bartender, Leo (Skarsgård), whose girlfriend Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh) inexplicably goes missing. His search takes him deep into a neon-saturated underworld, populated by gangsters and a pair of anarchic American field surgeons (Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux), as well as freaky robot dancers and frankly terrifying sexbots, complete with sucker pads and studded dildos.


end pt. 1

[em666]

pt. 2
One of Jones’s inspirations was Blade Runner and that’s where Netflix, and its cavernous pockets, came in. “It’s a quite expensive movie; because he wants to create Berlin in 2052, it’s a big world,” says Skarsgård. “And it’s tough today to make movies that are dramatic, dark, character-driven for a lot of money, because if studios are going to pay for a movie, they want big action. What’s great about Netflix, in a way, is that it wants a wide variety of projects and it doesn’t have to cater to everyone. It can take chances on projects like these.”

From the snippets of Mute that have been released, it’s hard to work out how absurd and obscene Jones’s vision is. “It’s very dystopian, but not that far-fetched unfortunately, because it’s a society run by corporations,” says Skarsgård. “You subscribe to a corporation and then they will provide everything for you – housing, healthcare, food – but they basically own you. And it’s eerie that Duncan wrote that 15 years ago, especially with Citizens United in the States, the supreme court decision where there’s no limit to the money you can pump into politics. And having a businessman-entertainer as president now. Also by the way, it’s 2052, but we’re still fighting in Afghanistan, we’re still involved.”

So we could be looking at the future then? Skarsgård looks a little traumatised and then sighs: “Hopefully not.”

Skarsgård’s own upbringing is a long way from dystopian. When he mentioned that his father was an actor, he was of course being modest: “Dad” is the great Stellan Skarsgård, a stalwart of everything from Lars von Trier’s films to Pirates of the Caribbean and Mamma Mia!. His mother, My, is a doctor and the family home is in Södermalm, south Stockholm, traditionally a working-class area, but now full of beards and coffee shops. Skarsgård Snr has eight children, seven boys and a girl, Alexander is the eldest and the youngest is five. And he’s created something of an acting dynasty: his sons Gustaf, Bill and Valter all work in film and television.
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“I try to go back to Sweden whenever I can, I love it, it’s the best,” says Skarsgård. “It’s complete chaos, but it’s awesome, because there’s dogs and cats and kids and boyfriends, girlfriends… It’s almost like a commune. Because they all basically live together: my parents are divorced, but they live a block away from each other and they are still best friends. Mum’s brother is my dad’s childhood friend. They’ve been best friends since they were kids, and they live in the same building.

“It’s very different from my lifestyle, moving around when I’m shooting movies,” he continues. “But yeah, eventually when it’s time to have kids and stuff, I want to have nine. I want to beat my dad.”

Skarsgård is often linked with co-stars and glamorous women; most recently he dated Alexa Chung for a couple of years, but they broke up last summer. He’s remarkably open in most ways, and he’s almost apologetic today when he says that he’d rather not discuss his relationships.

“Yeah, I don’t talk about it much, and that’s a way to protect it,” he says. “When I was a kid, that’s how my father dealt with it. I wouldn’t say it kept him sane, because he’s pretty crazy, but somewhat. The fact that he protected his private life so much, and protected my mum who is not an actor or a public figure.”

The amount that Skarsgård is currently working, he admits, certainly doesn’t help. “I do it now because I can and I’m really enjoying it,” he says. “And I don’t have a life” – a dry laugh. “But I definitely want kids and, if I do, I probably would prioritise differently. And if I want nine, I’d better get started pretty soon then, right?”
Certainly Skarsgård is on a hot run right now, especially following Big Little Lies. His character, Perry, was a monster who bullied and physically violated his wife Celeste (played by Nicole Kidman), but Skarsgård skilfully teased out his insecurity and the turbulent complexity of their relationship. In his speech after winning the Golden Globe he called it “the best experience of my career”. “Nicole’s a decent actress, actually,” says Skarsgård. “Surprisingly.” He arches an eyebrow, “Yeah, she’s obviously fucking incredible, so what a treat to work with someone like that.”

Big Little Lies is returning for a second season – and so, intriguingly, is Perry – and Skarsgård, working non-stop, looks set to fill our screens over the coming months and years. But he’s not about to become carried away by his current success. “I’m so ridiculously lucky and fortunate to be where I am,” he says. “I have friends who are way better actors than I am who are not working.

“Hollywood is very silly in a way,” he explains. “It’s like playing marbles when you were a kid in the schoolyard. People are so anxious: ‘What filmmaker is hot right now? Which actor is hot?’ Same thing in the school playground: the cool kid says: ‘This is the marble to get.’ And everyone is like: ‘Oh my God, I want it!’”

Skarsgård drains his coffee cup and stands up: at 6ft 4in, his presence suddenly makes the reception room we are in feel like a doll’s house. But he smiles goofily and shakes hands. “It’s here today, gone tomorrow,” he says. “I don’t expect this ride to last for ever and maybe I don’t want it to. Maybe I should revisit architecture and become an architect instead, and just live in one place and not travel around. Actually be able to get some furniture and hang a painting on a wall. Definitely I’m not taking it too seriously.”

Mute is released on Netflix on 23 February
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2018/feb/11/alexander-skarsgard-hollywood-is-very-silly-people-are-so-anxious

[wanderingstar78]

That was a good interview, and it explains the house-hunting article that came out a couple months ago. I really like the way they've styled him in the photos! He looks ruggedly handsome, rather than adorkable.

[em666]

^
I'm not sure it does explain the house hunting article, since this interview was done in March of last year, and I think that's when Elle interview was done as well. The writer has updated it well, but missed the apartment buying article. I'm not sure anyone at the Post actually researched that at all. The Observer, which reprinted it, did note his having had bought the apartment.
Anyhoo, apparently there are more photos from this shoot, and it is a very nice photo shoot:
78.media.tumblr.com/518cf2569065c81ce883ff7f44bd3a5e/tumblr_p3z6vskj6h1rkkyz2o2_r2_1280.jpg
78.media.tumblr.com/e94881e05e5f13213dbf405159fb000e/tumblr_p3z6vskj6h1rkkyz2o5_r1_1280.jpg
78.media.tumblr.com/f05c55f6dba7c0d419839d86438b7a77/tumblr_p3z6vskj6h1rkkyz2o7_r1_1280.jpg
And one new Mute still:
78.media.tumblr.com/cddcd0296f637d89732c322ce481c41f/tumblr_p3z6vskj6h1rkkyz2o6_r1_1280.jpg
via SkarsJoy
skarsjoy.tumblr.com/post/170749599373/new-article-alexander-skarsg%C3%A5rd-hollywood-is

[wanderingstar78]

I meant the most recent house-hunting article. He's got a lot of work on his plate, but the shoots might be spaced out enough that he can settle into an apartment again.

[ohva]

thanks for the article insights. sometimes it's hard to figure out timelines, who did a similar article, an article that is based on another article, etc. etc.

[em666]

Feb 11, 2018 18:57:58 GMT -5 wanderingstar78 said:

I meant the most recent house-hunting article. He's got a lot of work on his plate, but the shoots might be spaced out enough that he can settle into an apartment again.

I'm sort of amused that he buys his apartment in August of 2017, and has probably spent less than a month in it since then.

[wanderingstar78]

It's prob a good investment for him. It doesn't hurt to hold on to real estate, even if it's unoccupied/not rented.

[davischristinem]

New Alex Interview with Frankfurter Rundschau!  
Plus Gifs from SAG Awards!


Found at:  askarslibrary.tumblr.com/






New Alex Interview with Frankfurter Rundschau!


Alexander Skarsgård: "If the substance is good, I’m in it.“


Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård on his Netflix thriller "Mute”, shooting in Berlin, David Bowie’s son and what’s most important to him when shooting.



By Ulrich Lössl



Frankfurter Rundschau: Mr. Skarsgård, when a movie actor once landed on television, it was a sure sign of the early end of his career. Nowadays, actors wrap themselves around the roles in TV series. What happened?



Alex: Yes, priorities have shifted dramatically in recent years. It probably started with the “Sopranos”. Since you could suddenly see how exciting and inspiring TV series can be. That was over ten years ago. The success of this series has encouraged many highly talented scriptwriters and filmmakers to break out of the television routine and try something new. Finally they could tell their stories in an original way and did not have to stick to the usual formats. And, of course, such films or series have magically attracted us actors. In the meantime, I do not think at all in such categories as film, TV movie or series. If the stuff is good and I’m interested, I’m there.



FR: Apparently they’re willing to take risks at HBO, Amazon, Netflix & Co. David Fincher said he first offered “House of Cards” to the classic Hollywood movie studios. But they did not want to finance the project as he thought fit. And they always wanted to control his job. So he went to Netflix and had carte blanche there. Something similar probably applies to “Mute” - the film was indeed in the pipeline for years.



Alex: You could say so. Director Duncan Jones wrote the script for “Mute” back in 2003. It was supposed to be his first movie. But no one wanted to raise the budget, which was absolutely necessary for the futuristic look of the film - it’s set in the Berlin of the year 2052. And "Mute“ is also not an action-spectacle, but a film drama in which the psychology of the individual characters is of crucial importance. Luckily, Netflix was ready to let Duncan do the film as he envisioned it.



FR: What attracted you to Mute?



Alex: I’m a fan of Duncan and I especially like his sci-fi movies ”Moon“ and ”Source Code“. I also found the script phenomenally good. And, of course, my role fascinated me. I play the silent bartender, Leo, whose girlfriend disappears one morning in a sudden and inexplicable way. As he goes in search of her, he gets deeper and deeper into the neon-glowing underworld of Berlin, where gangsters, freaks, robots and two American ex-military surgeons are up to mischief. But the biggest attraction for me was that Leo is dumb. His vocal cords were severed when he was a child. It was incredibly difficult, nothing the whole time - not the smallest sound! - could come from me. As an actor, the voice is one of the most important means of expression one has. So I had to learn a completely new "language”.



FR: The film was shot in Berlin. At the end of the 70s, David Bowie, the father of Duncan Jones, recorded his Berlin trilogy albums Low, Heroes and Lodger. He also lived there …



Alex: … and Duncan at times too. When his father lived and worked with Iggy Pop in Berlin, Duncan went to school there. At that time the wall was still standing. Of course, I followed with Duncan in the footsteps of his father, which has touched me very much. “Mute” is also a tribute to his late father David Bowie.



FR: Did you become an actor despite or because of your famous father - Stellan Skarsgård?



Alex: (Laughs) Neither - yet. What many do not realize is that I already - of course by my father - at the tender age of seven years old started in film and in Sweden was something like a child star. At the age of 13, I quit because it was too much for me. At the time, I most wanted to be able to lead a normal life. But that was not so easy because of my “celebrity”. And even at home it was anything but normal for us: My father often walked around in very strange costumes or even naked. That was terrific for me - especially when I brought home a girl. (Laughs). Today, of course, I’m looking back on that time in a very amused way. Please do not misunderstand me: I value my father very much - as an actor and above all as a human being. My father is very warm and open. And if he hates something, it’s when people are treated badly. Especially in Hollywood, hierarchies are very popular, as everyone knows by now. And my dad has my greatest respect for the fact that he blithely breaks up these structures on every film set, in every meeting with the studio boss and leads them to absurdity.



FR: You’ve lived in the USA for many years. Do you feel comfortable there?



Alex: Honestly, I’ve live out of a suitcase for quite some time. I travel a lot in the world - to shoot, but also privately. I even quit my New York apartment and put my things in storage. I feel free as a bird. I am neither married nor do I have to look after a family - and I enjoy it very much at the moment. And when I’m longing for family and friends, I visit my native Sweden. I feel comfortable almost everywhere - even in America.



FR: Despite Trump?



Alex: Oh, we really do not need to talk about the clown anymore. However, it still shocks me how easy it is to access weapons in the US. In America,there are more weapons than humans! Is that not crazy? I come from a country where there are very strict gun laws, which I very much welcome. In America, anyone can send by mail a semi-automatic rifle into the house - without much demand. Madness! I also do not understand how in the 21st century one can still earnestly rely on the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, as a justification for protecting yourself and your family with your gun in your fist. The article was incorporated into the constitution in the 18th century so that the vigil could protect itself from gang attacks. How on earth is that still relevant today? And the argument that the only person who can stop a bad person with a gun is a good person with a gun is extremely alarming.



FR: Is it not dangerous in your profession to have no focal point that anchors you?



Alex: Not a place, but my moral compass anchors me. And it still works very well. Of course, I’ll give up my gypsy life someday. I’m just over 40 now and maybe it’s time to start a family. But right now I’m getting so many good job offers that I just do not want to say no to. Because I also draw a lot of strength from my work.


Sources: Interview: Ulrich Lössl for Frankfurter Rundschau (x, x), Translation: Google + Cleanup by The Library, GIFs: Our GIFs of Alex at the 2018 SAG Awards, Video: SAGAwardsOfficialPag Facebook (x)


                                                                

[davischristinem]

10 Years After Generation Kill Alexander Skarsgård Is Still 'Frosty'

By Ashley Morton,  www.hbo.com/generation-kill/alexander-skarsgard-10-year-anniversary-interview


The actor known for True Blood and Big Little Lies reflects on the miniseries that started it all for him.

HBO: When was the last time you watched Generation Kill?


Alexander Skarsgård: I watched the whole show about two years ago, and I hadn’t seen it since it aired. It was quite emotional and nostalgic to watch the whole thing again.


HBO: It’s been 10 years since the show aired. What are your impressions of it now?


Alexander Skarsgård: The reason I loved it so much, was that it felt so grounded and real. It was so brave of Ed Burns and David Simon to create a show that didn’t revolve around one famous incident; it’s not one huge battle or heroic action. There’s no score, they don’t heighten anything or sensationalize it.

To me, it’s the most honest depiction of war I’ve seen in many years. I served in the military in Sweden, and I’ve never been to war, but I can relate to the camaraderie, the hierarchical structure, the lack of information; all of that was so beautifully told in this show.


HBO: What sort of impact did the show have on you?


Alexander Skarsgård: It was such a profound experience. I am where I am in my career today thanks to Gen Kill. It was kind of where it all began for me. Before that, I had done a very small part in Zoolander, but that was it in the States.

When I heard about the show I was already a fan of The Wire, so I knew the people behind it were incredibly talented. And I read the book, and thought it was extraordinary. I was so blown away by Brad “Iceman” Colbert. I knew it was a long shot for them to hire an unknown Swede, but I was very motivated. It was a long and tough exhausting audition process.


HBO: Could you elaborate on what the casting process was like for you?


Alexander Skarsgård: It was horrible, personally, because I wanted it so badly! When I auditioned in New York, I didn’t know Alexa [Fogel, casting director], and today she’s one of my closest friends. I auditioned for her in New York, flew to London to audition for the director, Susanna White, then went to Baltimore for Ed and David. I returned to New York, and waited around. I was on pins and needles every time I got a phone call. I was unemployed, I had no money, and was either going to go home to Sweden for unemployment because my visa for the States was about to expire, or go on incredible adventure seven months in Africa, working on the greatest mini-series. The stakes were very high. My heart would stop every time the phone rang.

And then one day it did ring, and I went back for a fourth callback. Alexa was in my corner and was trying to convince the skeptics. I was up in her office one day, and she basically said, “You owe me a nice lunch if you get this.”

And at the very end, I was at her office, and she basically said, “You owe me a nice lunch, Alex. You’re going to Namibia tomorrow.” It was the craziest moment of my life. I was so happy and terrified and overwhelmed. And within 24 hours, I was on a plane with seven scripts about to go to boot camp and shoot this massive series. It was scary but exhilarating.


HBO: Was it challenging to play a part based on a real person?


Alexander Skarsgård: I felt such a responsibility to get it right. I fell in love with the character; I thought he was the most incredible human, but it was important to make him real and flawed. I didn’t meet Brad Colbert before the show, but I got a pretty good idea of who he was from speaking with [military advisor] Eric Kocher, Rudy Reyes [who plays himself], and [writer] Evan Wright. All of these stories you hear him talk about are real. It’s very personal. Brad is a private guy; he’s not someone who asked for the world to share his stories.


HBO: How did you prep for the part?


Alexander Skarsgård: I remember the moment where I really tapped into Brad and realized exactly how I wanted to play him. Evan was in a Humvee with these guys for five weeks, all the way from Kuwait to Baghdad, and he would record a lot of the conversations. And I discovered the essence of why Brad was called “Iceman” when he played one for me. They’re driving, and taking fire — you can hear bullets ricocheting off the Humvee — and they open up and start firing back. And as Brad’s shooting out the window, he’s talking to Ray [Person] about doing a three-point-turn and avoiding a burn. And the other guys are all screaming, and Brad is so calm — it’s almost like his heart rate slowed down. He is so precise in giving directions to Ray. You can tell he’s stressed, but he’s like, “OK, back up, back up, you’re good,” as he’s being shot. And to me that was Brad.


HBO: Do you remember the first scene you shot?


Alexander Skarsgård: I do, and I was nervous about it. I berate Ray [played by James Ransone] because he f**ked around with a stove and it exploded in the tent. It was a difficult scene because I wanted to find the right tone. Brad had such an ease; he’s not a guy who had to exaggerate the fact that he was in command. It’s an important moment, and it set tone for the dynamic, and that was Day 1.


HBO: Do any other scenes stand out in your memory?


Alexander Skarsgård: When Brad talks about his ex-girlfriend, who is now with his best friend. He does it in a way that’s not melodramatic, it’s just a fact. The emotions register on the other guys in the Humvee, not on him. It’s so beautifully written.

Again, it was important to get the tone right and it was stressful because we were shooting as the sun was setting. By the time we got to the coverage, we only had time for two takes, and I was frustrated because I wasn’t sure if we got it or not. I remember walking away from set being upset, I cared so deeply about that scene. But in hindsight, I think that tension added to the moment.


HBO: What was the atmosphere on set like?


Alexander Skarsgård: The dynamic was as close to as when I was in the military as I’ve ever experienced on a set. There is a lot of hurry up and wait in both the military and on set. And usually, if you’re not active in a scene, you don’t have to be on set, but for Gen Kill, we were all the extras. If there’s a scene between the guys in the third Humvee, you’ll see me walking in the background. So all 40 of us were on set every single day.

It meant that we spent so much time bored together, which is very bonding in a way. When you sit around and bulls**t you really get to know each other. It helped create that chemistry between the characters. If we had we shot in L.A., and people had gone home to their families every night, it would have been different. We lived together in the desert for seven months, and you can feel that when you watch the show. It was the most extraordinary experience of my career to date. I still hang out with all of the guys whenever we’re in the same city.


HBO: What’s your favorite phrase from the show to still say?


Alexander Skarsgård: “Stay frosty.” It’s something Brad would say, which summed up his character a lot. I still use that quite a bit.