Alexander Skarsgård Didn’t Get Movie Roles Because of a ‘Sexy Hunky Hot List’
For many actors, being regarded as a hunk can be very helpful for their careers. People like Chris Hemsworth or Dwayne Johnson get major roles because they look good, but are also still charismatic actors who people enjoy watching. However, it can affect how audiences perceive the star as a dramatic actor. Alexander Skarsgård says that he ended up on a “sexy hunky hot list” and this affected how he got movie roles.
Alexander Skarsgård has been in Hollywood movies and TV shows for over 20 years
Alexander Skarsgård is a Swedish actor and son of actor Stellan Skarsgård. He joined Hollywood in 2001 with Zoolander and gained prominence with his role in HBO’s True Blood as Eric Northman. His most recent movie roles include The Legend of Tarzan, Mute, The Aftermath, Long Shot, Passing, and Godzilla Vs. Kong.
In television, Skarsgård received acclaim for his role in HBO’s Big Little Lies. He won the Emmy and the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the series. He recently appeared in The Stand on Paramount+ and had a recurring role in season 3 of HBO’s Succession.
Alexander Skarsgård wasn’t getting movie roles because of a ‘sexy hunky hot list’
As said previously, Skarsgård became well-known for his role as a 1,000-year-old vampire in True Blood. This role also gave him a reputation of being a hunk. While it did give him notoriety. In an interview with The Times, Skarsgård said that the hunk status may have been negatively impacting his movie career.
“I don’t really know if that was the reason I wasn’t getting roles,” Skarsgård explained. “Starting out in Sweden, there was stuff about being tall and blond. But most people here are tall and blond. Still, after my first job, I was on a stupid ‘sexy hunky hot list’ and then people didn’t take me seriously … If you want characters with depth but have been labeled ‘a dude who takes his shirt off,’ you’re not going to get those offers.”
His award wins for Big Little Lies prove that he is more than just a handsome face. He is a talented actor and his recent prominent roles in major movies show that this reputation may be behind him.
‘The Northman’ features Skarsgård as a vengeful Viking
The Northman is a new movie from Robert Eggers starring Skarsgård as Prince Amieth, a Viking who is on a path of vengeance after his father is brutally killed by his uncle. Skarsgård is joined by an excellent cast that includes Anya Tayor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Willem Dafoe, and Bjork.
In an interview with Indiewire, Skarsgård spoke about the long and intense battles that involved “40 stuntmen and horses and over 200 extras.” Skarsgård said shooting these scenes for the movie was often frustrating, but was satisfying to finish.
“To shoot it all in one shot means you do this four-minute take, and then a horse deep in the background looks the wrong way and you have to do it all again,” Skarsgård said. “You’re so exhausted that you want to cry. You feel like you finally got all the choreography of the fight worked out, but then you have to go again and again and again. There’s always something in the background that wasn’t quite right. The flip side of that is when you finally get it, it feels like winning gold at the Olympics.”
The Northman sails into theaters on April 22.
