We know Alexander Skarsgård as the 1000-year-old Viking vampire Eric Northman in the HBO show “True Blood”. He recently did a movie where his character is a lot different from what we are use to seeing. His character is a father is a six-year-old daughter. Alex and his co-star Onata Aprile were able to take time out of their busy schedule to talk about “What Maisie Knew”. And having to read this interview it seems like the two are really close in real life. So they had to have fun on the set of the movie right?
“Onata Aprile (OA): Yes. We liked when we went on the High Line.
Alexander Skarsgård (AS): That was a fun day. People thought I was crazy, because I was down on the street, and Onata was up there with the whole crew and the cameramen. So when people passed me on the street, Onata was shooting me, and I was playing dead in the street. People just saw this crazy actor playing dead, and they didn’t realize we were shooting. That was a good day.
The beach scenes were also fun. You were also excited that you got to keep the turtle.
OA: Oh yeah, I got to keep the turtle. I named her Tallulah.
AS: We thought it was a her, but we don’t know.”
How was it to be playing dad for Alex?
“AS: It was a lot of fun, but different for me. I just thought it was an interesting character. He was someone who didn’t ask for this. She’s obviously not his child, and he didn’t expect this to happen. In the beginning of the film, he’s kind of lost, and doesn’t take care of himself.
I think he’s talented and smart, but he’s not very ambitious. He does this out of kindness, as Susanna says, “I’m about to lose custody of my child, can you marry me?” He’s like, “Okay,” but then she’s not there. So he ends up in a weird situation where he’s with this little kid who no one takes care of.
I thought it was a beautiful story of how he falls in love with this little kid, and how he learns to take care of someone for the first time. She kind of takes care of him, as well. He grows and matures quite a bit.”
Of course we knew quite a bit about Alex. But what about his co-star Onata Aprile.
“OA: Some of my favorite things to do are to draw, and I like to color, too. I like reading and writing.
AS: Yeah, you’re very artistic. Do you remember the first time we met?
OA: Yes.
AS: Do you want to talk about what we did?
OA: We made a castle with a moat. We cut out people, and we made it so it would stand up. But the castle didn’t really make much sense, because it wasn’t 3D, so we couldn’t put the people inside.
AS: Yeah, they were 3D, so it didn’t make much sense. But it was still fun. That was the day one of the directors had us at his house, and it was a big day. From day one, before the guys met her, it was obviously a really good script, and was based on a fantastic novel. I thought it was an interesting take on it.
But it’s all about Maisie, obviously. It was all about finding the right girl. It doesn’t matter how great the directors are or how great the script is; you don’t make ‘What Maisie Knew’ without a fantastic Maisie.
They called me one day when I was in L.A. and said, “We met this girl today. We have this clip we want to send you, and see what you think.” It was of Onata, and it was amazing. I flew to New York and went to David’s house to meet her.
I knew it was a big moment, because I had seen the clip. From those five minutes, I could see that she was amazing. It was so important that the chemistry was there, because without that, we wouldn’t have a film. Onata wasn’t nervous at all, but I was nervous.”
With this movie project being a book first how familiar was Alex with the book before he started shooting?
“AS: I read it as a teenager. When I read the script, I thought it was an interesting take on it. It’s obviously different from the book. Even though the book was written over 110 years ago, it still felt relevant. A lot of kids go through that. In a way, I think it was written as a reaction to the Victorian society. People were so focused on their own growth and what was going on with the industrialization.
But I think it’s still universal today. People are so focused on themselves, and it almost becomes a battle of two egos. You’re so focused on winning that battle, and hurting your ex-partner, that you neglect the most important thing in life, your kid. Both parents love Maisie, in the film and in the novel, but they forget that in a way, because they’re so focused on destroying each other.”
With how we use technology everyday how does Alex think it’s advancing people today and does he think people are advancing because of technology?
“AS: Well, I just explored that with ‘Disconnect.’ In that film, I don’t want to blame technology that much. In it, I play Derek, a marine with PTSD, who can’t connect with his wife. They’re having some issues because he can’t open up.
I think for Derek and a lot of people, it’s a way out and a distraction to numb yourself, instead of dealing with the real issues. To deal with your loved ones can be messy and difficult, and it can hurt. To deal with that, it’s easier to log on and play poker, or visit different social forums.
It’s not a didactic film on how evil the Internet is. It’s fantastic, but in moderation. You just have to use it in the right way.”
It seems like all of his characters that he finds has a lot of depth to them. How hard it to find that character?
“AS: I think it’s difficult. Scripts like ‘What Maisie Knew‘ or ‘The Disconnect‘ or ‘The East‘ are far and few between. Most scripts aren’t as intelligent. But I think a lot of people want that substance. It’s great to see something that’s visually cool and fun and entertaining, for an escape for two hours. But I think people also want to balance that at times, and see a film like ‘What Maisie Knew,’ which is about real relationships, and has real depth.”
To read the rest of the interview all you have to do is go here.
Source: Yahoo! Voices – “Interview: Alexander Skarsgård and Onata Aprile Talk What Maisie Knew”
Image Credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images
