Our favorite Swede, Alexander Skarsgard, features in the latest issue of VG Magazine based in Norway.
The interview translation and article scan below are from if you’re homesick so an extremely big, viking sized thank you to them!
This dark room is the perfect setting for a 1000 year old vampire. But the “True Blood” star has sunk his fangs into a home in Los Angeles.
“I wouldn’t want to end up playing ‘eyecandy’ for the rest of my life”, says Alexander Skarsgård. He sticks a fork into his omelet and eats a large piece filled with mushrooms and tomatoes. His skinny jeans hang loosely on the hips of his long body. The Swedish film star has not eaten properly in two months. “I had to look emaciated for a role”, he says, referring to the movie Hidden, which is currently filming in Vancouver. “I finally crawled out of the shelter, where I am in the first part of the movie, so now I can go out like a normal person, eat normally and get a beer.” He sends a relaxed smile around the nightclub, which doubles as a TV studio today. It’s ten in the morning. We are at the Toronto Film Festival, and out in the sun one finds lots of industry people, paparazzi, red carpets and movie stars. “I feel I have worked very hard to convince people that I have more to offer than my looks, that I am actually a good actor,” he says.
So now you will have roles where you appear “uglier”? Yeah, I just played in two movies where I’m pretty ugly. In The East and Disconnect I have a belly and glasses.
The fifth season of the vampire series True Blood currently runs on the Norwegian channel C More. But Skarsgård has four movies coming up in 2012 and has now flown to Toronto to promote What Maisie Knew. The film is based on an old Henry James novel. The 36-year-old plays the boyfriend of 15 years older Julianne Moore and stepfather to her six-year-old daughter. “I’m a huge fan of the book, and this was an interesting angle and an interesting version. It’s totally different than anything I have done before,” he says.
Skarsgård, who is the eldest of eight children, draws inspiration for fatherhood from his own childhood. He has six younger brothers aged 32 to 0 years and a sister at 20. “I love being a big brother. Dad’s wife has just given birth again, so our ages are very spread out. I have some brothers I can drink beer with and some I can watch Disney movies with. It’s perfect!”
Do you want a big family yourself? Yes, I think so. I have no children yet, but I feel very comfortable about having lots of people around me. That’s how I grew up. With high noise levels. (He smiles crookedly.) I do not like to be alone a lot. It gets so lonely.
He grew up in a Bohemian middle-class family on Söder in Stockholm. Today movie star dad Stellan is world famous; then he worked in the theater and was rarely at home to take care of his family. Last year Alexander and Stellan appeared together in Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia. Brothers Bill and Gustaf have chosen to follow in their father’s footsteps as well.
Is there competition between you and your brothers? No. I feel that we support each other. They know I’m having fun and get to work with interesting projects and great actors. When they see that I’m happy, they are happy for me.
Gustaf has a role in Kon-Tiki. Could you imagine working on a Norwegian film? (He stretches his back and reaches for a strawberry.) Yes, absolutely. But it’s not about working in Norway or in the USA. It’s about the directors and the other actors, and to find a role that is interesting.
But it’s not just on the job front that Alexander Skarsgård is enjoying himself. Rumors claim that he has been busy on the dating front, with women like Rihanna and Ellen Page and Victoria’s Secret model Anne Vyalitsyna, Charlize Theron and Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.
Is it easier for you to date someone who is in the industry? (He considers this, t-shirt hanging loosely over tight chest muscles, a thin silver necklace disappears down the shirt). It is not that important. What matters is that she can handle that part of my life. My mom was not in the same industry as my dad when we were growing up. They are separated now, but they were together for 35 years. She understood him, his profession and lifestyle. She understood that he was a celebrity, and she was a balance to that, although he also tried to protect the family by keeping us out of the limelight. So yes, it’s important to be with someone who understands what it entails.
What do you look for in a dream woman? Humor is important. She shouldn’t take herself too seriously, and she has to be able to laugh at herself. That is the most important.
Do you think it’s difficult for beautiful girls to be taken seriously in Hollywood? Yes. It is even more difficult than for men. They end up as the hot girlfriend or wife in every movie – and the roles are usually not particularly exciting.
It has been ten years since he left Sweden to try his luck in Hollywood. It was the role in True Blood in 2008 which gave him stardom. The last few years have also brought him film roles.
Why did you choose to move to the U.S.? I felt I had to develop myself, and I wanted to try something I had not done before. But it was not about leaving Sweden. I love Sweden and I would love to work there, too. (He pauses. Another large strawberry disappears into his mouth.) I ran from Sweden… (He chews a bit.) Or maybe that’s the wrong word… I went to the States because at the time not very many good movies were being made in Sweden. I needed new interesting projects, and I could not find them at home. But now I think there’s a tremendous energy in Swedish film. And Norwegian film also. There are many new, interesting directors who have entered the field.
Why do you think there are so many Swedes that are leaving Sweden for Hollywood? I have no idea. Hm. I feel that in Sweden people are kept back. They feel that they can not enjoy success, and they do not dare to take chances. People in the U.S. encourage you to take chances. I think Scandinavians should learn to think beyond the boundaries. People should be allowed to dream – and realize their dreams.
Your life has changed a lot in recent years. Can you still go out on the street in peace? Well, it depends. In the U.S. people come up to me all the time, but on Söder in Stockholm they do not care about celebrities…
Because of Janteloven? (Alexander Skarsgård, sporting a two-day beard, smiles.) Haha. Yes. Good old Janteloven.
(I translated this mostly with Google Translate so take it for what it is, corrections are welcome, etc.)
