Truly, Madly, Deadly_ The Unofficial True Blood Companion - Becca Wilcott [30]
After the military, Skarsgård considered architecture, but, in 1997, at the age of 20, he decided he was ready to take another shot at acting, so he enrolled in Marymount’s theater arts program in New York City. “[L]ike most guys of that age, I was trying to figure out what to do with my life . . . Leaving acting had never had anything to do with the craft, the work, at all. It was only because I wasn’t comfortable being recognized . . .”
However, alone in the city, broke, and missing his girlfriend, Skarsgård dropped out of school after six months to return home to Stockholm. “New York is a difficult city to be in as a poor student and unfortunate in love. One gets eaten.” Regrettably, almost immediately after his return, he and his girlfriend ended their relationship.
In 1999, after a long departure, Skarsgård began to act again in his native Sweden, taking a role in Happy End, and going on to complete over 15 films, even appearing in a hospital soap opera Vita Lögner (White Lies). In 2000, he appeared in the crowd-pleaser Vingar av Glas (Wings of Glass), securing his place as a Swedish star.
In 2001, Skarsgård appeared briefly in Ben Stiller’s blockbuster comedy Zoolander (2001), as a “really, really, ridiculously good looking” male model. This was North America’s first taste of Skarsgård, whose character, Meekus (spoiler alert!) suffers an untimely demise in a gasoline fire that erupts during a spontaneous bout of orange mocha frappuccino horseplay.
If Hollywood was calling, Skarsgård wasn’t ready to answer. He describes auditioning in Los Angeles as a “conveyer belt” of actors, all up for the same roles. “[T]here are, like, twenty guys there . . . that look like you, are as old as you . . .”
His decision to stay in Sweden proved the right one, and, in 2005, he appeared in the successful Swedish movie Hundtricket (The Dog Trick), a role that earned him a Guldbagge nomination for Best Supporting Actor. It was during this time that Skarsgård directed his first film, with friend Björne Larsson, an award-winning short, Att Döda Ett Barn (To Kill a Child). Skarsgård cast his younger brother, Valter, while his father, Stellan, contributed the voiceover. The film screened at a number of international film festivals.
Skarsgård had his big North American break in the 2007 HBO mini-series Generation Kill, the story of the Marines’ First Recon Battalion in the earliest stages of the Iraq War in 2003. The series was based on the book by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who spent time in Iraq detailing firsthand accounts of military life, tensions, and distractions. Skarsgård was cast in the lead role of Marine Sgt. Brad Colbert, known among his peers as “Iceman” for his intense focus, intellect, and, at times, apparent lack of compassion.
“There was a lot of discussion throughout the ranks about casting him,” says casting director Alexa L. Fogel. “In walks this skinny guy that looked like a really tall Kurt Cobain,” says Rudy Reyes, a former recon Marine sergeant who was cast to play himself in the seven-part series. He continues, “But once the cameras started rolling, Skarsgård became Colbert.”
As intrigue built around Sweden’s five-time sexiest man, Skarsgård started to receive international scripts. To date, he’s wrapped and promoted the animated film Metropia (2009), completed Beyond the Pole (2009), 13 (with Mickey Rourke and Jason Statham), and Straw Dogs (with Kate Bosworth), a remake of Sam Pekinpah’s 1971 film of the same name. Fans can enjoy Skarsgård in the music video for Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi,” portraying a murderous lover.
But it’s his charismatic performance as True Blood’s Eric Northman, sheriff of all Louisianan vampires, that has throngs of fans filling screenings of his other projects. Skarsgård read the Sookie Stackhouse novels in preparation for his role, but had no prior knowledge of the fan