He swang through the trees in Tarzan, lived for thousands of years in True Blood, and was even murdered in Big, Little, Lies, but Alexander Skarsgård thinks his new movie The Northman is the most difficult job he’s ever had.
“It was physically and mentally the most difficult job I’ve ever had, but also the most rewarding,” Skarsgård told GamesRadar. “The days were really long and hard, and we were out in the mud, and up on these mountaintops with the wind and the cold.”
Skarsgård went on to joke that just a week earlier he’d been playing tech billionaire Lukas Matsson in Succession, a comparatively cushy role that saw him basking in the Mediterranean sun by the shores of Lake Como. “I literally went from playing one of the richest dudes on the planet in a crazy, beautiful villa, surrounded by yachts and helicopters and luxury, and got on a plane and flew to Iceland to get shackled and dragged through the mud,” he said. “It was definitely a waking-up moment and a humbling experience.”
The Northman is the latest film by horror movie legend Robert Eggers. Part historical drama, part action movie The Northman stars Skarsgård as Amleth, a Viking prince seeking revenge for his dad who’s been murdered by his uncle.
Eggers has said the film’s based on the Norse legend of Amleth. If that name sounds familiar to you, it should, because this is the tale that Shakespeare based his famous play Hamlet on.
Skarsgård aside, the film boasts an all-star cast including Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Björk, and Spider-Man villain extraordinaire Willem Dafoe.
The Northman rampages into theatres on April 22, 2022.