I recently had the chance to sit down with actor Bill Skarsgård to discuss his latest chilling role—bringing the iconic vampire Count Orlok to life in a new adaptation of the silent film classic “Nosferatu.”
The Legacy Of Monstrosity
“I’ve always been a very happy monster,” Bill Skarsgård told me, echoing the words of horror legend Boris Karloff. It’s a sentiment that seems to capture the Swedish actor’s approach to his most haunting roles.
Skarsgård first burst onto the scene as the shapeshifting Pennywise the Dancing Clown in the hit “It” films, carrying on his family’s tradition of playing memorably creepy characters on screen. With his piercing gaze and unsettling presence, Skarsgård has carved out a niche for himself in the realm of supernatural terrors.
Embracing The Darkness
“Those dreams were so strange,” Skarsgård recalled of his time playing Pennywise, explaining how he would envision himself as the demonic clown, stalking the very streets he grew up on. “I was trying to separate myself from this thing, literally back in the place that I grew up in.”
This blurring of the lines between reality and the monstrous has become a hallmark of Skarsgård’s work. “Transformation has always been very appealing to me,” he admitted, “and playing characters that are very different than me.”
A New Take On A Classic
Skarsgård’s latest role sees him tackling another iconic horror figure—the vampire Count Orlok from the 1922 silent film “Nosferatu.” Directed by Robert Eggers, this reimagining presented its own set of challenges for the actor.
“Orlok was even further away from who I am than Pennywise was,” Skarsgård explained, “in the sense that my voice, posture, age, and the look of it were just so far out there. That became the challenge.”
To capture the otherworldly essence of the ancient, predatory vampire, Skarsgård drew inspiration from unexpected sources, including the unsettling Japanese dance form of butoh, which he described as “this sort of Japanese corpse dancing.”
“We explored so many trippy things,” he said, “and the outfit and the prosthetics helped so much. The voice was what I worked the hardest on.”
Honoring The Past And Forging A New Path
For Skarsgård, taking on these iconic horror roles comes with a unique set of pressures and responsibilities. “To me, in terms of iconic horror characters, the number one is Dracula/Nosferatu,” he acknowledged. “This story is so ingrained in our subconscious that it was very daunting to step into it.”
But rather than shying away from the challenge, Skarsgård and director Eggers embraced the opportunity to put their own stamp on these timeless tales of the macabre. “We felt that kind of pressure for fucking with a masterpiece,” Skarsgård admitted. “But the movie deserves its place as a new interpretation.”
A Thirst For Versatility
As Skarsgård looks ahead to future projects, he’s determined to avoid being pigeonholed as a “creature actor,” despite his evident talent for embodying the dark and supernatural. “I want to do a kitchen-sink drama; I want to do a dark, fucked-up comedy,” he said, emphasizing his desire to showcase the full range of his abilities.
“You have to fight against being typecast or put into a box. The more you fight against it, the bigger the box tends to get.” With his chilling yet captivating performances, Bill Skarsgård has proven himself a master of the macabre. But as he continues to evolve and challenge himself, it’s clear that the true monster he’s most intent on conquering is the one that would seek to define and confine him.
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