The failed comeback that sent Alexander Skarsgård back to rock bottom: “Gutted”
Before sweeping the title as the oddest Swede in Hollywood, a coveted spot that was previously only held by his father and Ingmar Bergman, Alexander Skarsgård had many years of struggle before breaking into the limelight.
While some mainstream viewers might know him for being the son of the hot dad from Mamma Mia, others know him for his dark and brooding presence in some of the most daring arthouse films being made today. After a breakout role in Zoolander, which feels strangely contradictory to the type of screen presence he now has, he sought to occupy a particular niche in the industry that most would hide away from, taking on the challenge of portraying wounded and often misunderstood souls that many would find too controversial to tackle.
Whether it be his role as Perry in Big Little Lies, with the actor tackling the enormous task of portraying an abusive partner and the complexities of a toxic relationship, to his leading role in The Northman, Skarsgård has formed a filmography almost as fucked up as his father, frequently working with some of the most challenging directors in the business to question our preconceived ideas about characters who have been ‘othered’ and pushed away from the silver screen.
However, while he might have found his speciality now, and is currently riding the wave of success that comes with having a well-respected reputation, there was a time in which he couldn’t find any work and his most anticipated job ended up being a complete dud.
As an emerging actor, the chance to work with a certified movie star is one that could permanently alter your career and path your road to success, with a young Skarsgård expecting great things after a booking a role alongside Will Smith in the 2005 film Hitch.
But his plan for breaking into the industry wasn’t pulled off without a hitch, with the actor saying, “I played a supporting role in Hitch, with Will Smith, a romcom, and I was incredibly excited. I was playing Amber Valletta’s character’s douchebag ex-boyfriend. I was over the moon, because it was a big movie. I hadn’t worked in a couple years, and then I got that job, and I was like, ‘I’m in a fucking Will Smith movie, this is amazing,’ and it was a fun character.
“I did a couple of weeks on that, and then my entire storyline got cut out of the movie, and all that’s left is a black and white photo in a newspaper where they refer to her ex-boyfriend. So I was pretty gutted. But I wasn’t surprised, because my character was a subplot of a subplot: I thought,’If they’re gonna cut something out of this movie, this character is probably gonna go.’”
Sometimes, it’s just when we think we’ve made it that everything comes crashing down. Reality can hit hard in the film business, going from the high life one minute to scrambling around at the bottom the next. While it might be disheartening, it wasn’t long before he found his way, and he hasn’t looked back ever since.
