Alexander Skarsgard was interviewed by GQ UK. The excerpt is below:
Did your experience as male model Meekus in Zoolander prepare you for the Calvin Klein shoot?
Ha! There’s some Blue Steel in that poster, wouldn’t you say?
And would you be up for a cameo in the rumoured sequel?
I’m pitching it right now. I wouldn’t want to miss that. Well, I’m hoping they would do something like the scene with Hamlet’s father, and that Meekus will come back as a ghost - I mean, he’s definitely dead.
How did you approach the Encounter campaign?
This is my first big campaign, so I’m really excited. It’s a cool brand and one I was excited to work with. I’ve had some opportunities before now - I shot Hickey Freeman with Annie Liebovitz – but everything felt right about this one. Calvin Klein has never used an actor as the face of its men’s fragrance before, and it’s an honour to be the first. Steven Klein is an amazing photographer, and I thought the concept was really cool. It felt like something from the German expressionist movement. We shot a two-minute short film, so it felt more like making a movie. I’ve worked with [model] Lara Stone before and it was great to work with her again. We had a blast, and I got to be an actor not a model.
Your True Blood schedule sounds gruelling. Is your role as Eric Northman physically demanding?
We do have to be fit – there’s a lot of running around. But I don’t go to the gym six days a week or do any weird diets or anything like that.
So, you don’t get competitive in the gym with Ryan Kwanten (Jason Stackhouse) and Joe Manganiello (Alcide Herveaux)?
No, the whole cast is almost like a little family now. We’ve had the same crew for five years – we’re such a tight group. I’m very lucky, as I know that’s not always the case on other shows. There’s a lot of tension and stuff, but everyone’s supportive of each other. It’s great to get five months off and do other movies and projects because creatively I need to find that kind of motivation in discovering new characters. But it’s also great coming back after a long time. It’s like going back to school when we were kids – it’s exciting.
Are you conscious of being typecast as a sex symbol?
Absolutely not, and that might sound odd when I’ve just done the Encounter campaign. But in terms of finding characters and movies, it’s important to me to find real characters that have some depth. All the movies I did last year -Disconnect, What Maisie Knew, The East - there are definitely no pretty boys in there. One character I played was a little overweight, had glasses and grey hair. One guy had a beard, long hair and never showered. That’s not why I choose roles, obviously, but when I read a script and I connect or don’t connect with a part, I would never let that stand in the way. What’s the incentive to play someone who’s just good looking? I mean, how much fun is that? It’s none at all. You want that transformation, you want to go there; if you’re not willing to go there, then you’re not doing the character justice.
For the full interview please click here:
Gallery below has the images from the Calvin Klein Encounter campaign:
