Alexander Skarsgård on Why His ‘Wicker’ Character ‘Intimidated’ Him as an Actor

Alexander Skarsgård was “intimidated” by his role in theWicker.

Skarsgård shared his thoughts on the romantic fantasy film — which also stars Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki and Peter Dinklage — during a Q&A following the Wicker’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 24.

“I was quite intimidated when I read [the script] because I tend to be drawn toward more conflicted characters with more internal turmoil and darkness,” Skarsgård, 49, explained. “And to play this good-hearted, good-natured, sweet, morally righteous character was scary to me.”

He continued, “I’m not really comfortable doing that. I don’t have anything to tap into when it comes to that. So it was a stretch as an actor.”

Skarsgård is widely recognized for tackling dark and complex characters with nuance and authenticity, like the conflicted, abusive husband in HBO’s Big Little Lies and the power-hungry tech mogul in Succession. 

The upcoming Wicker, however, reveals a more whimsical side of the actor.

Wicker, set in a medieval-inspired village with magical elements, tells the story of a lonely woman (Colman) who asks the local basket weaver (Dinklage) to weave her a husband (Skarsgård).

Skarsgård says he was immediately drawn to the project.

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“I thought it was an incredible script and I thought it was —  it is a fable — but it’s also an allegory. It’s a story about our society, but without being heavy handed or didactic or preachy,” he said.

He added, “It was so funny and sweet, and obviously a very interesting character to play.”

The Murderbot star went on to admit that he sometimes felt “ridiculous” on set due to the wicker prosthetics which masked most of his face, noting that it meant he had to exaggerate “everything” about his performance during filming.

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“And that kind of contradicts your instinct as an actor … but it was just about trusting [the creatives] … and when they came up [and were like] … ‘Can you just give us a bit more eyebrow action?’ I’m like, okay,” he said.

“It was definitely a new, different experience for me,” he added.