The True Blood panel discussion at the Paleyfest’09 was a sold out event packed with anxious fans to see and hear their favorite stars talk about True Blood and perhaps get a sneak peek into what we can expect to see for Season 2. The anticipation for the event has been building among fans for several weeks and as the final moments approached everyone who could not attended were on their twitter trying to get some details as to what was being discussed by the actors. Brian Ford Sullivan from The Futon Critic attended the event and presents on his blog a play-by-play of how the evening unfolded and some tidbits about season 2. To read his report please read his enlightening article here.
Watch with Kristin from E!Online was able to speak to the cast at the True Blood panel discussion at the PaleyFest’09 where the audience were given some hints as to what fans can expect to see for season 2. So here is the article in its entirety below from Kristin from E!Online.com.
Despite the fact that True Bloodstars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer are a rock-solid twosome in real life, the Bill-Sookie-Eric triangle was the question of the hour as the cast and producers of HBO‘s vampire drama hit the Paley Center for Media’s 25th Annual TV Festival Monday night.
Happily, Blood boss Alan Ball and his stars, including Paquin and Alexander Skarsgård, dished to us exclusively on the red carpet about the Viking vampire getting a hot spotlight, who’s getting a serious beatdown, and who’s playing with the new supernatural creatures.
Moyer even told us his real feelings about that other man…Get our exclusive interview goodies and a sneaky peek of season two of HBO‘s True Blood.
Alan Ball, Executive Producer
Anna won a Golden Globe for playing Sookie over the hiatus—what are you doing to up the ante and keep her challenged?
Anna loves it when she’s getting beat up or kicked or smacked around, and lucky for her, Charlaine Harris put a lot of that stuff in the second book.
Does Sookie interact with the new supernatural creatures much this season?
She spends the first half of the season focusing on vampires and vampire politics in Dallas, as sort of a favor to Eric, and she spends the last half of the season cleaning up the mess that some new supernatural creatures have created in her town—and she is pissed. She is not going to take it anymore.
And what changes about Eric this time around? Eric has more of a presence in season two—you get a little of his backstory, you find out a bit of what’s important to him, what is meaningful to him, what makes him cry.
Alexander Skarsgård (Eric Northman)
How are you playing Eric differently this year?
Everything becomes more private and personal in season two. Season one the situation started out being kind of business-related, and his attraction to Sookie was “All right, I might use this.” But the stuff between them now is much more personal. He’s very much emotionally involved now. And I’m not just talking about his relationship between Eric and Sookie and Bill, but other things as well. A lot of the fans who have read book two, they know that the reason they go to Dallas is because Eric‘s maker has gone missing. That’s a very, very personal quest for him.
What about reports that you’ll play Thor in the major motion picture version of Thor? No, I don’t think so. I haven’t gotten the call, so…
Anna Paquin (Sookie Stackhouse)
What does the mission to Dallas mean for Sookie’s situation in Bon Temps? I haven’t seen any further in the scripts than from when we come back from Dallas, so I don’t know what we’re doing in Bon Temps.
And does Jason get into trouble again this season?
He gets into different kinds of trouble this season, because he’s off with his church.
How are you feeling about the Bill-Sookie-Eric triangle right now?
It’s really only just sort of slightly hinted at, as of yet—we’re shooting seven right now. But Eric‘s definitely sort of leering down from his height.
Stephen Moyer (Bill Compton)
How does Bill feel about Eric moving in on his lady?
“That’s a good question. I’m not going to lie, when I see those little things in the script, those little moments when Eric‘s pouting at her from across the room, I’m like, I’m going to have a word with that scamp later. It does make me step back a little bit and be upset, which is exactly how Bill reacts it as well…”F–ker.”
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood was interviewed by TV4’s morning show “Nyhetsmorgon” and discussed his experience on Generation Kill and True Blood. This video interview is in Swedish but it has been translated from Swedish to English and you will find the translation below the video.
Everyone has been wondering if there is an English translation for this video, well we finally got the video translated. Here is part 2
This is for all you Alexander Skarsgard/Eric Northman fans!
Alexander Skarsgard Video Interview Translation – Part 2 This translation may be reproduced in part only if credited to TrueBloodNet.com with link provided to this page.
Host 1: Is there anything particularly good about this show, in your opinion?
Alexander: What I like about the show, and what I think is the problem with a lot of the movies that have been based on the war in Iraq, is that they in a way have been too political, that it is the democrats in Hollywood who are making the movie and the American public watch the movie and feel like they are being filled with propaganda in a way that is hard for the public to take in, and that’s why there has been such a big debate in the US about why all these projects flopped. What appealed to me in the book is that it tells their story and you get to see what they are going through over there; it’s more about them as individuals. Hopefully you get a wider perspective, as I said before, watching the news you have no idea what’s going on, not only as a Swede, but the American public, have no idea what those men and women are going through. And it’s also a macho culture so when these marine soldiers come back home it’s like you should only brush the dust off and that’s it, after that you go along like John Wayne, and it’s not really OK to talk about how you are feeling and start going to a psychologist.
But I think that when you see the show you’ll understand what these men will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Host 1: New York Times, among others, have honored you, along with different media around the world, one reason for that is because it’s so authentic, it feels close and real.
You live in the US now, what about Sweden?
Alexander: Well, I’m here now (laughter).
Host 1: But is it in the US your future career lies?
Alexander: Uhrm, … I want to work in Europe as well, and I enjoy working in Sweden. The reason I went there in the first place was that there were more possibilities for me over there, and I ended up in a situation where I got offered fun jobs, I was lucky enough to get an agent in the US who was interested in me in a different way from back home, so of course I left for that. I will return home in case if any interesting projects come up. As an actor the ideal is to have a situation where you have 15 manuscripts on your bedside table instead of two so that you can choose the ones that you feel passionate about and what you really want to do.
Host 2: What has Generation Kill meant to you compared with all other films you’ve done so far?
Alexander: Emotional or career related?
Host 2: Career.
Alexander: Oh, it doesn’t compare. I used to brag that I was in “The Dog Trick” (Hundtricket 2002), but that doesn’t really work nowadays.
Host 2: Is this the big take off for you?
Alexander: Yeah, absolutely, I can’t compare it with anything else I’ve done, not only in terms of numbers, but it’s a different quality.
Host 1: The show is finished in the US; we here in Sweden have not seen it yet. You also mentioned something about a comedy that you have now finished, a production about the North Pole, and next time you are taking on a horror movie called The Boeist..? Is that correct?
Alexander: No I’m not in that one.
Host 1: No? Haha, Wonderful then we can deny that.
Alexander: I got offered a part in that horror movie two years ago, but I said no.
Host 1: What would you like to do next, what are you aiming for now?
Alexander: Uhm… Nothing special, I’ve not got one specific project right now that I’d like to do. What was so amazing after Generation Kill was to do this thousand year old vampire Viking, he is so far from Iceman’s character, and that is something that gives me a huge energy boost and it is fun to do something that makes me a little nervous and that is brand new and a character that I have to get to know and explore, it’s quite far from what I’ve done so far. And after playing this long haired vampire Viking for four months it would make me happy to play something different from that.
Host 1: With or without long hair, thank you for being with us here in the studio today
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood was interviewed by TV4’s morning show “Nyhetsmorgon” and discussed his experience on Generation Kill and True Blood. This video interview is in Swedish but it has been translated from Swedish to English and you will find the translation below the video.
Everyone has been wondering if there is an English translation for this video, well we finally got the video translated.
This is for all you Alexander Skarsgard/Eric Northman fans!
Alexander Skarsgard Video Interview Translation – Part 1 This translation may be reproduced in part only if credited to TrueBloodNet.com with link provided to this page.
Host 1: Alexander was only eight years old when he made his debut as an actor, and has now starred in about 30 movies. Now he is one of the leading characters in the reality-based American TV-show Generation Kill, which is about the beginning of the war in Iraq.
Host 2: It will be broadcasted here in Sweden this fall, and we will also be able to see Alexander Skarsgård in True Blood, where he plays a thousand year old vampire Viking. Welcome Alexander!
So, vampire Viking sounds… exotic.
Alexander: Yes, it is (laughs).
Host 2: What is that?
Alexander: He was a Viking when he got bitten, and then after that, of course you stay as a thousand year old Viking, and that’s how you become a vampire Viking.
Host 1: Was this soon after the filming of Generation Kill?
Alexander: Yes it was.
Host 1: Was it hard to go from playing one roll and think, oh well now I’m gonna play that other character?
Alexander: No, it was really fun. I needed that, because Generation Kill was such a long job, we were in Africa for 7 months, and after that we were in New York for four months and did all the after work such as applying sound effects and things like that. It was an amazing job, but after all those months…
Host 1: We have some scenes from Generation Kill.
(Some taglines from Generation Kill)
Alexander: Yeah.
Host 2: What is it we can see here?
Alexander: This is the opening scene of the first episode when we still are in Kuwait for training.
Host 1: Looks intense.
Alexander: Yeah.
Host 2: And who are you there, we talked about Iceman earlier and, erm…
Host 1: … how did it all start for you, with this show?
Alexander: I was home in LA in May last year, and I got a phone call from my agent in London saying that they met up with a girl casting for this movie and that they are still looking for someone to play one of the lead characters, and told me to go out and buy the book. So I bought the book and read it the same night and called them up the next day and said “This is something I just have to do”.
Host 2: What was it that you liked about the book?
Alexander: It’s amazing, it’s based upon a journalist who is embedded for five weeks with a marine platoon, and you get to follow them from Kuwait up to the point where they drive up to Baghdad. And it’s about the guys in the platoon and what they are going through in this journey.
(Pictures of the book cover Generation Kill)
Alexander: It was pretty amazing, or, it was really amazing because what you get to see from the war in Iraq is very censored, right now there’s about 130,000 Americans in Iraq, that’s as if we were to send a whole Swedish city somewhere (laughs). But you don’t really know anything about what they are going through there and they don’t show any injured soldiers, again it is very censored in the news. You never get to see injured or dead soldiers, you never get to see when they are coming home and very little is followed up of what they are going through over there, that’s what this book brings forward, and some of them are so young, like 18 to 19 years old. It was very interesting reading about what they are going through when they are over there on an everyday basis, what they see and what they do.
Host 1: And after that your career took off?
Alexander: Yeah, because I travelled around for three weeks, New York, London, Baltimore, and then back to New York, it was a huge casting process, where you meet producers and other people with so many opinions. But when it was all done, it was finished in May, and I was planning on going home for vacation in Sweden that summer. I spoke to my mum a few days earlier and said that on Thursday I’ll come to your place and we will just hang out have a good time. But then I had to call her again and tell her that “I think it will be Christmas the next time I’m home” (laughs).
Host 1: What a shock!
Host 2: And then it was straight off to Africa?
Alexander: Yes, and then I actually got kind of scared, because I had been a bit cocky the whole time. The character I play is called Iceman, and that’s because he is sort of… he is a team leader in the platoon. He is very cool and laconic and a tough guy, he is really cocky and knows that he is good at what he does. So during the casting process I had to enter the room with the same kind of cockiness because if I didn’t do that I thought, how am I gonna be able to convince the director or producer?
But I remember that I woke up when I was in the airplane and I saw the seven manuscripts and the monologue, the marine language is so strange, so even my American friends didn’t understand half the words, and so for me as a Swede it was even harder, because it’s military talk, and that scared me to death and I thought: oh my god, what is this.
Host 1: When did it start to sink in, when did you start to think “Yes, I’m here now”?
Alexander: This morning (laughs). No, but it took a while, we landed in the desert, and the very next morning there was a marine soldier that took us to a camp for ten days, and we needed that, because it wasn’t just about the physical, it made us understand everything from the structure of the marines and understand how you address an officer compared to how you address your equals, to handle the weapons, what a blue force tracker is, the computer, all those kind of things, so it teaches you all that in ten days.
Host 2: How long was the preparing phase before you could start with the screen tests?
Alexander: It was those ten days and then we had a week with intense rehearsal on different scenes. And after that we got going.
Host 1: I understand that the language was a challenge as well? Many people seem to think that your American accent is very nice, but it wasn’t like that from the start, like you could speak in that accent?
Alexander: My American accent was alright before, but there was no way I could screw up here because the guy I played exists in real life. Sometimes when a European plays an American it can sound totally fake because there are so many different accent in the US, and then you can always find a back story and say that he is born in Prague and then came to America, for example. But this guy is called Brad Covert and is from Midwest and it is hard for me to get away with an accent that is not really American. We had a dialect coach that was with us there in the desert during the filming, and he totally saved me.
Host 2: You guys must have had everything with you, it was an incredible budget, this is a real splurge, isn’t it?
Alexander: Yes, it cost quite a lot of money, a lot of people and a lot of vehicles; it is a pretty big machinery.
This is the end of the translation for video one. Stay tuned, we will post part two of this video interview tomorrow!
Alexander Skarsgård has answered fan questions!
SkarsgardNews.tk collected several fan questions last week and chose 20 for Alexander answer. A lot of great questions were chosen and there are some really interesting answers from Alex.
Here’s a preview of some of the Q&A below.
Q: You miss things when you are away from Sweden, but is there anything you miss when you are away from the U.S.?
AS: Yes, lots of things. I miss the intensity of New York, the sunsets in California and the mountains of Colorado.
Q: We’ve seen you dressed as a woman in Kill Your Darlings and recently, we’ve seen your brother Gustaf getting in touch with his feminine side in the Koop – I See A Different You music video. Please tell us between you or your brother, whom is the most attractive, dressed as a woman, in your opinion?
AS: I haven’t seen my brother dressed as a woman, but I doubt anything can be scarier than me in high heels and make up..
Q: I`ve read somewhere that you not only are a football fan, but also play football yourself. Where (defence, midfield, striker, goalie etc) and how (aggressive, creative, intelligent, physical, crybaby, technical etc) do you play?
AS: I love to play, but I’m not very good. I run a lot, usually pretty far from where the ball is…
Alexander Skarsgard has made it to Round 5 of the E! Online poll for their Alpha Male Madness: Who’s TV’s Top Dog Poll. Alexander Skarsgard‘s Eric Northman on True Blood beat Jeffery Donovan who plays Michael Westen on Burn Notice in round 4 of the poll. Now Alexander is pitted against Jared Padalecki who plays Sam Winchester on the Supernatural.. E! Online says that the battle is getting fierce now and we will soon knnow who will take the title of Alpha Male. It is a close race right now between Alexander and Jared so go out there and vote and show E! Online which TV series has the best Alpha Males on television. True Blood has a huge following and it is just going to get bigger and bigger as more countries tune in and season 2 approaches so it is only natural that True Blood should get the Top Dog Award. A win for Alexander is a win for True Blood, so go out there and vote and show everyone why True Blood is one of the best TV series on television right now.
Alexander Skarsgard has made it to Round 4 of the E! Online poll for their Alpha Male Madness: Who’s TV’s Top Dog Poll. Alexander Skarsgard‘s Eric Northman on True Blood beat Aaron Hotchner who plays Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds in round 3 of the poll. Now Alexander is pitted against Jeffery Donovan who plays Michael Westen on Burn Notice. E! Online says that “to win, the champ is going to need a killer character, a popular show and most important of all: fangirls (and boys) who are willing to vote for them in every round and recruit new voters to do the same. Does your guy have what it takes?” It is a close race right now between Alexander and Jeffery so go out there and vote and show E! Online which TV series has the best Alpha Males on television. True Blood has a huge following and it is just going to get bigger and bigger as more countries tune in and season 2 approaches so it is only natural that True Blood should get the Top Dog Award. A win for Alexander is a win for True Blood, so go out there and vote and show everyone why True Blood is one of the best TV series on television right now.
Alexander Skarsgard is in round 3 of the E! Online poll for their Alpha Male Madness: Who’s TV’s Top Dog Poll. Alexander Skarsgard‘s Eric Northman on True Blood beat Michael Emerson’s Ben Linus of LOST in round 2 of the poll. Now Alexander is pitted against Aaron Hotchner who plays Thomas Gibson on Criminal Minds. Even E! Online noticed that “killer fanpaigns resulted in wins for True Blood‘s 1,000-year-old Viking vampire.” So once again True Blood fans are asked to cast their vote to keep Alexander in the poll and hopefully win the title of Alpha Male. True Blood has a huge following and it is just going to get bigger and bigger as more countries tune in and season 2 approaches so it is only natural that True Blood should get the Top Dog Award. Now that makes me wonder maybe they should have put Sam Merlotte in there for the running. Click here to vote.
Is Alexander Skarsgard as Eric Northman an Alpha Male? That is the question being posed on E! Online: Watch with Kristin website. The website has round 2 of their Alpha Male Madness: Who’s TV’s Top Dog Poll and Alexander Skarsgard‘s role of Eric Northman on True Blood is pitted against Carrie Preston‘s (Arlene Fowler) husband Michael Emerson who plays the bad guy on LOST as Ben Linus. It seems funny that of all the other actors that Alexander could be competing with, he is pitted against his co-star’s husband. It seems that there will be a True Blood connection one way or another no matter what the outcome although I think I know who True Blood fans want to see win this poll.
Special thanks go out to Jaime, Linda and especially Wendy on our Facebook page for e-mailing us and informing us to spread the news regarding the poll.
True Blood season 2 spoiler update revolves around an article from E! Online: Watch with Kristin. E! looks deeper into what True Blood fans can expect to see when season two begins and it seems that it is going to be a rollercoaster ride for fans. Although some of the information is not particularly new any news that comes out about True Blood is worth posting.
Watch with Kristin mentions a new supernatural villain in Bon Temps that even makes the vampires nervous:
“There’s a new supernatural creature in town, one I’ve never seen on TV,” says a source on the set of the HBO series. “Even vampires are scared of this thing. We’ll be seeing a lot more of Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) this year. Romance is in the air for most of our main characters, but as always with our show, nothing is ever what it seems.”
Of course the interaction between Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer) will be full of highs and lows as their business trip out of Bon Temps to Dallas places them in the middle vampire politics and the Church of the Fellowship of the Sun.
With episode 5 being shot now and 12 episodes planned to start airing in either late June or early July the anticipation is growing. With the inclusion of Valerie Cruz (Dexter), Anna Camp (Cashmere Mafia), Ashley Jones (The Bold and the Beautiful), joining late season 1 additions: Michelle Forbes, Mehcad Brooks and Deborah Ann WollTrue Blood should provide some interesting viewing for season 2.
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood was interviewed by Swedish Television in Los Angeles and discussed his experience on Generation Kill and True Blood. This video interview is in Swedish but I have translated it from Swedish to English and you will find the translation below the video.
Narrator: Alexander Skarsgård has received a lot of attention recently because he currently has two major American TV series. He lives and works is in Hollywood, but life in Hollywood is not always ultra-glamorous and not as easy as it sounds. Life, like for all people, is filled with shades of grey. He told all this to our reporter Charlotte Lundgren, who was visiting him in LA.
A: In terms of size, Stockholm is a fly s**t compared to LA, or really it’s not a real city, it’s a large suburb. There aren’t even any real pavement! It’s just not possible. Where I live you can’t just walk and grab a coffee, you must take a car. Back home in Stockholm, I live like one block from all my friends, so it’s pretty easy to just, no matter how tired and exhausted you are, you can wobble over to each other and sit and just hang out. You don’t even have to talk, just like sit there. But I like that type of socializing sometimes any way and we can indeed. {Audio feed too garbled to translate}
A: Damn, there’s a lot of flies (Flap arm).
I: It’s very hot, should we be going down? There are also a lot of tourists.
A: Ah.
I: Yes, let’s do that, let’s go down.
I: How much horsing around have you got to do, like, to get these roles?
A: I had to sleep with some producers (laughter). It’s that simple (laughter).
Narrator: Even if that thing actually occurs in the Hollywood, Alexander didn’t have to take such drastic measures to get a lead role. It was enough to screen test. And the day we met him in Hollywood, the HBO mini-series Generation Kill (which is about some soldiers in Iraq) had premiered.
(Some taglines from Generation Kill)
Narrator: So a couple of months later, Alexander had become celebrated for his role as Sergeant Brad Colbert in the series. And many believe that it will be an international breakthrough for him. But it has taken some “dog” years (refers to the movie “Hundtricket” (The dog trick) for him to get there:
A: Before, I had to read through a number of really bad scripts. You just simply have an agent and a manager who will send manuscripts to you. They say: “Read this.” And if you like it, you go and meet the director and do auditions and like that. You know, you get a script and read it and ah, you sit down and study a few scenes and then you come back the next day.. And then.. You will get in a kind of place like a waiting room, and there are like 20 guys there that are.. That look like you, are as old as you, and they all sit and read them [the scripts] there, mumble lines that you will also sit down and study. Then, they call you in. It is this little conveyor belt where, one by one, and it puts someone like this unqualified casting director to read against you. Then you’ll go and wait for about a week to hear if they liked it or not and then you get a new script, and so you should run on that and.. It’s.. That’s just life if you are here and looking for a job.
(Some taglines from Generation Kill)
A: I knew it the first time I came here, I knew that.. It’ll not be like, you come in and it’s like three guys who are up for a role, but then one can come in and there’s like three hundred guys who are up for the same role and will fight for it. Clearly it’s like that here, the motivation has gone up and down and sometimes it feel, just on the go.. In periods when there.. It just.. You know, an agent sends like this, s**t bad horror films, for you and just like this.. To send and study bad scenes in a project that you don’t even want to be involved in. And then you should go and.. Ah.. pretend to be killed by a chainsaw guy. Ehm, it’s not always that motivating you know.
Narrator: There are not a lot chainsaw guys, but there are more vampires in the second TV series that Alexander is in right now. It’s the man behind the movie American Beauty (1999) and the TV series Six Feet Under (2001), Alan Ball, who wanted Alexander for the role of the ancient Viking vampire.
I: I can imagine that it takes a lot to dare to come here, is it not so?
A: No, but I think it takes more to dare to stay. I think that many dare to come here but they’ll go home again quite quickly. Eh, it takes quite a lot to.. To.. Eh.. After the first shock.. Well, you know.. Lower your head and continue to go on. Right now I have it incredibly f***ing good, I cannot complain. I have one TV series that has premiered tonight and I have another TV series that I’m working on and I think.. I am proud of both. In addition, I try to enjoy every second of it. Because you never know how long it will continue.
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood is rumoured to be possibly cast to play the role of Thor in the Marvel Studio movie of the same name scheduled to be released in theatres on July 16th, 2010. The movie is based upon the Norse God, Thor, a hero who can fly, wields a magical hammer that is powerful and enables him to defeat his enemies as he lives a double life in heavenly Asgard and on Earth.
Latino Review stated that a reader saw Kenneth Branagh (the director of the film) dining in a Los Angeles restaurant with Alexander Skarsgard (Generation Kill and HBO’s True Blood) leading to speculation that Mr. Branagh is considering Alexander Skarsgard to play the lead role of Thor. According to reports 32-years old Alexander is 6’4” and shares the same agency as Mr. Branagh. According to casting calls for the movie Alexander does fit the physical requirements for the part:
“Male MUST BE MID-LATE 20’S and SIX FEET OR TALLER. LEAD. Physically powerful, very handsome, occasionally egotistical, petulant, and wild. A natural warrior with a quick charming wit who must be genuinely and severely humbled before becoming the compassionate, mature hero of our film.”
Other names have been mentioned on various sites: Karl Urban, Gerard Butler, James Preston Rogers, Brad Pitt, Viggo Mortenson, Guy Pearce, and Paul Telfer along with Alexander Skarsgard.
Filming is set to begin in July, so the studio is looking at their various options and it seems that Alexander Skarsgard is in the lead based upon the sighting however, the official word from the Skarsgard camp on all this Thor business is “no comment.”
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood, who grew up on Götgatsbacken of South Stockholm, comes from a very simple background. This was long before coffee latte and designer stores. “Then there was only antiquarian and angry Finnish drunks on Götgatan,” says Alexander.
The family had almost no money because his mother was not working and his dad, Stellan Skarsgård, had only a low-paying theater salary. His best toy for several years were tea cans which became a drum kit. “It is only when envy comes in as you start to despair,” says Alexander and he aimed at having fun with the little they had until a neighbor came with a radio-controlled car.
He remembers his jealousy of friends where the father was driving a Saab, had a suit and went to work at eight o’clock in the morning returning home by five thirty in the evening. His own father was always naked and drinking red wine with strange artist souls, rehearsing for days and performing late at night. When he came home he was exhausted and perhaps not the ideal family situation, according to Alexander.
Alexander Skarsgård was only eight years old when he debuted as Kalle Nubb in Åke och Hans Värld (Åke and his world), but as he entered adolescence, he became convinced that the public life was not for him. He hated media attention. He did not like strangers looking at him in the street. He wished that people would like him because he was a nice guy, not because they had read about him in a newspaper. He really wanted to become an architect.
During his teen years Alexander had no relationship whatsoever with his parents. He wanted to live his own life. He thought his parents were a burden and revolted by closing them out, they never got him into their life. They tried, but it was difficult because he had decided to turn his back on them. If he was asked “Do you have a girlfriend?” He replied, “See ya.”
For four or five years, until he left home at seventeen, he was in his room with his buddies drinking homemade beer and listening to punk music. He would take off to town, come home in the middle of the night and go to sleep. In the morning he grabbed a sandwich in the kitchen and took off again.
It often happened that Alex ended up in noisy establishments where he often had to defend his friends when they got into trouble. His mood could quickly change. One time his dad, Stellan went and got him from Solna police custody. He was 17 years old. At first Stellan said nothing. He only looked at Alexander, and then his father said: “You are an intelligent man. You know what you did last night and how f***ing stupid it was, so I will not yell at you.” Alexander became anxious and regretted his behavior.
In the military service as a marine, Skarsgård had the time to reflect for 15 months. Two hundred and eighty days in a tent gives one a different perspective on life and he came to some realizations. He missed acting. He was twenty now and mature enough to handle the attention. He moved to Leeds with a friend where they lived in a cellar store without windows and heat to pursue acting. From Leeds, he moved to the theatrical school, Marymount, in New York. There he lived as a border with a 55-year-old Filipino fashion designer named René for six months.
After six months, Alexander moved back to Sweden. He had met a girl in Stockholm. He was in love and decided to move back home to be with her. Two days after he had landed, she finished the relationship.
“F***ing ironic. I had dropped out of school and could not move back.”, Alex lamented, ” New York is a difficult city to be in as a poor student and unfortunate in love. One gets eaten. I was so f***ing miserable. The whole spring was tiring.”
Back home in Sweden, Alexander began to get some film roles for instance Järngänget (The Iron Gang) and Dykaren (The Diver), and a couple of parts in various TV series and he was also involved in a Swedish hospital soap Vita Lögner (White lies). Eventually he was offered the role as John in the award-winning Vingar av Glas (Wings Of Glass). The film was an audience hit and Alex was suddenly a Swedish star. He also received a small role in Ben Stiller’s Zoolander as Meekus, which gave him a place on the Hollywood map. Alexander, however, decided to stay in Sweden and made the successful Swedish movie Hundtricket (The Dog trick).
His agent in Hollywood wanted Alex to come back but he decided to stay in Sweden. He had had a great offer to play Nick in the theatrical production of Edward Albee Who’s afraid of Virginia Wolf in the Southern Theater in Stockholm. Eventually moving on to play Leonardo Emilio Hernandez in Lorca Blodigt Bröllop (Bloody Wedding) at the Gothenburg State Theater.
Performing in the theater was the part of acting Alexander was least sure of. He knew that he wanted to try a new types of work. He wanted to develop as an actor and the theater scene was perfect place to do it. Another reason Alex loved the stage was that he has always dreamed of becoming a rock star. Since he is tone-deaf, theater is as close to that dream as he can get. “To stand on a stage in front of a live audience is an incredible experience. The direct contact you have with the audience cannot be achieved in film,” Alexander says.
Alexander has also directed. Together with a friend, Björne Larsson, he made the prize-winning short film Att Döda Ett barn (To Kill A child) which has been shown at film festivals. In the movie, Valter Skarsgård, Alexander’s youngest brother plays the leading role and his father, Stellan Skarsgård, narrates. It was shown at both the Tribeca Film Festival in New York and the Cannes Film Festival.
Despite the successes Alexander has had with the series Generation Kill and True Blood, Alexander is a genuinely nice and humble guy who likes to hang out with friends, drink beer and be in the archipelago when he has opportunity. He loves the sea and the country. “I do not want to …[to sound]…cliché but my favorites [things] are going to boat, fish, and lie in front of the fireplace and drink red wine,” says Alexander.
Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood conducted a video interview with SvenskaFans.com when he recently attended a soccer match in Los Angeles to support his team. The interviewer saw Alexander Skarsgard at the match and asked him his opinion about the match and the team. Later on Alexander states that when he has a chance he tries to come back home as often as possible. The video recently had the “closed caption” added so you can click the arrow button to bring it up . We also provided the written translation of the interview as well.
Translation:
I: In a small crowd we recognize a familiar face. Alexander Skarsgård, how are you? A: I’m fine, thanks. How are you? I: I’m fine. Apart from the weather. 1-1 against GAIS, do you care to comment on the match? A: Ehm, it wasn’t the best one has seen, but what the hell, it’s February, and they are quite out of training, and it is in two months they have to look good. It’s just so cool to see the guys. You don’t get to do that so often when you live over here and I was so incredibly happy to see them. It was cool to see Monday and Igor too. I think they did well. I think they’ll be great in the future. I: Who do you think was ”man of the match”? A: I was a bit surprised about Igor. I think it’s awesome to come in new to the team, and then after the injury, he was injured just after signing for Bajen and.. I think he came in with force in the defense line. He’s a big, tough guy who really can make a difference and that’s definitely needed in the defense. Ehm yeah, I like him. I: You have been away from Sweden for almost a year now. How did you manage to keep track on Bajen last season? A: Ehm, well it’s easier now than a few years ago. Now you can watch the game streamed if you check on the internet. Five minutes after the game you can read everything about the match in the newspapers, web pages and on Bajen’s fan site and on Hammarby’s site. It’s so easy now. 6-7 years ago it was much trickier, but I follow them every day, I do that. I: How does the next season look? You are fully booked, aren’t you? A: To me, you mean? Ehm yes, I do work here now. It’s five months since I was home and it’ll probably be quite a while more before I have a chance to come home again. But as soon the season has started and I have a couple of days off, I’ll go home. Last season I managed to come home to the premiere and got to march from Medis to the Arena. If I have an opening, I’ll go home directly, of course. I: Those who’ve seen you on the north stand know that you’re a Bajen, but not everyone does, how did you get included in the Bajen-family? A: It was through a pal, he and his father always went to hockey matches in the middle of the eighties. Then I started joining them, and me and my pal started gathering pucks that went over the Plexiglas. The first year we didn’t watch too much hockey, but we would only gather pucks, but then it was more and more that one watched the hockey. And then one checked out the guys in the stands and thought it was a cool atmosphere. And suddenly you stood there yourself. It was in the end of the eighties that I started going a lot. I: It started with hockey, that was a bit unusual? A: Yes, actually. It was definitely like that. I didn’t start going to football, really, around 92-93 that I started going a lot to football games. But before that, it was definitely hockey that brought me in. That woke up my interest around Hammarby so to say. I still think it’s f***ing cool. I’m ass happy about the whole Bajen fans thing, that they have started it again and in the fourth level (sports division). I look very much forward to come home and check out the games.
The latest news about True Blood at the Paley Fest’09 is that the tickets to the True Blood panel discussion is sold out! This is a testament to how hugely successful and popular the series is and everyone who is fortunate to attend are ensured a wonderful opportunity to see and hear Alan Ball and the cast of True Blood. Other exciting news is the Paley Center for the Media has contacted us to inform everyone that the PaleyFest’08 Reunion Event with the cast and creative team of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is available for sale from the Paley Center Online Shop. The uncut, Paley Center-produced PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD presents Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Seth Green, Michelle Trachtenberg. The PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD is full of laughs and extras, including backstage video and photos from the show. To order this fantastic video and see a sneak peek at the trailer click the link here.
As a reminder the True Blood cast members that will be appearing at the Paley Fest’09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight will be:
Alan Ball
Stephen Moyer
Anna Paquin
Ryan Kwanten
Sam Trammell
Rutina Wesley
Alexander Skarsgard
Carrie Preston
Nelsan Ellis
To contact the Paley Center and order tickets for the other panel discussions participating in the Paley Fest’09 click here.
If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information.
Update information on the True Blood panel list at the Paley Fest’09 has been posted on the Paley Center for Media website. The True Blood cast members that will be appearing at the Paley Fest’09 on Monday, April 13, 2009 at 7:00 pm PT at the Cinerama Dome at ArcLight Hollywood will include:
Alan Ball
Stephen Moyer
Anna Paquin
Ryan Kwanten
Sam Trammell
Rutina Wesley
Alexander Skarsgard
Carrie Preston
Nelsan Ellis
There are several different ticket packages available for the festival.
The Festival Pass
Guarantees one premium seat to all twelve evenings and three after-parties, plus many other benefits! To learn more about what is included in the Festaival pass and to purchase the ticket click the link here.
Premium Festival Packages Are On Sale Now!
Packages include two premium seats to four events and two invites to one after-party.
Package A: It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 90210, The Big Bang Theory, The Hills
Package B: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica/Caprica, Fringe
Package C: True Blood, The Mentalist, Desperate Housewives, Big Love—plus bonus evening, Swingtown!
To learn more about the Packages A, B, and C and to buy tickets click the link here.
Individual tickets sales to Paley Center Members begins February 26 and tickets to the general public will be made available March 1. Tickets often sell out to Members!
If you will be attending this event we are looking for guest writers or photographers to have their work featured on this site in a Special Editorial on True Blood at the PaleyFest09. If you are interested, please contact us at admin@truebloodnet.com for further information.
The True Blood panel discussion at the Paleyfest’09 was a sold out event packed with anxious fans to see and hear their favorite stars talk about True Blood and perhaps get a sneak peek into what we can expect to see for Season 2. The anticipation for the event has been building among fans for several weeks and as the final moments approached everyone who could not attended were on their twitter trying to get some details as to what was being discussed by the actors. Brian Ford Sullivan from The Futon Critic attended the event and presents on his blog a play-by-play of how the evening unfolded and some tidbits about season 2. To read his report please read his enlightening article here.
Alexander Skarsgard of True Blood, who grew up on Götgatsbacken of South Stockholm, comes from a very simple background. This was long before coffee latte and designer stores. “Then there was only antiquarian and angry Finnish drunks on Götgatan,” says Alexander.
Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood conducted a video interview with SvenskaFans.com when he recently attended a soccer match in Los Angeles to support his team. The interviewer saw Alexander Skarsgard at the match and asked him his opinion about the match and the team. Later on Alexander states that when he has a chance he tries to come back home as often as possible. The video recently had the “closed caption” added so you can click the arrow button to bring it up . We also provided the written translation of the interview as well.
The latest news about True Blood at the Paley Fest’09 is that the tickets to the True Blood panel discussion is sold out! This is a testament to how hugely successful and popular the series is and everyone who is fortunate to attend are ensured a wonderful opportunity to see and hear Alan Ball and the cast of True Blood. Other exciting news is the Paley Center for the Media has contacted us to inform everyone that the PaleyFest’08 Reunion Event with the cast and creative team of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is available for sale from the Paley Center Online Shop. The uncut, Paley Center-produced PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD presents Joss Whedon, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicholas Brendon, James Marsters, Seth Green, Michelle Trachtenberg. The PaleyFest’08 Buffy the Vampire Slayer Reunion DVD is full of laughs and extras, including backstage video and photos from the show. To order this fantastic video and see a sneak peek at the trailer click the link 