How Bill Skarsgård Views His Transformation For Dead Man’s Wire Compared To The Extremes He Went To For IT And Nosferatu

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It’s strange how you can admire Bill Skarsgård’s work without necessarily knowing what he actually looks like. That’s because he’s famous for roles – like Pennywise in the IT movies and Count Orlok in Nosferatu – where extensive makeup and prosthetics completely disguise his appearance. He’s given incredible performances with these dramatic transformations, but it makes you wonder how he approaches a film like Gun Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire, where the changes to his appearance are much more understated.

I found the answer to that question earlier this week, and it was surprisingly low. I recently interviewed Alexander Skarsgård during a virtual press event for his new film, which comes out this weekend. I asked him how his acting process differs when he doesn’t drastically change his appearance for a role. He explained that even though he played a real person in Dead Man’s Wire – unlike the otherworldly clown in his earlier work – his approach was similar to how he first developed the character of Pennywise almost ten years ago. He stated,

When I did the first IT movie, I was only 26, so it was early in my career. I’ve really enjoyed working with those big creature and monster roles – Pennywise, Orlok, and others – especially the creative side of it. It’s not the actual process of putting on the prosthetics that I like – that can be quite boring – but the freedom to build a character, experiment with a voice, and find those subtle details in performance. That whole imaginative process is what I find really fun. I think it’s also influenced how I approach other roles now.

Bill Skarsgård plays Tony Kiritsis in Dead Man’s Wire, a film based on the true story of a man who held his mortgage broker hostage in 1977. Tony believed he was being cheated out of his property and his actions quickly became a public sensation. The film, like the real event, shows Tony gaining support from people who felt similarly exploited by an unjust system.

For his role as Tony, Skarsgård changed his look with a new haircut and mustache, and wore clothes from the time period. While it wasn’t as dramatic a change as his transformation into Pennywise, he explained that he still focused on finding the perfect voice for the character. He went on to say,

You know, what really struck me about this film is how grounded it felt. They had so much real footage and recordings of the person it was based on – his voice, his way of speaking, the rhythm of his speech – it was incredible. In some scenes, they actually used things he actually said, word for word, taken straight from those recordings. It really brought a level of authenticity to the performance.

An actor truly understands a character by figuring out how they speak – their voice reveals who they are and where they come from. He enjoys this aspect of acting a great deal, and feels it’s a key part of bringing a character to life.

I try to bring a sense of place into every character I play. It’s enjoyable to find a unique voice for each one, whether they’re a fantastical creature or a real person like Tony. Of course, the physical aspects – like Tony’s mustache and haircut – were fun too! Not every role requires such a transformation; sometimes, like my current one, the character is closer to my own appearance and personality. But Tony was definitely a distinct and memorable character to portray.

He’s probably talking about the movie Lords of War, directed by Andrew Niccol. He filmed it with Nicolas Cage, and production started just last month.

The film is proving successful, with Bill Skarsgård receiving widespread praise for his performance, especially in Dead Man’s Wire. The movie, which also stars Dacre Montgomery, Al Pacino, Cary Elwes, Myha’la, and Colman Domingo, premiered at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals last fall and is now available in theaters.

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2026-01-16 05:39