Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
Alexander Skarsgårdis opening up about some of the unique challenges he has faced throughout his career.
During a new interview withThe Sunday Times, the 45-year-old Swedish actor said he felt like his physical appearance kept him from landing more serious acting roles early in his career.
“I don’t really know if that was the reason I wasn’t getting roles,” he said. “Starting out in Sweden, there was stuff about being tall and blond. But most people here are tall and blond.”
“Still, after my first job, I was on a stupid ‘sexy hunky hot list’ and then people didn’t take me seriously,” he continued. “If you want characters with depth but have been labeled ‘a dude who takes his shirt off,’ you’re not going to get those offers.”
Skarsgård eventually saw his career take off after booking the HBO limited seriesGeneration Kill. But theNorthmanactor said he still endured speedbumps in his career, including working on films in his native Sweden where the compensation barely covered the costs of a plane ticket back to Los Angeles.
“I was questioning why I was in the industry,” he said.
Skarsgård has been named Sweden’s Sexiest Man five times. When he previously addressed what it meant to be labeled as “sexy,” he deemed it as “trivial.”
“We are human, so of course, we are going to love that kind of title. I’m not trying to pretend I don’t, but it’s not that important at the end of the day,” he toldMirrorin 2015.
“It wouldn’t do me any good if I was constantly looking at where I end up on that sexy list, or if I slipped down the list and stressed out about why that was,” he continued. “One day you’re popular and the next day you’re not. It’s trivial.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
But after overcoming the early challenges in his career, Skarsgård went on to find great success as an actor. For his role inBig Little Lies, he earned anEmmy Award, aGolden Globe Award, aScreen Actors Guild Awardand aCritics Choice Award.
Aiden Monaghan/ Focus Features
Currently, Skarsgård is starring inThe Northmanopposite hisBig Little LiescostarNicole Kidmanas well asAnya Taylor-Joy,Ethan Hawke,Björk,Willem Dafoeand Claes Bang.
“The Northmanwas the first time I worked on something that was so meticulously stylized, and you almost had to see it as a dance between the camera and the actors, because the camera was constantly moving, and so were we,” he recently toldIndieWireof the film, premiering April 22. “If the timing was slightly off, then we’d have to go again. I’ve never been more tired than after those six months.”
source: people.com
