It’s nothing new that Bill Skarsgård is one of the best horror actors out there–he even has two scary movies on our 2024 movie schedule (although Nosferatu will likely be way more successful than The Crow). And while the Swedish actor has no problem getting into darker characters, the actual transformation may be another story. He admitted just how much more intimidating and scary it was to transform into Count Orlok for the upcoming monster classic than it was for Pennywise in It.
Monster movie remakes and new interpretations have been popular fodder for Hollywood. With plenty more vintage remakes on the way, it’s been great to see some classics revitalized. One of the most heralded ones coming is next month. Robert Egger’s take on the classic horror, the buzz of the film has started.
Critics have had positive reactions and have been ‘really sinking their teeth’ into the film and are positively terrified. They aren’t the only ones, either. Skarsgård opened up to Entertainment Weekly about how drastic a transformation he underwent to get into Count Orlok. He also shared it was more intense than Pennywise (It series) and was intimidated he wouldn’t be able to work through it. He shared:
I was terrified just looking at the image. It looked so, so different from me, way more so than Pennywise. I was worried that I couldn't perform through it, that it would feel like giant prosthetic pieces, and I couldn't come alive through that.
The Barbarian actor shared that this upcoming take on Dracula scares him more than that of Stephen King’s killer clown. It’s one thing to dive into the motivations of a fictional but terrifying vampire but it’s a whole other to have that research and dress up as him. And while the clown is terrifying, I can completely see that Nosferatu is way more intense.
Thankfully, for Skarsgård, he made it all work, even if he was terrified. After the initial try-on of the costume, he found Drac. He said:
That was the first time where I felt the camera was alive, and I [could] start becoming this thing. Robert came up to me after, and he was like, 'There he is.’
I’m glad that he was able to figure out how to perform, from what I’ve seen I know I’ll be shook after watching. It’s really impressive to know how much this role intimidated him and that he figured out how to deliver something this bone-chilling. It’s something he does incredibly well and is sought out for–he’ll be returning to play Pennywise for the Max It prequel series, a part of our 2025 TV schedule.
In the meantime, we’ll have to see just how terrifying the new vampire transformation is–set to release on December 25th. Maybe the Eternals alum can haunt my dreams with another one of his petrifying characters.
If you’re waiting to see Bill Skarsgård in the classic monster movie, watch the book-turned-movie monster Pennywise in the It series, available with a Max subscription.
