Rogert Eggers’ long-awaited Nosferatu might still be a few months away from its December 25 release date, but star Bill Skarsgård has teased something for the sickos to get us hyped for the vampire tale.
The remake of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 German expressionist classic stars Skarsgård as the titular bloodsucker Count Orlok, Nicholas Hoult, Lily-Rose Depp, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart von Franz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Ineson.
While we’ve seen a few exciting stills of some of the aforementioned cast, Skarsgård’s look is remaining a closely guarded secret. But in an interview with Esquire today, the IT star teases that his look is going to have us feeling some conflicting emotions…
When asked if his take on Nosferatu is sexy, Skarsgård replied:
“He’s gross […] But it is very sexualized. It’s playing with a sexual fetish about the power of the monster and what that appeal has to you. Hopefully you’ll get a little bit attracted by it and disgusted by your attraction at the same time.”
Ok, COUNT us in Bill (get it?!)
Here’s more from Esquire on how Skarsgård (most recently seen in the genre-bending Boy Kills World and the upcoming remake of Gothic superhero epic The Crow) got into a dark place for what is sure to be a pretty bleak take – it is Eggers, after all – on the Bram Stoker story:
He worked with an opera singer to bring his voice down to its lowest possible pitch and spent three to six hours every day in makeup and prosthetics. The set was serious. Tense, even. Skarsgård was largely isolated from the rest of the cast, during prep as well as during the shoot. He felt like the character deserved it. Demanded it. “It took its toll,” he says now. “It was like conjuring pure evil. It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me.”
The level of darkness that Skarsgård was able to channel was stunning, says Eggers. “I remember early on, him trying to talk to me about what it meant to be a dead sorcerer—and I’m into some pretty heavy occult shit, but he was on a different level.” Laughing, he adds, “I was like, ‘This sounds accurate, but I don’t know how to converse about this with any fluidity.’ ”
While there was never really any doubt in our minds that Eggers’ Nosferatu was going to be an instant horror hit, joining his impressive filmography of The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman, Skarsgård’s comments have only solidified that excitement.
Hopefully a trailer that gives us a look at Bill in all his gory glory isn’t far off – we’ll bring you any and all updates on Nosferatu as they roll in!
