Even though he’s been a clown, a killer, and soon enough a crow, Bill Skarsgård had not ventured into vampire territory until recently. It only made sense that he would eventually get to that side of the supernatural neighborhood, especially since his brother used to hang out there all the time.
Skarsgård (Bill, the younger one) will lead Robert Eggers’ upcoming gothic horror remake Nosferatu as Count Orlok, a haunting vampire who becomes obsessed with a young woman, played by Lily-Rose Depp. Nicolas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, and Willem Dafoe also star.
The film has been in the works for years, and Skarsgård has been interested since the beginning because of Eggers. The actor told Esquire that he fought hard for the role because “you get a crush on someone — you can’t stop thinking about that person. I’ve only had it a few times, but that was so true with Robert. It was like, ‘Whatever this guy does, I just want to be a part of anything that this guy is making.’” And thus, he went after Nosferatu.
Even though he might not be the Edward Cullen of vamps, Skarsgård explained that his Nosferatu is a different kind of creepy. “He’s gross,” he said. “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.”
The actor also revealed that the role took a lot out of him, probably because of the whole evilness part. “It took its toll. It was like conjuring pure evil. It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me,” he said.
Unlike his Pennywise debut, his Nosferatu look won’t be revealed just yet, though he reportedly spent six hours every day in makeup and prosthetics. Skarsgård said, “I do not think people are gonna recognize me in it.” Maybe it’s a good thing, considering the aforementioned grossness.
Nosferatu is scheduled to be released in theaters on December 25.