Alexander Skarsgard on struggle of playing 'good natured' man in 'Wicker'

Alexander Skarsgård had nothing to "tap into" for his latest character of a purely good man in Wicker.

Alexander, who’s known for dark and morally ambiguous roles from Big Little Lies, Succession, and The Northman, is new to playing a good character.

"I was quite intimidated when I read it because I tend to be drawn towards more conflicted characters with more internal turmoil and darkness," he said during Q&A after the film’s premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, per Entertainment Weekly.

He added, "And to play this good-hearted, good natured, sweet, morally righteous character was scary to me. I'm not really comfortable doing that."

"I don't have anything to tap into when it comes to that, so it was a stretch as an actor," he quipped, making the audience laugh.

In Wicker, a lonely fisherwoman (Olivia Colman) asks a basketmaker to weave her a husband. The film also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Nabhaan Rizwan, Peter Dinklage, and Dev Patel. 

Elsewhere, The Legend of Tarzan star detailed the challenge of playing a wicker man, joking, "Rigidity was a big part of it, and that came naturally to me. And awkwardness, also easy."

The wicker man’s character had to loosen up with the progression of his love story with the fisherwoman, and that meant Alexander’s expressions had to get increasingly animated as the film progressed.

He explained, "I have exaggerated everything. And that kind of contradicts your instinct as an actor. So I felt ridiculous, but it was just about trusting these guys and when they came up and were like, 'Can you just give us a bit more eyebrow action?' I'm like, 'Okay.'"

Wicker’s Alexander Skarsgård also recently appeared in critically acclaimed gay romance Pillion.