Thor Star Initially Thought Joining the MCU was Like “Selling My Soul to the Devil”

Summary

• Stellar Skarsgård had fun appearing in Thor, and learned a lot about girls from female co-stars on set.
• The actor spent up to eight hours in makeup to become the
  Dune
  villain Baron Harkonnen, believing the pain was worth the impact.
• Skarsgård respected the use of practical effects over CGI, showing his dedication to craftsmanship in his roles.

Stellan Skarsgård returns to the big screen this weekend as Dune villain Baron Vladimir Harkonnen and ahead of the movie’s release the actor took time to reflect on his career in a new interview with Vanity Fair. Among the many big films the actor discussed, including his time as Bootstrap Bill in Pirates of the Caribbean and his musical stint in Mamma Mia!, the Swedish actor reflected on his time playing Erik Selvig in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

thor

Release Date April 21, 2011

Runtime 114

Tagline The god of thunder.

In a candid reflection on his appearance in Thor and several subsequent Marvel movies, which included a recent cameo appearance in 2022’s Thor: Love and Thunder, Skarsgård revealed that his initial reaction to signing up for an MCU role was that he had “sold his told to the devil.” However, he came to realize that despite one appearance turning into being contracted for many others, he had fun doing something “not-high-brow”, and also learned “so much about girls” from his female costars. He said:

“The film was fun. We lived in Santa Fe, where they have more Birkenstocks and gray ponytails than anywhere else in the United States. No, I wasn’t excited. I was…what the f-ck? I didn’t know much about Thor…Or I knew about the real Thor, but I didn’t know much about the comic books. So the thing was that Kenneth Branagh was directing it and he’s good. I said “OK I’ll do it” but the thing is, when you sign up for one of these, you sign up for four, so I felt I sold my soul to the devil, but I didn’t, because especially the first one, I had a lot of fun.

It was me and Kat Dennings and Natalie Portman, the trio. We were constantly together in all the scenes, and I had so much fun and I learned so much about girls because most of the time we were stuck in a car, and we were waiting, and it was a film car and I just listened to those two girls talking about men. Yeah, I mean, I didn’t think it was like that. You learn. Why did I continue to do Marvel after that? I had a contract, and it was fun doing those small things. You don’t have to be too pretentious about what you do. It’s not a crime to do not-high-brow all the time.”

Stellan Skarsgård’s Dune 2 Role Involved Many Hours in Make-Up

While his MCU role required little in the way of make-up, Skarsgård has not always managed to avoid spending hours in make-up for a role. Almost two decades ago, the actor was buried in prosthetic applications to become Bootstrap Bill in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, having barnacles attached to his face and hand-painted over several hours. Now, for his Dune: Part Two role, the actor has again spent up to eight hours in make-up to become Baron Harkonnen, something he said was worth the pain in an interview with Business Insider.

It was painful, but it was worth it. We wanted him to be so well defined as an image that he made an imprint on people just by showing up on the screen, and that imprint should last throughout the film without having him show up all the time.

Related Stellan Skarsgård’s Best Performances, Ranked Stellan Skarsgård is deeply selective when it comes to choosing roles, but his range and ability make it possible for him to excel. Here are his best.

In a time when CGI frequently replaces the often superior use of practical effects, especially when it comes to the creation of on screen characters, Skarsgård is clearly from a generation that believes that sometimes there are no short-cuts to greatness. While there have been several CGI characters that have bucked the trend, it seems that more and more filmmakers are putting their faith back in practical effects where possible, even if that means spending more time in make-up than on camera.

Dune: Part Two
is in theaters now. Stellan Skarsgård’s MCU appearances can be found among the offerings on Disney+.

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