Stellan Skarsgård recently went viral on social media for all the right reasons, after the veteran actor offered his thoughtful and measured take on the merits of the superhero genre, and he was speaking from a place of experience.
After all, he’s no stranger to the Marvel Cinematic Universe having played Erik Selvig four times, while he’s equally comfortable in big budget effects-driven blockbusters as he is independent dramas and Academy Award-winning prestige pictures.
That’s been true this year, too, with Skarsgård appearing in Denis Villenueve’s $165 million smash hit Dune in October, with Jonathan Nossiter’s apocalyptic indie Last Words coming to theaters and on demand this Friday. Ahead of the latter’s release in select theaters, we spoke to the star about the film, but we couldn’t help but ask about Dune and how the two experiences differed.
“You would think that the big Hollywood movie would be more comfortable. But in this case, it wasn’t because of the 40 kilos of prosthetics that I had to drag around… I’m not looking forward to putting the prosthetics on, but I’m looking forward to being on set with Denis Villenueve and the rest of the cast. It’s a fun project but it’s really, really uncomfortable.”
It sounds as though the end will be worth the means for Skarsgård in Dune: Part Two, with Baron Vladimir Harkonnen continuing to cause intergalactic chaos. Fans were thrilled when the sequel was first announced, but we can’t forget about the talent suffering for their art in the name of our entertainment.
Make sure to check back later this week for our full interview with Stellan Skarsgård ahead of Last Words.