[Alexander Skarsgård at the gala premiere of Pillion, surrounded by SLM Stockholm members! Photo: Magnus Lejhall / TT]
Alexander Skarsgård was praised by leather-tongued Stockholmers
QX.se Jon Voss 13 November 2025
Just over 20 men and women dressed up in the finest leather and rubber to pay tribute to Alexander Skarsgård and watch the film Pillion.
On Wednesday evening, it was Stockholm Film Festival's turn to screen the film Pillion , starring Alexander Skarsgård and co-producing it. As expected, he was greeted by a large crowd dressed to the teeth in leather and rubber.
– He was incredibly nice and shook hands with us in the front row, SLM Stockholm's Goran Perkovic tells QX.
[Picture from the lounge at the festival screening of Pillion where just over 20 leather and rubber-clad Stockholmers were seated at the front. Photo: queer.in.gear]
In total, there were just over 20 men and women in full gear who attended the festival's gala premiere. The review after the screening was positive. " Incredibly well-made and deep and at times melancholic. It captures the complexity that I think many gay people feel about relationships, " was one review. Where it was also an extra plus to recognize members of the British MC club GBMCC who are actors in the film.
[Alexander Skarsgård on hand for the screening of Pillion and to receive the Stockholm Achievement Award 2025 at the Stockholm Film Festival. Photo: Magnus Lejhall / TT]
Alexander Skarsgård received the "Stockholm Achievement Award 2025" during his visit to his old hometown. Pillion will premiere in Sweden in February.
[All following photos Anton Isiukov @imaginary_anton]
Alex is on the cover of Esquire Magazine (UK) - Winter 2025. ukesquire Ig (x) Thanks SwedishDelish.
"A new era of British Esquire begins with the launch of our inaugural Better Men issue, featuring the third of three special-edition cover stars #AlexanderSkarsgård.
Is anyone having as much fun on red carpets right now? The Swedish star of #Succession and #Murderbot talks to deputy editor @mcollface about his new risqué indie film Pillion, growing up in the Skarsgård acting dynasty and becoming a father himself.
Inside the issue – out on 13 November – you’ll find a host of new columnists and contributors, plus brand-new sections including The Code, your manual for stylish living; Life, the ultimate cultural companion; and the Better Men list, a definitive guide to the 101 men defining positive masculinity in 2025."
Editor in Chief @teovandenbroeke
Photographer @ben.parks.studio
Styling @felicitykay
Deputy Editor/interview @mcollface
Sittings Editor @crystallecox
Art Director @grenadinedempsey
Acting Entertainment Director @olivia__blair
Picture Production Editor @gemmalucia_shootproducer
Picture Editor @_abiihollister
Grooming @charley.mcewen
Set Design @carlota.cabrera
Fashion Assistants @ivoryandonyx @aoifegibb @emmaalisonseery
[Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling in Pillion. A24]
Cut or Uncut? How Much of Alexander Skarsgård’s (Fake) Penis Are ‘Pillion’ Viewers Getting at Home?
Movies with strong sexual content are navigating the streaming era with a confusing multiplicity of versions, cut to match ever-shifting sets of standards.
Gustavo Turner The Hollywood Reporter April 1, 2026 [Thanks SwedishDelish]
This week, A24 released the home video version of the award-winning indie film Pillion, a tonally daring gay romantic drama adapted from the cult 2020 novel Box Hill.
Subtitled “A Story of Low Self-Esteem,” the novel by Adam Mars-Jones — who co-wrote Pillion’s script with director Harry Lighton — chronicles the ups and downs of a BDSM relationship between kink newbie Colin and strapping sadist biker Ray, an often leather-clad (and un-clad) statuesque disciplinarian right out of a Tom of Finland fantasy.
The theatrical version which opened in early February in the U.S., and played until recently nationwide, stars Harry Melling as the besotted Colin and Hollywood’s current perverse, pansexual demigod on speed-dial, Alexander Skarsgård, as Ray. That version had lingering shots of Ray’s penis (a lifelike, girthy prosthetic), extended — and unusually graphic for mainstream — depictions of sex between the leads, and a hefty amount of Dolby-enhanced grunting and moaning.
But is that the version of Pillion landing on PVOD (Premium Video on Demand) and SVOD (Subscription Video on Demand) starting this week?
Indie film distributor Jasper Basch spoke for many fans of the film when he expressed his concerns on an X post last week: “PSA: The ‘Pillion’ you get at home will be an edited down version of the ‘Pillion’ you saw in theaters, which presumably would have been rated NC-17. The home video movie ‘Pillion’ just got its R rating, after edits, and is officially now the only version titled ‘Pillion.’”
Basch had been worried about the integrity of “Pillion” since the theatrical release. Back in February, he had posted “Pillion going out Not Rated instead of NC-17… We used to be a real country where movies were allowed to be NC-17.”
That brief post neatly summarizes three key issues in modern free distribution and fandom: How many versions exist of each film being released? Which one are we watching at any given time? And was there really an earlier time, especially in the U.S., when standards-driven censorship of content was different, more lax, less infantilizing of audiences?
Pillion is a good case study. Back in February, Entertainment Weekly reported that “Alexander Skarsgård’s (prosthetic) penis close-up got trimmed down,” even before the supposedly Not Rated theatrical release.
“There was one shot that went, and that was not because Harry Lighton got nervous,” Melling told EW at the time during a joint interview with Skarsgård. “In the alleyway scene, there was a close-up on Ray’s penis as he sort of zipped down, and I think when they started to preview to audiences, they realized that this was a moment where the audience would react, and the tension would be released with laughter or what have you.”
Melling was addressing rumors that there had been an original, pre-festival cut of Pillion that was “raunchier” than the version that was shown at Cannes in May 2025.
These rumors originated with the cast and crew itself. In various junket interviews they had hyped cut scenes of “a close up of a dick, a hard dick” aiming “down the barrel of the lens” (Lighton said this) as part of this “raunchier version” of Pillion.
“What you’ve seen [at Cannes] is the family-friendly version,” Skarsgård joked. “There’s also the Alexander Skarsgård cut,” he added. A few months later editor Gareth C. Scales told the Vancouver International Film Festival that they had seen a version “rated NC-17 by the MPA,” and that they were working on trying to “secure an R rating for wider release” because the MPA “told A24 the sex scenes felt ‘too realistic.’”
So, how many versions of Pillion are there? What are they rated? And which one will you be watching on HBO Max, VOD, maybe Criterion at some point, perhaps Kanopy or (gasp) Tubi? How about during a long flight?
The Hollywood Reporter spoke to sources close to the production, who insist there are only two main versions of the film.
One is the Not Rated version, which was shown at festivals and then opened theatrically in February, and has the director-approved amount of prosthetic penis, butts, sex sounds and consistency of (prop) semen on Melling’s radiant post-coital face. (Lighton reportedly said some of the MPA requested changes involving “de-shining” that particular substance.)
The second version is the one that obtained an R rating (“for sexual content, graphic nudity, and language.”) from the MPA (certificate #55946) last week.
Requested changes reportedly involved the amount of sexual content in the alley oral sex scene, the film’s signature wrestling scene, and the biker picnic sequence. The changes were described by people close to the production as “light edits” both of visuals and sounds.
According to these sources, regardless of previous misreporting (or joking by cast and/or crew), there was never an NC-17 (or a Skarsgård) cut of the film. HBO Max, as the first exclusive streamer for SVOD, has the option to run both the Not Rated and the R-rated version. All other platforms and PVOD should be running the Not Rated version.
This is not the first time that anxiety over Alexander Skarsgård’s synthetic manhood — and its fake secretions — has resulted in dual versions of a film. In 2022, the MPA gave Brandon Cronenberg four options for his Infinity Pool: take an NC-17 rating, take the Not Rated route, formally appeal the NC-17, or edit it down to an R.
[Alexander Skarsgård in Infinity Pool. Neon/Courtesy Everett Collection]
As the New York Times pointed out at the time, “what followed was months of trimming, swapping, obscuring and negotiating, all in the hopes that an edited version would strike the Motion Picture Association’s board of raters as less, well, disgusting.” This eventually resulted in a slightly different, R-rated version showing up in theaters in early 2023, shortly after the Not Rated version had wowed critics at Sundance. “The total time off of the movie is probably like five seconds,” ratings consultant Ethan Noble — who had been hired by distributor Neon to shepherd the process — told the Times (other accounts peg it at 90 seconds). “It’s not a very big difference at all.” The five seconds in question? Skarsgård’s character James ejaculating at the beach after a sudden handjob by Mia Goth’s freewheeling Gabi.
“An R-rated film simply could not show ejaculation,” the Times reported that Cronenberg had shared about the notoriously opaque negotiation process with the MPA to dodge the dreaded NC-17. (Cronenberg added that some “tweaks” were also made to some scenes of violence and to the film’s thematic centerpiece, a trippy orgy scene.)
At the time, the dual versions of Infinity Pool — and questions about which one would end up on VOD, streaming and physical media — generated much chatter among the Letterboxderatti. Several confusing accounts about which version different audiences had seen tried to parse how much of Skarsgård’s prosthetic and the “money shot” was depicted. “From what I saw, it was definitely uncut [eggplant emoji],” punned a quippy r/horror redditor.
Neon has had some experience trying to navigate the murky waters of the current Multiverse of Versions Madness, trying to keep track of a plethora of versions and outlets with contradictory sexual content policies — as well as not invoking the wrath of cinephiles who enjoy controversial content and see themselves as protectors of artistic integrity.
In 2021, the release of porn industry-themed drama Pleasure got delayed because A24, the initial acquiring distributor of the Not Rated version, reportedly dropped the film after requesting an alternate R-rated cut from first-time Swedish director Ninja Thyberg. Neon picked it up with a commitment to stand by the Not Rated cut alone. “I’m happy and relieved that my debut and life’s work is in the hands of Neon who dare to launch the film with my original vision, raw and uncut, to the American audience,” Thyberg said in a statement at the time.
[Sofia Kappel in Pleasure. A24/Courtesy Everett Collection]
Pleasure is currently available on popular freemium service Tubi, and viewers have reported that that version is missing content from the theatrical cut. Records show that even though Neon stuck by Thyberg’s “raw and uncut” vision from the March 2022 U.S. theatrical release until the July 2022 video release, an alternate version was cut at the same time, which obtained an R rating from MPA in August of the same year (certificate #54015), and it is likely the version shown on Tubi.
And add to the confusion, the airplane versions. Some flyers last month, for example, were treated to a version of Lionsgate’s erotic thriller The Housemaid which delivered the thriller but seriously toned down the erotic. An easy comparison with the version available concurrently on PPOV showed the omission of Sidney Sweeney’s partial nudity in the steamy scenes that helped turn Paul Feig’s rebooting of the 1990s erotic thriller into one of the year’s megahits.
[Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid. Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate/Courtesy Everett Collection]
Compared to the 1990s — when studios had to worry mainly about theatrical, home video, cable and broadcast — the distribution model in 2026 seems much more confusing. A distributor summarized the situation as “chaotic.”
In the 1990s, there were maybe 5-10 core versions of each title, and mostly physical. Now, even if there are still only a few differently rated versions, the same title could result in 40 to over a hundred distinct versions for other reasons, and most are delivered digitally. There are still a similar number of theatrical cuts (delivered as multiple Digital Cinema Packages, or DCPs), but also several television versions (multiple frame rates, ratios, etc.), home video versions (standard and for collector markets), international versions, airline and speciality versions, versions with different levels of accessibility, plus several others.
(Helping make sense of some of this chaos is the adoptions of Interoperable Master Format, or IMF, described as “a file-based media format that simplifies the delivery and storage of audio-visual masters intended for multiple territories and platforms” and “particularly well-adapted for delivery to today’s global content platforms.”)
Another contrast with the pre-streaming era is that back then the MPA ruled supreme for the theatrical handling of controversial titles, broadcast and basic cable TV standards were much clearer, and the explosion of premium cable and PPV in the 1980s offered outlets for uncut films with sexual content.
People rolled their eyes in the early 2000s when Utah-based Clean Flix offered wholesome edited versions of popular feature films for conservative audiences, removing anything they deemed unacceptable. As THR reported at the time, 16 prominent directors — including Steven Spielberg and Robert Redford — and entertainment studios like Disney, Sony, Universal, Paramount and Twentieth Century Fox, sued Clean Flix for copyright infringement, and the company folded among widespread mockery in 2006.
In the current streaming era, things are much more unclear, and they also mutate with Cronenbergian slipperiness. For example, Netflix quietly showed for several years the 2-D version of Gaspar Noé’s 2015 sexually explicit 3-D dramedy Love. The very much unrated film — showing unsimulated full penetration and ejaculation — streamed from 2017 until well into 2020. (Confusingly enough, Netflix also streamed the hip L.A. twentysomething comedy series Love at the same time, resulting in many hip twentysomethings accidentally finding Noé’s arthouse erotica title and hyping it on TikTok as “ZOMG Porn on Netflix!”). But after the conservative-driven controversy surrounding the French coming-of-age drama “Cuties,” it seems unlikely Netflix would risk streaming anything remotely as explicit as Noé’s Love now.
The Criterion Channel — like the original arthouse theaters in the 1950s and early 1960s — seems to get “the artsy pass” to show explicit sex scenes. They are currently streaming several of the brilliant French films of Catherine Breillat, including the uncut version of “Romance,” with the unsimulated explicit scenes intact.
Meanwhile, over at Disney+, it was reported that the streamer had quietly decided to remove almost an entire minute from the 1971 action classic The French Connection, plus a plot-significant instance of the protagonist Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) using the n-word. The stealthily sanitized version was apparently also delivered to the Criterion Channel, to the chagrin of its cinephile audience.
Regardless of which version (or versions?) of Pillion ends up on your home screen, we do seem to have moved away from our earlier certainty that the movie you were watching was the movie its creators (or the director, if you’re adamantly auteurist) wanted us to see.
Everyone's Invited to Harry Lighton's Kinky British Picnic
Curzon.com (x) Joanna McClurg 20 November 2025
In his feature debut Pillion, writer-director Harry Lighton explores the dom-sub relationship between sweetly awkward traffic warden Colin (Harry Melling) and Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), the leather-clad mystery man who picks him up at his local pub.
Lighton’s adaptation, based on the 2020 novel Box Hill, has received more awards and fewer walk-outs than one might expect from a sexually explicit gay biker rom-com. Fresh from its UK premiere, the filmmaker discusses method dressing, subverting expectations and writing his way out of shame.
JOANNA McCLURG: There was a lot of wolf-whistling going on at the London Film Festival gala screening. It felt pretty raucous. Could you feel that too?
HARRY LIGHTON: I think the film encourages a lively atmosphere. It’s representing a niche within the queer community and, by dint of it being a gala, they all got to dress up in their version of black tie, which is leathers, and we got involved in the dressing up too, as you’ll have seen with my kilt.
JM: Did you have conversations with couples in dom-sub relationships before making the film?
HL: I interviewed a bunch of people in both heterosexual and homosexual set-ups with varying degrees of strictness. I liked the bite in the book. I liked the fact that the relationship felt dangerous. I think there can be pressure, when dealing with niche communities, to treat them with such reverence that you prioritise providing a training manual for the public over providing drama. I really wanted to know, for myself as a writer, how it should be done ethically, so then I could deviate from that.
JM: How did you find the adaptation process?
HL: I think Box Hill’s a brilliant book, but there was some stuff which, to make it my own, I wanted to change. I really pulled it out of joint in an aggressive way initially. I set it in Ancient Rome at one point, and then on a cruise ship. There was almost no DNA from the book left, but I ultimately came back to it. I tried to abandon the project three years into writing it. Thank God I had very good producers who said, ‘Chill out. It’s great. You just need to work through this blip.’
JM: Pillion explores tricky topics like kink and consent while remaining completely unpretentious. Was it important that the film be funny and accessible?
HL: Totally. The films I love don’t wear pretension loudly. I wanted to invite in an audience who weren’t familiar with this world. The sex scenes would be shocking, but there’d be something else they’d find familiar or enjoyable, so they wouldn’t be able to immediately disregard the characters as unworthy of their time or too repulsive. Comedy and pop music can provide sugar that allows you to put confronting images before an audience without them leaving the cinema.
JM: Ray’s background is a big unanswered question. Did you ever consider revealing more about what led him to his lifestyle and sexuality?
HL: I thought about backstory, but whenever I tried to put that into the script, it always made Ray less exciting. I wanted the reason why Ray has this specific kind of relationship to be a question, and I wanted one possible answer to be that he’s just doing it for the erotic thrill, and it doesn’t have anything to do with past trauma.
JM: It’s quite uncommon for a queer film not to feature any kind of nightlife. Drinking and drugs sometimes feel like obligatory plot points in LGBTQ+ stories. Did you intentionally avoid that?
HL: I wanted the consent issue to be ambiguous at points, I don’t think it’s clear-cut, even though Colin says ‘you can do whatever you want to me’. Had the relationship involved drug-taking, I think it would have tipped into non-consent. As for clubbing scenes, my writing process is often about trying to think of new environments for stories that feel familiar so, while it was kind of funny to imagine Colin dancing topless in a sweaty club, it was much more fun to go on a pastoral holiday where it feels like a British picnic – but they’re fucking on tables.
JM: If you were to recast Pillion as a leather dyke film, who would play Ray and Colin?
HL: I think Emma D’Arcy would make a great Ray or Colin, but a particularly good Colin. I just watched Wicked: For Good [2025] and there was a moment where I was like, ‘Michelle Yeoh is such a dom!’ She would be my Ray. I think the perfect combination would be Michelle as Ray and Olivia Colman as Colin. That’s the version I want to see.
JM: Do you think queerness precipitates a special relationship with cinema?
HL: What drove me to make films was totally wrapped up in my queerness. Initially, I found it easier to be braver in my writing than I did in real life, so I used film as a way to soft-launch exploring stuff in real life. I think a lot of queer artists share the sense that bits of their writing are based on parts of themselves that they’ve buried, which they want to try and put out in the open as a way of combating shame. And so I wonder if that’s a unifying thing that pushes queer people towards cinema and creates community.
[Alexander Skarsgård and Harry Melling star in Pillion (Picturehouse/PA)]
TheStandard.co.uk (x) Lynn Rusk 24 November 2025
Alexander Skarsgard says new film Pillion is ‘not a conventional gay love story’
The movie follows Colin, a timid man, who meets Ray, a confident biker gang leader, who leads him into a submissive relationship.
Actor Alexander Skarsgard says his new film Pillion is “not a conventional gay love story”.
The film, director Harry Lighton’s feature debut, stars Harry Melling as Colin, a timid suburban traffic warden, and Skarsgard as Ray, the enigmatic, Adonis-like leader of a gay motorcycle gang.
When the hyper-dominant Ray takes on the inexperienced Colin as his submissive, the unlikely duo enter a complex arrangement that pushes them both to test the boundaries of what may or may not be real love.
[Alexander Skarsgård plays Ray in Pillion (Picturehouse/PA)]
Skarsgard, 49, said he was drawn to the project because he saw it as an interesting challenge.
“When you first read it, Ray very much, from the very beginning, knows exactly what he wants and how he wants things ’til the very end,” the Swedish actor told the PA news agency.
“So, as opposed to Colin, who goes on this incredible journey, Ray is more consistent. I thought that was interesting to explore."
“Obviously, you don’t want to play the same note throughout the film, but within that assertive consistency, how do you find nuances? How do you discover new sides of Ray, or a glimpse of something under the surface?”
The Succession star added: “I thought this could be an interesting challenge, to bring him to life, and as a juxtaposition to Colin in terms of character and journey. To have someone so consistent, yet enigmatic, and instil that with life under the surface. It was quite intriguing to me.”
[Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård attend the screening of Pillion, at the Southbank Centre in London (Jeff Moore/PA) ]
Melling, 36, best known for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films, said he loved exploring his character’s journey from naivety to confidence.
“It’s a really lovely arc, isn’t it? We meet him at the beginning as this very inexperienced, naive person who’s waiting for life to happen, and then watch him grow into himself as the story unfolds,” Melling said.
“It was wonderful to explore that through Harry’s writing and to play alongside Alex. It was such a rewarding journey to witness and mark those moments where Colin truly comes into himself.”
Skarsgard, known for his roles in Big Little Lies and True Blood, praised how supportive Colin’s parents, played by Douglas Hodge and Lesley Sharp, are in the film.
“There’s a different version of this story where the parents are more conservative or sceptical of their son’s sexuality, and the plot focuses on them overcoming their own prejudices to accept Colin by the end, a fluffier version of the story,” said Skarsgard.
“But I thought it was so nice that they aren’t like that here. They’re more accepting. It feels more modern and updated, they’re super supportive, want Colin to be happy, and don’t care if he’s gay, straight or otherwise. That felt really refreshing.”
“Pillion is not a conventional gay love story,” he added.
[Cast members including Alexander Skarsgård attending the screening of Pillion in London (Jeff Moore/PA)]
While researching the film, director Lighton, 33, spent time with the Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club (GBMCC), some of whom appear in the film as members of Ray’s gang.
“I spent a weekend riding with them, learning how to ride pillion, which just means you’re a passenger,” Lighton explained.
“From that experience, I cast a bunch of them in the film. So many of the bikers you see on screen are from the GBMCC, and if they’re not, they’re likely from the kink community."
“They all bring a wealth of knowledge about both biking and the sex scenes. Harry (Melling) also rode out with one of them, and they helped Alex as well. Ultimately, they were an integral part of the process.”
Pillion, which also features Scissor Sisters singer Jake Shears, will be released in UK cinemas on Friday, November 28.
[Alexander Skarsgård is in Stockholm to receive the Stockholm achievement award at the film festival. Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
Skarsgård's rant to Sweden: "I didn't get any fun jobs here"
Dagens Nyheter Viktor Andersson 13 November 2025
Alexander Skarsgård shocked the press by appearing in casual clothes – even though he and "Pillion" have made rivets and leather a talking point.
In the acclaimed film, which is being shown at the Stockholm Film Festival, Skarsgård plays a tall, blonde stranger who hunts down a lost parking attendant and begins a BDSM relationship.
When the Stockholm Film Festival called for a press conference with Alexander Skarsgård about the film "Pillion", the dress code was a given - people thought.
The disappointment was a fact when the Hollywood star met the press on Wednesday. No leather pants, no leather boots.
The fact that Alexander Skarsgård was dressed in leather when he advertised the BDSM drama has been a talking point since the film was a success at the Cannes Film Festival last spring.
You can pin your hopes on Wednesday night's screening and the red carpet.
[The press corps had expected rivets and leather – but Alexander Skarsgård showed up in completely ordinary clothes. Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
The film has plenty of studs and leather, cocks and butts.
"Pillion" – which means prayer stool and is based on the novel "Box Hill" by Adam Mars-Jones – depicts an unexpected BDSM relationship between the lost parking attendant Colin (Harry Melling) and the tall, blond motorcycle stranger Ray (Alexander Skarsgård).
Alexander Skarsgård, who not only plays the secretive motorcycle nerd but is also an executive producer for the film, fell head over heels for the script.
– There was a lot of love and respect in the script, but not too much respect. Sometimes it's like the silk gloves are on when a subculture is being portrayed. Here they dare to show that it can be nice, but also clumsy, strange and a little ugly, he says.
[Will Alexander Skarsgård turn into studs and leather for tonight's film screening and the red carpet? Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
In his feature film debut, director Harry Lighton explores BDSM biker culture in "Pillion" with a precise tone that, without the audience being shocked, allows a forest orgy to be followed by a dinner scene with the in-laws. The more explicit scenes, which range from a blowjob in an alley to wrestling sex, are central to the film, says Alexander Skarsgård.
– I often find sex scenes to be quite boring, but in this case they were interesting. Not just because they are crazy and funny, but because they tell us something about Colin's development.
[Alexander Skarsgård arrives on the red carpet for the gala premiere of the film "Pillion" at the Skandia cinema. Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
Colin blossoms and his self-confidence grows throughout the film, and in the end he even dares to make certain demands on the dominant and secretive Ray, even in everyday life.
– Basically, the film is a kind of coming of age story, where Colin slowly but surely learns what he's looking for in a relationship. I think that's something most people can identify with.
[Alexander Skarsgård fell head over heels for the script for "Pillion" and also joined as executive producer. Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
In addition to the Swedish premiere of "Pillion", Alexander Skarsgård, who left Sweden 20 years ago, is in his hometown to receive the Stockholm achievement award at the film festival.
– It's a cliché, but it's incredibly flattering and fantastic to be here. It's actually the first time I've had a film at the festival, he says.
Alexander Skarsgård's career in the US has been going strong since his breakthrough in the TV series "Generation Kill" (2008). He does not remember his short career in Sweden without some bitterness.
– I was in some good films, some that were okay and some that were not so good. I was mostly offered supporting roles and I had a hard time making a living as an actor. That's why I started going to the US more and more, and that's where I stayed.
[Hollywood star Alexander Skarsgård remembers his career in Sweden with some bitterness. Photo: Nicklas Thegerström]
At that time he was the newbie of the Skarsgård clan, now he is one of the veterans. Next year he will turn 50, but so far he does not feel any age anxiety.
– I've probably never had as much fun as I have in recent years, the roles I'm doing now interest me much more than the ones I was offered when I was in my 20s and 30s. And you can look at the old man, he says, referring to his father, actor Stellan Skarsgård.
– He still does fun things, even though he is 74 years old.
Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling, Dir. Harry Lighton - Pillion 2025. edgemedianetwork.com (x) Thanks SwedishDelish
"Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård on “Pillion”: Breaking Stereotypes and Bringing Kink Authenticity to Queer Storytelling
At the 69th BFI London Film Festival, “Pillion” emerged as one of the most talked-about premieres of the season, not just for its bold storytelling, but for its sensitive exploration of queer relationships often misrepresented or misunderstood in mainstream media. In an interview with PinkNews, stars Harry Melling and Alexander Skarsgård spoke about their experience bringing the film to life, their approach to intimacy, and their hopes for broader queer representation in cinema .
“Pillion” tells the story of Colin, a meek gay traffic warden and barbershop quartet singer, played by Harry Melling, who is swept into a complex relationship by Ray, a mysterious, leather-clad biker portrayed by Alexander Skarsgård. Central to the narrative is the dom/sub dynamic between the two men—a theme that both actors felt compelled to approach with care and authenticity.
Skarsgård, in conversation with PinkNews, emphasized the film’s refusal to fall into the trap of portraying “stereotypes” often associated with dom/sub relationships. “We wanted to avoid stereotypes and also try to make those scenes feel authentic. can be clumsy, it can be awkward, it can be weird and it can be funny. It doesn’t have to be sexy all the time,” Skarsgård stated, highlighting the nuanced depiction of intimacy that “Pillion” strives to achieve .
Melling echoed these sentiments, noting the rarity and importance of showcasing stories from LGBTQ+ subcultures that are often left unexplored. “What I think is so exciting about this movie is it tells a story that isn’t often told. I guess my message to everyone, not just the queer community, is if you want to see something and have a better understanding of a subculture that you maybe don’t know about, then hopefully this movie will offer you that. That would really be the value of this film,” Melling shared .
The chemistry between Melling and Skarsgård is a testament to the trust and professionalism fostered during production. Notably, the two actors met for the first time only days before shooting began, with their first rehearsal involving a physically and emotionally demanding wrestling scene . Skarsgård recounted, “We literally shook hands, said, ‘Nice to meet you.’ That’s how funny in the real world, but it’s a great way to get to know each other.”
Integral to the film’s approach was the presence of intimacy coordinator Robbie Taylor Hunt, whose experience on queer-centered projects such as “Red, White & Royal Blue,” “Mr Loverman,” “Big Boys,” and “Heartstopper” ensured that moments of vulnerability were handled with care . Melling expressed gratitude for the process, stating, “What was so good about the sex scenes and why maybe I felt very comfortable doing them, was it always felt like we were moving the story along. Maybe that’s why people are saying it feels authentic in that way.”
Director Harry Lighton’s vision was to create a tone that balanced humor, awkwardness, and genuine emotion, a challenge that was met both in scripting and on set. The actors’ willingness to embrace the peculiarities of their characters’ dynamic contributed to scenes that are both disarming and real.
“Pillion” is much more than a provocative romance—it is a meditation on identity, desire, and self-discovery. Melling’s character, Colin, is depicted as a shy, optimistic man, whose journey from inexperience to self-affirmation forms the emotional core of the film . “From the moment I read the script, I felt like it was a very unique, wonderfully detailed depiction of something that people should hear about,” Melling told HeyUGuys at the London Film Festival. His pride in portraying a character whose queerness is accepted by his family, and whose exploration of kink is met with curiosity rather than shame, marks an important step forward in LGBTQ+ storytelling.
The film’s reception at the London Film Festival was marked by enthusiasm and critical acclaim, with audiences and critics noting the refreshing honesty and complexity in its depiction of queer intimacy and relationships . “Pillion” is scheduled for release in UK cinemas on 28 November, and is already being hailed as a must-see for those seeking cinema that challenges norms and expands the conversation around queer lives.
In the broader landscape of LGBTQ+ media, “Pillion” stands out for its unapologetic focus on a dom/sub relationship between two men, refusing to sanitize or sensationalize their experiences. The collaborative efforts of the cast and crew, including the work of intimacy coordinators and directors sensitive to the nuances of queer life, are vital in ensuring that stories like these are told with respect and complexity.
For many viewers, the film offers a rare glimpse into a subculture that is frequently misunderstood or caricatured. Both Melling and Skarsgård hope that audiences will walk away with a deeper appreciation for the diversity within LGBTQ+ relationships, and perhaps a willingness to challenge their own preconceptions.
As mainstream cinema continues to broaden its depiction of queer lives, “Pillion” marks a significant moment in the ongoing effort for representation, authenticity, and—above all—humanity on screen."
