[Skarsgard poses during the interview with EFE. EFE/Marta Perez]
Alexander Skarsgård: "Pillion is a sadomasochistic story, but full of tenderness."
EFE Lara Malvesí | Barcelona February 27, 2026
Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård stars in the film 'Pillion', a comedy that explores the relationship between an introverted boy and the charismatic leader of a biker gang, "a sadomasochistic story with elements of tenderness, humor and the occasional strange moment."
In an interview with EFE, the actor from 'Succession', 'The Northman' and 'True Blood' confessed that he didn't hesitate to say yes to the script by novice filmmaker Harry Lighton, a narrative skeleton that won the Best Screenplay award at Cannes and that also encouraged Harry Melling to join the project, in a role very different from the Harry Potter that made him popular.
[EFE/ Marta Perez]
In the master-slave relationship depicted in the film, Skarsgård's character holds the reins. "Ray is a man full of secrets, so to build the character I had to imagine a backstory because he's a man seemingly without a past."
"It was a challenge portraying a man of few words. And it was very interesting to shape his nonverbal language so that the audience could understand and interpret it. He never reveals anything he's thinking, so it was difficult but exciting to show him as someone who, despite his facade, is able to connect with Colin (Harry Melling)," he added.
A master-slave relationship
When asked if they stayed in character between scenes as master and slave, Skarsgård laughs and says that "that would be impossible" with his counterpart in the film. "Harry Melling is too sweet."
"Besides, that's not how I work. There are actors who stay in character the whole time they're filming, but I'm the complete opposite. I like to go back to being myself when they yell 'cut,'" he admitted.
Regarding his preparation for the role and his research into the sadomasochistic world, the actor explains that the tribe of bikers who love "BDSM" (a transgressive form of sexuality) that appears in the film are members of a real club in the United Kingdom that follows this lifestyle.
[EFE/ Marta Perez]
"We were surrounded by professionals (...) and they were a very generous and patient group with the film crew. They were key because they taught us everything about their world and made us feel like one of them," he said.
Known for going beyond the tuxedo on the red carpet, the Swedish actor, whom we see in leather and chains on screen, has said that it was fun and that it posed "no risk" for him to play a transgressive character that perhaps other actors would have rejected.
"I don't think it's a shame that there are actors who don't dare to play an LGBTQ+ character on screen. All the better for me, that way I get to keep them all," he joked.
His father, about to win an Oscar
Alexander Skarsgård has expressed how "proud" he is of his father, Stellan Skarsgård, who could win an Oscar next month for his role in Joachim Trier's 'Sentimental Value'. "I'm very moved by the recognition he's receiving and I'm excited for him," he added about his mentor.
"The film is fantastic. And I was moved by my father's performance," the actor acknowledged, adding with a laugh, "For anyone wondering: no, he's not a father like the one in the film."
[EFE/ Marta Perez]
However, he acknowledges that watching him play his father did feel that the film "resonated" with him in "many ways".
"It's been a really fun few months. We both took the film to Cannes and since then we've done a lot of presentations and festivals almost simultaneously," he added.
'Pillion', which has received several nominations and awards despite being a debut feature, including two British Independent Film Awards and a Gotham Independent Film Award, arrives in Spanish cinemas on March 6.
