Bill Skarsgård has brought bone-chilling characters to life in some of the best horror movies. His iconic portrayal of It‘s Pennywise the Clown (which he will reprise in a prequel series) left audiences terrified and enthralled. However, his latest role — the infamous vampire Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’ upcoming Nosferatu remake — may have pushed him to a new level of dread, Skarsgård says he’s never been so “terrified” by a role. And, as someone who’s already been pumped forthe upcoming horror movie, I’m even more excited now!
The Crow star spoke to Robert Eggers for AnOther Magazine discussion. Amid the chat, he opened up about how portraying Count Orlok, a role immortalized in the 1922 silent classic, left him feeling more shaken than any character he’s embodied to date. Considering his chilling embodiment of Pennywise continues to haunt many, this declaration is enough to send excitement for the film soaring. But what makes this role so terrifying for an actor who already thrives in the world of the grotesque? In the actor’s own words:
But I have to say, I’ve never been more terrified of a role and probably won’t be again. The whole journey was so intense. Once you start channeling something that’s not you, you feel like a vessel. And you can go entire movies where that doesn’t happen at all or it happens in moments, but that’s always what you’re striving towards. In that moment, the doors are open and it’s flowing through me. I’ve never prepared this hard for anything before either. But once we started shooting, Orlok was very formed and he started to flow. I could connect and dial up to wherever Orlok was and he would come through. It was an intense ride.
That’s a serious declaration from the Devil All the Time star, to say the least. Some may shiver at the notion of seeing a big-screen beast who’s more sinister than the dancing clown. On the one hand, I’m tempted to shiver. However, on the other, I’m just downright giddy and prepared to be scared!
For Bill Skarsgård, who’s known for disappearing into his roles, the intensity of playing the famous Vamp took a toll. He admitted that the process of becoming Orlok was deeply unsettling because of how disconnected he felt from himself during the performance. Reflecting on his time as Pennywise, he noted that while the character was an “abstraction” of himself, Orlok was something else entirely — something far more daunting:
The closest I have in terms of this experience is obviously Pennywise and the Bob Gray thing, where you’re creating something so make-up dependent, but also so abstract from who you are – it’s an abstraction. But with Orlok I couldn’t use any of myself in it. Like, Bill cannot be here at all. And that’s terrifying. I had a hard time committing to performing it, it felt so strange and uncomfortable.
With the leading man describing the role as the most terrifying he’s ever taken on, fear freaks like yours truly should expect a haunting, visceral performance that could redefine cinematic portrayals of vampires. These comments also speak to Bill Skarsgård and Robert Eggers’ sheer dedication to treating audiences to true scares. The eerie, hypnotic world Eggers and the John Wick alum have created in Nosferatu should be a sight to behold. If you thought Pennywise was chilling, it sounds like Orlok is about to raise the bar!
Nosferatu is set to stalk theaters on December 25th amid the 2024 movie schedule. Until then, consider revisiting Bill Skarsgård’s work in one of the best creepy clown movies, as IT: Chapters 1 & 2, now available to stream with a Max subscription.
