Since last fall, Alexander Skarsgård’s erroneous comments have sparked speculation about his sexuality, but the actor is clearing it up, speaking to Variety in a new cover story.
At last year’s Zurich Film Festival, director Skarsgård, known for films such as “Big Little Lies” and “Succession,” spoke about his new film “Pillion.” In that film (released February 6), Skarsgård stars as the head of a gay BDSM relationship. Skarsgard talked about what he brought to this story from his own life.
“I realized that in this case it doesn’t really matter what my background is. I mean, I have children, but what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women…” he said at the time. “What was important to me was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture that I hadn’t seen depicted in this way, in a very authentic way.”
In this week’s Variety cover story, the actor explained that he was simply trying to de-center his personal experiences when describing the film, and that he was not coming out as bisexual, as has been widely speculated on social media.
“Yeah,” he says when asked about the comment. “Does that resonate with my past? That was obviously not the intended statement. I don’t know what I was saying. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there’s so much attention on me as an actor sometimes. Maybe it was trying to shift the focus more to the story and these characters, and the importance of telling the story this way.”
Elsewhere in Skarsgård’s Variety interview, she discussed gender-bending and bondage-themed fashion ensembles on the red carpet while promoting “Pillion.”
“Hmm,” he says hesitantly. “I never buy clothes. As you can see in my closet, my wardrobe is very limited. I’m not a big consumer of fashion. I don’t spend money on expensive brands. I really enjoy the creativity of fashion, but I don’t go out shopping for these clothes. Maybe I’m starting to like it a little more these days.” Indeed, and many of his fans have taken notice.
Read Skarsgård’s full Variety cover story here.
