I expected to be doing basement theater in the suburbs of Stockholm.
Gustaf Skarsgard
I actually really love 'Game of Thrones,' and I don't see a conflict in that.
We're a very close family, and we've always been supportive of one another. But it's definitely easier to be happy for the other person's acting success when you're doing okay yourself. Ultimately, when you're all in the same competitive industry, it can be more hurtful to see the other succeed if you're not doing as well.
I'm always wishing for more intrigue and meaty stuff to do as an actor.
I was really pretentious in a sense and was like, 'I'm going to drama school to learn the craft.'
My father - I have grown up with him being a respected actor, and I have taken a lot with me from home, like his way of always treating everybody the same, that everybody has equal value.
When I find myself whining, and I'm like, 'God, it's wet,' there will always be one guy who never got into the heat tent, who didn't get past the coffee, and he's still there, and this guy is smiling. You know, I gotta get over myself.
If you're all confidence, you never evolve or take risks. You're just stagnating in your artistry, whatever you're doing.
To any child, the first occupations that are presented to you are your parents'. I was appealed to my dad's occupation from the get-go.
I think it's so much fun to work with people who you like and love and are close to.
People always think that I came from this dynasty of actors. But that's not true, because it was just dad. So as a child... I got to try it out really young... and I really loved it. I pretty much made my decision back then to become an actor. And then, more and more of us have joined the trend. So now, we're definitely an acting family.
I'm grateful I grew up in Stockholm.
Always, when I get onto horseback, I'm kind of terrified of being up there.
No one was safe in the Viking age. You could die from any cause at any time. It's a brutal time and a brutal environment.
I like to go back and forth between film and theater. When I do film, I miss theater and vice versa.
I go by my gut feeling.
I've always been interested in the Vikings - that's, like, part of my own history.
The most pressure I've ever felt to be brilliant was in drama school - those were the toughest auditions. I really wanted to prove myself.
As humans, we've all experienced some level of pain. Acting is just a matter of accessing and magnifying these emotions.
I like playing a variety of roles and characters, as it forces you to keep challenging yourself.