Alexi Lubomirski for Variety
Since last fall, an errant comment Alexander Skarsgård made has fueled wild speculation about his sexuality — and, speaking to Variety in a new cover story, the actor is clearing it up.
At last year’s Zurich Film Festival, Skarsgård, known for “Big Little Lies” and “Succession,” among other projects, was speaking about his new film “Pillion.” That movie (opening Feb. 6) stars Skarsgård as the top in a gay BDSM relationship; Skarsgård spoke about what, if anything, from his own life he brought to the story.
“I found that in this case, it’s not really relevant what my background is. I mean, I do have a kid, but what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women…,” he said at the time. “To me, what was important was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture I hadn’t seen portrayed this way – with so much authenticity.”
In this week’s Variety cover story, the actor explains that he was simply trying to de-center his own personal experience when describing the movie and was not, as social media widely speculated, coming out as bisexual.
“Oh,” he says when asked about the comments. “That it resonated with my past? It was definitely not an intended statement. I don’t know what I was talking about. Maybe it has to do with — there’s a lot of focus sometimes on me as an actor. Maybe it was trying to shift the focus more to the story and these characters. And the importance of telling the story like this.”
Elsewhere in Skarsgård’s Variety interview, he discussed his gender-bending and bondage-themed fashion ensembles on red carpets promoting “Pillion.”
“Um,” he says hesitantly, “I never buy clothes. If you saw 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 it, but it’s not like I’m out shopping for these outfits. I guess it’s something I’ve leaned into a bit more of late.” Indeed — and his many fans are taking notice.
