"Never Want To Play Something This Evil Again": Bill Skarsgård Explains The Effect Becoming Nosferatu's Vampire Had On Him

Nosferatu star Bill Skarsgård reveals the toll that playing Count Orlok took on him. Serving as Robert Eggers' follow-up to The Northman (2022), the upcoming horror film chronicles the dynamic between a haunted young woman, played by Lily-Rose Depp, and Count Orlok, the vampire infatuated with her. Adapting the 1922 German film of the same name, which is itself based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu trailers have thus far not provided a good look at Skarsgård's character, with the marketing hyping the actor's chilling transformation.

During a recent interview with Empire, Skargård reveals that his Count Orlok transformation for Nosferatu really took it out of him as a performer. The physical aspects were a challenge, including the prosthetics, but Skarsgård also worked with an opera singer to lower his voice by an entire octave. Becoming the character was also mentally draining due to the darkness of the material, and Skarsgård reveals that it "was a relief" when filming for the movie was over. Check out the actor's full comment below:

When we were done with it, I was like, ‘I never want to play something this evil again. I never want to put on prosthetics again.' [Playing Orlok] really affected me. Orlok is an occult sorcerer, and it did a number on me in terms of just trying to inhabit that space. “The voice was the thing I worked the hardest at. For a month-and-a-half leading up to the shoot, I didn’t do much else than just record myself. And on set, I would keep doing these exercises. It sounds kind of like Mongolian throat-singing. It’s [insane].

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It seems highly likely that Longlegs' marketing campaign earlier this year has influenced the one for Nosferatu. That film, directed by Oz Perkins, didn't show Nicolas Cage's titular serial killer in any trailers or images ahead of time, and some materials were designed entirely to build anticipation for his physical transformation. Made on a budget of only about $10 million, Longlegs became a box office hit and grossed just under $127 million worldwide.

Related I'm More Excited About 2024's Nosferatu After Bill Skarsgård's Comments About The Character Bill Skarsgård's next horror project is Robert Eggers' Nosferatu, and after his comments about Count Orlok, I'm more excited about the movie.

It's not clear what Nosferatu's budget is, but that film could certainly repeat Longlegs' success, as it seems like there's a great deal of curiosity and anticipation regarding Skarsgård's transformation. Skargård's previous work in the horror space as Pennywise the Clown could definitely work in the movie's favor, as could the impressive Nosferatu cast, which includes names like Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Willem Dafoe, Nicholas Hoult, and Emma Corrin. What's more, after acclaimed movies like The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), Eggers has a passionate fan following.

Our Take On Skarsgård's Nosferatu Transformation

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Image via Universal

In addition to his role as Pennywise, Skarsgård has shown a clear talent for transforming himself to various degrees for other roles as well. In John Wick: Chapter 4, for example, he adopts a unique French/ Cajun accent, while in Boy Kills World he becomes a ripped action star. Count Orlok in Nosferatu seems like it will be his biggest transformation yet, and it seems like much of the film hinges on this character being truly chilling.

Initial buzz for Nosferatu has been generally very positive, so it looks so far like Skarsgård's transformation has been a success. It will be general audiences, however, who determine whether the film is successful or not. In any case, it doesn't sound like Skarsgård is itching to return as Count Orlok for a Nosferatu sequel.

Source: Empire