Nicholas Hoult says Skarsgård is terrifying in Nosferatu.
Director Robert Eggers’ remake of the iconic film Nosferatu is perhaps one of the most anticipated horror films of the year, but when it finally arrives in theaters on Christmas Day, it sounds like viewers will need to brace themselves to see star Bill Skarsgård transform in a way that they never have before — and a way that his co-star Nicholas Hoult says is “worrying”. Speaking with IndieWire (via CBR), Hoult said that Skarsgård’s performance is so transformative, it was like the actor completely disappeared until there was nothing of him left.
“He’s terrifying, it’s not Bill,” Hoult said. “That’s what’s so worrying about it. He gives a truly transformative performance where there is not anything of Bill left and it’s scary and intimidating. His voice, his physicality, I mean the makeup he has, it’s really a wonderful character, and he did beautiful character work with it.”
Eggers has also previously spoken about the significant transformation that Skarsgård underwent for Nosferatu.
“I’ll say that Bill has so transformed, I’m fearful that he might not get the credit that he deserves because he just… he’s not there,” Eggers said. “He felt like honouring who had come before him. It’s all very subtle … But I think the main thing is that he’s even more a folk vampire. In my opinion he looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman, and in a way that we’ve never actually seen what an actual dead Transylvanian nobleman would look like and be dressed like.”
For Skarsgård, he has previously explained that playing Count Orlok in Nosferatu took a major toll on him and even said that he doesn’t think people will recognizing him in the character, which he has described as “gross” and “sexualized”.
“It took its toll. It was like conjuring pure evil,” he said. “It took a while for me to shake off the demon that had been conjured inside of me.”
He continued, “He’s gross. But it is very sexualized. It’s playing with a sexual fetish about the power of the monster and what that appeal has to you. Hopefully you’ll get a little bit attracted by it and disgusted by your attraction at the same time. I do not think people are gonna recognize me in it.”
Eggers’ Nosferatu is a new take on the 1922 client silent film of the same name which was itself an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, telling a gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire that’s infatuated with her, causing untold horror in its wake. Skarsgård stars as the vampire, Count Orlok with the film also starring Lily-Rose Depp, Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, and Simon McBurney. According to Eggers, his film is not only scary, but it will focus more on the story of Depp’s Ellen than previous takes on the classic.
“It’s a scary film. It’s a horror movie. It’s a Gothic horror movie,” Eggers said. “And I do think that there hasn’t been an old-school Gothic movie that’s actually scary in a while. And I think that the majority of audiences will find this one to be the case.”
He added, “It’s even more Ellen’s story than previous versions … And Lily-Rose is absolutely phenomenal.”
Nosferatu opens in theaters December 25th.
