Alexander Skarsgård’s 8 Best Performances, Ranked

Alexander Skarsgård is a Swedish actor who is part of a family of actors — which includes father Stellan and brothers Bill, Gustaf, Valter, and Sam — that has taken Hollywood by storm. Skargård’s acting credentials are varied and showcase his range as an actor. He commands each role he plays and can adapt easily to any character and medium.

Skarsgård developed a name for himself in Sweden before rising to international acclaim, thanks to his starring role in HBO’s True Blood. Since his time as part of True Blood’s cast, Skarsgård has appeared in multiple films, from big-budget action films to smaller indie features, and TV series. Some of his most applauded performances include his appearance in the hugely successful HBO series Big Little Lies, as well as his performance opposite Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia. His newest film The Northman is being hailed as a Viking epic masterpiece. With the movie available in theaters later this month, here’s a look at Alexander Skarsgård’s eight best performances, ranked.

Related: The Northman: Cast, Plot & Everything Else We Know

8

Godzilla vs Kong

Warner Bros. / Toho

In 2021, Skarsgård starred in Godzilla vs Kong, which is the most recent addition to the Godzilla and King Kong franchises and brings the two giants together for an epic battle. The blockbuster movie follows a group of scientists, which includes Skarsgård who plays Dr Nathan Lind, as they search for a new power source and unwittingly embark upon a battle between the two famous beasts. Skarsgård’s character is obsessed by the possibilities humans can learn from the hollow earth, and he performs this role with a perfect sense of wonder and eagerness.

7

The Legend Of Tarzan

Warner Bros.

Skarsgård took on the titular role of Tarzan in 2016’s take on the classic tale: The Legend of Tarzan. In the movie, Tarzan has left the jungle to live alongside is wife Jane (Margot Robbie). The pair is asked to return to Africa to witness a social development, which has been made around the continent. After they return to the island, they discover a murderous plot set out by Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz) against which they must fight and save themselves and their friends from. It’s a different take to the story and the most advanced live-action version yet, and Skarsgård performs his role perfectly.

6

Melancholia

Nordisk Film

2011 saw the release of Lars Von Trier’s science fiction film Melancholia. Skarsgård and Kirsten Dunst at her best play a newly married couple who, on their wedding night, learn that a planet is on a collision course towards Earth. The world naturally descends into chaos. Melancholia serves as a huge metaphor for dealing with depression, and both actors have excellent chemistry and deal with the subject matter of the film very well. Skarsgård’s performance stands up against Dunst’s Oscar-worthy performance, and it’s a different kind of role which the actor excels in.

5

Disconnect

LD Entertainment

Disconnect was released in 2012 and was directed by Henry Alex Rubin. It features an ensemble cast that includes Jason Bateman, Frank Grillo, Paula Patton, and, of course, Skarsgård. The film dissects humanity’s growing obsession with technology and how this results in genuine connections being harder to come form. Skarsgård plays Derek Hull, who is married to Cindy Hull (Patton), both of whom are still grieving the loss of their son. They begin to have their identities stolen and suspect the culprit to be someone they conversed with on a grief messaging board. Skarsgård’s performance is gripping, and the themes of disconnection are explored excellently by both actors.

4

The Stand

Paramount+

Skarsgård starred in the post-apocalyptic fantasy TV miniseries The Stand, an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The series centers around a pandemic that has allowed for the release of a lethal strain of influenza. After the pandemic kills almost the entire world population, the few survivors are drawn to one of two figures, Randall Flagg and Mother Abagail, setting up a final good-vs-evil confrontation. Skarsgård plays Randall Flagg who wreaks havoc after the plague, opposite Whoopi Goldberg’s Mother Abagail.

Related: The Northman Poster Asks Alexander Skarsgård to Conquer His Fate

3

True Blood

HBO

From the years of 2008-2014, Skarsgård starred in the hugely successful HBO series True Blood, which is set in the swamps of Louisiana, focusing on supernatural forces including vampires that inhabit the town and the relationships they develop with each other and the human inhabitants of the town. Skarsgård plays Eric Northman, who is an ancient vampire that engages in a love triangle with the human waitress Sookie (Anna Paquin) and vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). The show developed a massive following and fully put Skarsgård on the map.

2

The Northman

Universal Pictures

In Robert Eggers’ The Northman, Skarsgård plays Amleth, the Viking warrior prince. The historical epic is based on the Legend of Amleth, which finds Amleth seeking revenge against his uncle for the murder of his father. According to Collider, The Northman is a brutal epic and Eggers’ best movie. Joining Skarsgård in the cast are Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Bill Skarsgård, and Willem Dafoe. In an interview with IndieWire, Skarsgård remarked that shooting The Northman was the “most difficult job” he’d ever had.

1

Big Little Lies

HBO

Big Little Lies was originally a popular book written by Liane Moriarty, which was eventually developed into a series in 2017 of the same name for HBO. The story follows a group of wealthy parents from Monterey, California, who become involved in a murder and seek to cover it up. The show features an all-star cast including: Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, and Adam Scott. Skarsgård plays Perry, who is the husband of Kidman’s character, Celeste, who is violent towards his wife. It’s a hard-hitting performance, and the best of his career. In fact, Skarsgård won a Primetime Emmy for Oustanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series.