Robert Eggers Says Bill Skarsgård Is ‘So Transformed’ in ‘Nosferatu’ – IndieWire

Bill Skarsgård has transformed himself into the “It” clown and “John Wick” supervillain, but the actor reaches new heights as the vampire at the center of Robert Eggers’ long-running “Nosferatu,” the director says.

Eggers said Rich The magazine noted that Skarsgård is unrecognizable as a blood-sucking force, with his appearance incorporating Max Schreck’s and Klaus Kinski’s respective interpretations of the legendary character from FW Murnau’s 1922 film and Werner Herzog’s 1979 reimagining.

“I would say Bill did it So I’m afraid he won’t get the recognition he deserves because he’s just…not there,” Eggers said. “He felt like he was honoring the one who had come before him. It’s all very subtle. But I think the most important thing is that he’s even more of a folk vampire.”

The “Witch” director continued, “In my opinion, he looks like a dead Transylvanian nobleman in a way that we’ve never seen what an actual dead Transylvanian nobleman would look like and be dressed like.”

In “Nosferatu,” Lily-Rose Depp plays Ellen Hutter, who is hauntingly seduced by Skarsgård’s Count Orlok. Nicholas Hoult is Thomas Hutter, who fights to save his wife.

“It’s even more Ellen’s story than previous versions. And Lily-Rose is absolutely phenomenal,” Eggers said, adding that the film is “scary” and “a gothic horror film.”

“I don’t think there’s been an old-school gothic film that’s truly scary in a long time,” said the “Northam” director. “And I think the majority of the audience will agree that this is the case.”

Eggers has been working on Nosferatu since 2016, with Anya Taylor-Joy originally slated for the role of Ellen Hutter. Taylor-Joy left the project with her long-time collaborator Eggers due to scheduling conflicts. Willem Dafoe also stars.

“I’m so lucky to have done ‘The Northman’ first and learned what I learned,” Eggers said in July 2023. “When I think about the production schedule of ‘Nosferatu’ that we had for the first time, I think I’m sure I would have succeeded somehow, but it’s hard not to imagine that it was a failure… I’m trying to go beyond what I’m capable of.”

Focus Features’ Nosferatu will hit theaters in 2024.