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Key Points

Alexander Skarsgard revealed the emotional toll of early Hollywood rejections before his big break. The actor described crying in his apartment shower after bad auditions where he felt miscast. Despite early struggles, he later found fame in True Blood and won awards for Big Little Lies. Skarsgard's journey highlights the harsh realities many actors face before success.

Key Points: Alexander Skarsgard Recalls Crying After Bad Hollywood Auditions

  • Skarsgard felt pressured to audition for wrong roles to keep agents
  • Recalled emotional breakdowns after failed auditions
  • Found success after 2008 with True Blood and Generation Kill
  • Son of Stellan Skarsgard, he later won Emmy for Big Little Lies
2 min read

Alexander Skarsgard on cahllenges he faced in acting career, recalls crying in the shower after bad auditions

True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard opens up about struggling with confidence and rejection in early Hollywood years before his big break.

"I just felt filthy in my soul and, like, zero confidence. I was like, 'I’m the worst actor in the world' - Alexander Skarsgard"

Washington DC, June 26

Actor Alexander Skarsgard opened up on the challenges he faced in Hollywood in the initial years of his career, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

During a recent appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson's Dinner's on Me podcast, the actor recalled "crying in the shower" after bad auditions, before his 2008 breakout year with his roles in Generation Kill and True Blood, as per the outlet.

"I found those experiences -- they were horrible -- when you go in for something that you know you're not right for, and you're not connecting with a character at all, but you're at a place where you feel like you can't say no to the audition," Skarsgard said of his struggles with the audition process, even after he starred in 2001's Zoolander.

"I was always on the cusp of being fired by my agents," the Pillion actor added. "If I say no to this audition, they're probably gonna drop me, so I gotta go in, but I don't connect to the role. I'm completely wrong for it."

He admitted he gets "a little PTSD" thinking about that time in his career, "because I remember the feeling of coming back to my little shitty apartment in L.A., you know, crying in the shower after a day like that. I just felt filthy in my soul and, like, zero confidence. I was like, 'I'm the worst actor in the world, and I also have no dignity because I go in and audition for this stuff. I'm wasting their time.' It's a rough feeling," according to The Hollywood Reporter.

A son of actor Stellan Skarsgard, he began acting at age seven but quit at age thirteen. After serving in the Swedish Navy, Skarsgard returned to acting and gained his first role in the US comedy film Zoolander (2001). After appearing in films such as Melancholia (2011), Battleship (2012) and The Legend of Tarzan (2016), Skarsgard starred in the drama series Big Little Lies (2017-2019) as an abusive husband, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

He went on to appear in the films Long Shot (2019), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), Passing (2021), The Northman (2022), which he also produced, and Infinity Pool (2023).

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya K.
So relatable! Even our Bollywood stars must go through this phase. Remember Shah Rukh Khan lived in Mumbai's cheap apartments before making it big. Struggle is universal in acting. Respect for Skarsgård's honesty 👏
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Amit R.
Interesting to hear this from a Hollywood star. In India, we only see the glamour side of acting. Never realized even foreign actors face such struggles. Makes me appreciate all actors more.
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Sanjana M.
Crying in shower after bad auditions? That's so humanizing! We put Western actors on pedestal but they're just like struggling actors everywhere. His journey from Zoolander to Emmy winner is inspiring 💫
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Rahul D.
Shows how privileged star kids are - even with famous father (Stellan Skarsgård) he had to struggle. In Bollywood, star kids get easy entries but many still fail. Talent ultimately wins!
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Neha P.
As someone who tried acting in Mumbai before switching careers, this hits home. The self-doubt is real! But his story proves persistence pays off. Maybe I should have stuck longer 😅
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Vikram S.
While I appreciate his honesty, I wonder if Western actors realize how much harder it is for Indian actors without connections. At least he had industry exposure through his father. Our outsiders face even tougher battles.

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