Although The Northman star Alexander Skarsgård has appeared in a handful of horror movies, not all of them have been met with much in the way of critical acclaim. A lot of actors steer clear of horror movies after they get their big break. After all, the genre is traditionally seen as a route to bigger and better things for actors who take themselves seriously.
Tangling with vampires, slashers, and the undead is fine for an actor who is hoping to get their name out there, but Hollywood history has typically shown that actors start to move away from the horror genre once they want to be seen as serious stars. For example, Patricia Arquette turned down a leading role in a Nightmare On Elm Street sequel because she wanted to transition into more serious work, despite the franchise being a massive blockbuster success at the time. Fortunately, however, not every actor views the horror genre in these terms.
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For example, The Northman’s Alexander Skarsgård waited until he was relatively well established before ever even appearing in a horror movie. Rather than using the often critically-maligned genre as a stepping stone, Skarsgård came to horror as a well-regarded star—although this didn’t necessarily help his choice of projects in the genre. The actor has made a handful of contributions to the horror genre, but few of these have been critical hits. His first role was a remake of the tense siege thriller Straw Dogs, which was followed by 2015's Hidden, an indie sci-fi horror from the creators of Netflix's hit Stranger Things. After that, Skarsgård appeared in 2018’s bleak serial killer horror Hold The Dark, while 2021 saw the actor switch gears with a role in the monster movie
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