Alexander Skarsgård got one bloody thing from the 'The Northman' set

"Nicole Kidman got a sword, Willem Dafoe got a longship. Björk got three Icelandic horses."
 By 
Shannon Connellan
 on 
Alexander Skarsgård being interviewed by Stephen Colbert, looking at an image on a piece of cardboard.
Watch Next

Actors take all kinds of things from set — and when you're shooting a bloody Viking epic about the Nordic legend of Amleth, like Robert Eggers' The Northman, there'll be plenty of historically authentic props to choose from.

From a set that star Alexander Skarsgård described to The Late Show host Stephen Colbert as smelling like "death and faeces," he got something a little different.

"Nicole Kidman got a sword, Willem Dafoe got a longship — the whole ship," he said. "Björk got three Icelandic horses."

And what did Skarsgård get? A bloody thong.

"It wasn't a choice, It was a gift. That's how much they valued my performance, my contribution to this movie," he said. "It's the g-string that I wore. The end fight takes place on an erupting volcano and we're naked. I mean, where else would it be set? So, that's what I wore for a week, and my character's quite wounded so he's bleeding a lot profusely."

It's somewhat more dramatic than what Tom Hiddleston got from the Loki set, at least.

Want more?

A photo portrait of a journalist with blonde hair and a band t-shirt.
Shannon Connellan
UK Editor

Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!