‘The Little Drummer Girl’ Star Alexander Skarsgård Explains Why One Scene Was Almost Banned By Greece

Any project from filmmaker Park Chan-wook is sure to have some scenes that will raise eyebrows. This is the man who brought us “Oldboy,” with that ending, and “Thirst,” featuring a vampire priest, among other beautiful, yet daring films. But when you think about his first foray into TV, especially considering the series would be shown on a popular cable network, it’s surprising that there was something in “The Little Drummer Girl” that would take months of negotiations to get past certain government bans.

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However, according to the star of the Park Chan-wook conspiracy thriller series, Alexander Skarsgård, there was one scene in particular that almost didn’t make it into the production. And surprisingly, it wasn’t because of any of the content being shown. No, it was all about the setting.

According to an interview in Harper’s Bazaar, Skarsgård reveals that it took “months and months of negotiations” to ensure that the production of “The Little Drummer Girl” could take place on the Greek monument the Acropolis. And even after Greece’s Central Archaeological Council ruled that the Park Chan-wook’s series was able to film at the iconic location, government officials were on set to make sure the landmark “was portrayed in a respectful way.”

The actor explains:

“They hadn’t opened up for a film crew for 70 or 80 years and to be able to shoot up there, just us in an entire night was absolutely extraordinary, and something I’ll never forget. It was a lot of negotiation – even that night they had people from the government that oversaw it and that we had to negotiate to get certain shot, and [to make sure] that we got what we needed and portrayed in a respectful way. And that was their main concern and why I think it’s an extraordinary scene, and I hope they’re pleased with it.”

For those unaware of the series, “The Little Drummer Girl” tells the story of a young actress played by Florence Pugh, who gets caught up in a conspiracy after meeting a mysterious intelligence officer played by the aforementioned Skarsgård.

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For those able to watch the series on BBCOne, “The Little Drummer Girl” premieres on October 28. For those outside of the UK and are able to watch on AMC, the network is running the entire miniseries over a three-night event beginning on November 19.