Stellan Skarsgård is an actor that has popped up in nearly every recent major franchise. Whether it’s the beloved Eric Selvig of the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the dreadful and ominous Baron Harkonnen in “Dune,” you’ve likely seen his face on your screen rather recently. In this episode of The Discourse, Stellan Skarsgård sits down to talk about his latest film “Last Words,” which features Stellan as a reluctant leader of the last human community at the end of the world.
But of course, it wouldn’t be a conversation with Stellan Skarsgård in 2021 without at least mentioning “Dune.” During the discussion, Stellan was asked about the rumor that he’s enjoying the grueling prosthetics process that it takes to play Baron Harkonnen.
“The role [of Baron Harkonnen], I mean, he doesn’t say much, he doesn’t do much. But the idea, and what I enjoy doing was trying to work together with the prosthetic guys, create this monster that would be memorable so that he would cast a shadow on the rest of the movie,” Skarsgård said. “And that is great fun. Carrying around forty kilos of prosthetics a day? Nah, that is not fun. Spending eight hours in make-up is not fun.”
“So, I hope my role is not too big in ‘Part 2,’” he added jokingly.
When asked if he knows when shooting begins, Skarsgard was happy to report a July start date for the upcoming “Dune: Part 2,” which is slated to hit theaters in the fall of 2023.
Skarsgård is also joining the ‘Star Wars‘ universe in the upcoming Disney+ series, ‘Andor.’ Skarsgård mentioned he’s always had a connection to the films.
“I’ve seen all of the ‘Star Wars’ films because I’ve had small children in five decades…I enjoy it,” the actor said. “It’s like the kind of films I would have adored when I was ten, but they didn’t exist. And I think it’s a lovely universe created there. And it’s based on, to some extent, Frank Herbert’s books, but this was especially exciting because one of my favorite ‘Stars Wars’ films was ‘Rogue One,’ written by Tony Gilroy, and Tony Gilroy is the showrunner and writer of this series. And I also got to work with Diego Luna again who is an old friend.”
When asked who he might be playing Skarsgård, ever the professional, kept things vague.
“My character is very mysterious and he shows up in different shapes, that’s all I can say,” Skarsgård shared.
So, is he playing a literal shapeshifter? There have been whispers of shapeshifters or changelings in certain ‘Star Wars’ films and stories of the past, so could Stellan be introducing the Shi’ido or the Clawdites? Or a shapeshifting Jedi, perhaps? We’ll find out when ‘Andor’ premieres on Disney+ in 2022.
“Last Words” is in theaters on December 17. You can listen to the full discussion below:
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