Alexander Skarsgård Explained Why Being On A "Sexy" List Actually Kind Of Hurt His Career, And It Makes Sense

    "People didn't take me seriously."

    You've seen Alexander Skarsgård in a bunch of movies and TV shows, and this month he's in the new movie The Northman. Here's the trailer:

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    At this point, you could conceivably say he's a really good actor who takes on interesting roles — but according to Alexander, there were some roadblocks to being taken seriously.

    Alexander smiles for the camera

    In an interview with the Sunday Times, the actor said that being put on a "sexy" list early in his career limited his reach when it came to the roles he was offered.

    Alexander is covered in blood while holding an axe

    "[A]fter my first job, I was on a stupid ‘sexy hunky hot list’ and then people didn’t take me seriously," he explained.

    Skarsgard stands shirtless in a room while wearing dog tags

    “If you want characters with depth but have been labeled ‘a dude who takes his shirt off,’ you’re not going to get those offers.”

    Skarsgard wipes blood from his mouth

    Alexander also clarified that he doesn't "really know" if "that was the reason I wasn’t getting roles," but he thinks that appealing to audiences outside of his native Sweden might be part of it.

    Skarsgard stands shirtless in the jungle

    "Starting out in Sweden, there was stuff about being tall and blond," he said. "But most people [in Sweden] are tall and blond.”

    Skarsgard puts his shirt on

    Of course, Alexander's career turned out to be just fine — remember his performance in Big Little Lies?

    Alexander smiles at an event

    But his early struggles made him doubt his career regardless. "I was questioning why I was in the industry," he admitted.

    Skarsgard walks down the beach

    Read the entire interview here.