Alexander Skarsgård says people didn't take him seriously early in his career because of his looks: 'I was on a stupid sexy hunky hot list'

• Alexander Skarsgård said he struggled to be taken seriously as an actor due to his looks.
• "I was on a stupid sexy hunky hot list," Skarsgård said.

Alexander Skarsgård said that he struggled to land roles and earn respect early in his career because people didn't take him seriously as an actor because of his looks.

"After my first job, I was on a stupid 'sexy hunky hot list' and then people didn't take me seriously," Skarsgård told The Sunday Times. "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."

Skarsgård — who is Swedish and started his career in the Scandinavian country — continued to say that he struggled to land roles but was never been able to figure out why and was often left "questioning" whether he wanted to continue in the acting business.

"I don't really know if that was the reason I wasn't getting roles," he said. "Starting out in Sweden, there was stuff about being tall and blond. But most people here are tall and blond."

Skarsgård has been named Sweden's Sexiest Man Alive five times. Skarsgård's acting career, however, didn't take off in the US until he landed a role on the HBO limited series "Generation Kill."

Skarsgård has since starred in several acclaimed productions such as season three of HBO's "Succession," Lars von Trier's art-house drama "Melancholia," and Rebecca Hall's 2021 Netflix film "Passing."

Later this month, Skarsgård will star in "The Northman," the latest film from American filmmaker Robert Eggers ("The Lighthouse"). The film follows the story of a young Viking prince who is on the quest to avenge his father's murder.

Skarsgård put on 20 pounds of muscle for his role in the Viking thriller. Earlier this year, the Swedish actor's trainer and nutritionist, Magnus Lygdbäck, spoke with Insider's Rachel Hosie about how they built his physique for the role.

Skarsgård trained five times a week, with a potential sixth session of active recovery or mobility, Lygdbäck said. Each training session included cardio through high-intensity interval training and then strength work.

"We wanted Alex to have a little thicker look, a little more Viking," Lygdbäck said. "We needed him to look like a bear but move like a wolf."

"The Northman" boasts an all-star cast, including Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Anya Taylor-Joy, and Willem Dafoe.

"The Northman" hits US theaters on April 22.