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but denying his genetic talents would have denied
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the world of one of the century's
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Bill Skarsgård was predestined for the stage
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His father, Stellan Skarsgård, known for
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his roles in 'Good Will Hunting,'
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'Amistad,' and the 'Mama Mia' films,
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would turn his films' productions into
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family vacations for his wife
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and eight children.
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Like you're 8 years old and you're on a set
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and your dad's like– your dad is your dad
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but like on set he has a gun,
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fake mustache and like the whole thing.
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So for me, like as a kid, that's what
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you do being a kid. Playing like
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with your friends. So the appeal of
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this imaginary, fantastical way
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of just being paid and being an adult
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an d acting like a child
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I think was planted at a very young age.
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Bill's first acting credit was at the age of 9
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alongside his older brother Alexander
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in the Swedish coming-of-age flick
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'White Water Fury,' which was released in 2000.
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Bill spent the next decade using his father's
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connections and natural talent to
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book small roles, but he
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His rebellion even led him to major in science
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in high school, joking that
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he would become a doctor.
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However, when he read the script for
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Hannes Holm's 'Behind Blue Skies,'
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his passion was ignited.
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Bill landed that role, and three years later
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realized his breakout star potential in
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Netflix's 'Hemlock Grove.'
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'Sheeit. Sheeit. Sheeit.'
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While Bill was portraying cocky,
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sex-obsessed vampire Roman Godfrey,
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Alexander was finishing up his own
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blood-sucking tenure on HBO's 'True Blood'
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and preparing to take on the role of
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a former rainforest Adonis in
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'The Legend of Tarzan.'
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His older brother Gustaf has starred in
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History's 'Vikings' and HBO's 'Westworld,'
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while little brother Valter brings up
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the rear of the Skarsgård actors
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with a majority of his acting credits
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being in Sweden so far.
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Bill has also held supporting roles in
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the third installment of the 'Divergent'
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franchise, 'Allegiant,' and the
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Charlize Theron led 'Atomic Blonde,'
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but it's undeniable that he was born
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for the sinister side of cinema.
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For 'IT,' a reimagining of the 1990
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mini-series based on Stephen King's
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1986 novel, Bill transforms into
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the demonic dancing clown Pennywise,
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who plagues the town of Derry
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every 27 years by kidnapping
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and feasting on its children.
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"Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear"
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He often tells the story of driving to
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his audition in full clown-face and
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laughing maniacally to get into character,
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but the fact that
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is less well known.
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"I wanted to give Pennywise a
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wild eye because in my vision of the
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character is sometimes his eye would fall off.
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And something very cute and sweet turns
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into something much more unsettling
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because he has that weird balance
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So when I mentioned that
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I wanted to do that digitally he said,
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'I can do it.'
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I had kind of a lazy eye and
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I can like make it go."
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'IT: Chapter 2,' featuring an
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all-grown-up Loser's Club, will premiere
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in fall of 2019. Meanwhile, Bill is
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still exploring the world of Stephen King
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in Hulu's “Castle Rock.'
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This 10-episode miniseries pulls from
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King's stories to create a thrilling
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and unsettling multiverse.
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Bill started the Keto Diet before
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filming to lose weight because he wanted to
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enhance his mysterious character's creepiness with
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No doubt, Bill Skarsgård has given children
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nightmares and horror fans wet dreams.
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"I like dark stories, dark characters,
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it's fun. I don't like doing the same thing
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over and over again. So I'll do
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a happy rom-com next, I think."
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[Creepy laugh]
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His family ties might have gotten him
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into the acting business, but the
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commitment and fearlessness that
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he brings to every role has propelled him
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into an eerily affecting league of his own.
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"You'll flat down here. We all float down here"-