“Murderbot” Star Alexander Skarsgård Reveals How He Brought the Awkward Android to Life
Even though Alexander Skarsgård (Emmy winner for his nuanced and chilling performance in the HBO series Big Little Lies) is better known for his intense, dramatic roles—Robert Eggers’ 2022 Viking epic The Northman comes to mind—he has always been drawn to comedy. “My first job in Sweden and in Hollywood were both comedies,” the Swedish actor recalled, referring to his American debut in 2001’s wacky satirical comedy, Zoolander. “I don’t get offered comedies very often, but I’m always on the hunt for comedies with some depth to them; there’s gotta be something to chew on,” he told moderator and Variety’s Deputy Awards Editor, Jenelle Riley, during a recent screening of Murderbot in Los Angeles. “I just came from a Q&A of Pillion [referring to his gay biker BDSM dramedy], which is dark at times but also very funny. That’s a great amalgamation,” he said.
Based on Martha Wells’ novellas, Murderbot is written and directed by Oscar nominees Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz. “It was such a great page-turner, so fun and irreverent, with a really unique character that excited me. It’s action-packed and in many ways, a workplace comedy. But it also has such fragility and tenderness to it,” shared Skarsgård of the sci-fi dramedy from Apple TV. Set in a distant future, android security units, such as the titular Murderbot (Skarsgård), are deployed to protect humans on dangerous expeditions to hostile planets. To ensure absolute obedience to human commands, a “governor module” is installed in each unit. On a good day, they are treated as a piece of equipment, but often, repugnant humans abuse and bully them just for fun. “In the first scene, you see how Murderbot is usually treated as a piece of equipment, so it doesn’t have experience interacting with humans on a personal level; it’s only used to receiving orders. So, we leaned into the awkwardness,” Skarsgård shared of the socially awkward android, who finds eye contact and any form of physical contact repulsive.
“Humans have a tendency to move and fidget, but with Murderbot, everything has a purpose,” Skarsgård remarked. “I didn’t want it to be robotic; it can almost move like a human, but when it stands up straight, it stands still; it’s not leaning on one leg or shifting. My posture was helped by the costume, which was very constricting — it helps when you’re wearing a super tight space condom,” Skarsgård joked about his head-to-toe armored bodysuit complete with a fully-enclosed helmet and arm-guns (guns that pop out of Murderbot’s forearms). “It was really fun shaping it, we had like 25 fittings – I went back and forth between Stockholm and Toronto for months. The design had to look the way we wanted, but we also had to be able to move. I was uncomfortable and sweaty in it, so I loved the days when Murderbot was in a med bay sarong.”
The series begins when Murderbot figures out how to dismantle its governor module and achieves autonomy. But rather than exacting revenge or escaping immediately, the comically grumpy and dejected android only wants to be left alone to binge-watch unlimited hours of space soap operas, which makes it all the more endearing and relatable. “The name is a fun contrast since Murderbot is reluctant to engage in anything. The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon is its favorite show. When it refers to human interaction, it’s usually from the shows,” Skarsgård explains how the android learns to navigate messy human emotions. Since its newfound freedom has to remain a secret — or Murderbot risks being melted down for spare parts via acid bath — the only way it can share its frustrations about how irritating and stupid humans can be is through its inner monologue.
“We spent a lot of time shaping the voiceover in pre-production and while we’re shooting. I’ve never worked on a project where so much of the story is told through voiceover. We had to figure out if we have someone read it out loud while we’re shooting, do we pause when there’s a long voiceover moment, or plow through it in editing? It wasn’t a one-size-fits-all; it depended on what the scene needed. Sometimes the first AD would read it out loud, other times we’d pause for it, or skip it to maintain the momentum of the scene,” Skarsgård revealed of the complex process that continued in post, when he spent weeks recording even more voiceover. “We ended up changing it quite a bit since the lines were written a year before we shot, so it no longer reflects what happens in the scene. Sometimes, stuff happens on set that gives you wonderful surprises. It was really interesting and quite fun to see what would happen if we removed some voiceover here or were more sarcastic there. We would watch it together and rewrite stuff over lunch to try different ideas.”
Skarsgård’s deadpan delivery of the android’s snarky opinions through its emphatic inner monologue is juxtaposed against his muted on-screen performance. “Murderbot is not very expressive or emotional, so I wanted to play it as expressionless as possible,” adding that “For the physicality and facial expressions, I wanted it to be quite neutral.” However, the android’s stiff demeanor and unblinking stoicism on-screen gave him pause early on. “If there’s no expression, is it going to be boring? Is telling the story through Murderbot’s eyes alone going to be enough? How do you make Murderbot a protagonist that people can relate to and want to root for?” Fortunately, the series’s brilliant use of voiceover narration to bifurcate the straight-faced Murderbot against its honest thoughts delivers serendipitous moments of comedy, keen insight, warmth, and despair in equal measure.
Produced by Paramount Television Studios, all 10 episodes of Murderbot are streaming now on Apple TV.
Featured image: Alexander Skarsgård in “Murderbot,” now streaming on Apple TV.
