Bill Skarsgard on His “Bleak State of Mind” While Filming ‘The Crow’: “I Like to Be Consumed by It”

With a résumé that includes the It franchise, Castle Rock and Barbarian , Bill Skarsgard flew off into familiar territory with a title role in the latest incarnation of The Crow . But, then again, he likes it dark.

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“Physicality wasn’t really an issue, but the mental state kind of wears on you because you live in it for four months, you know?” Skarsgard told The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday night at the Lionsgate film’s world premiere held at New York’s Village East by Angelika. “I had a great shoot, a lot of night shoots. … You’re kind of preoccupied in a bleak state of mind for a while. I like to be consumed by it when I’m doing it. Actually, we were working out a lot, I found it really helpful. There’s nothing like being tired and sweaty to get the demons out.”

For filmmaker Rupert Standers, Skarsgard plays Eric Draven, who is murdered alongside his girlfriend Shelly, brought to life by singer-songwriter FKA Twigs in her second feature film role. Existing somewhere between life and death, Eric transforms into the invincible superhero known as The Crow, who is determined to avenge the tragedy and sacrifice himself to rescue Shelly. Sanders’ new adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book series arrives 30 years after the original 1994 film.

Skarsgard also spoke to THR about the qualities in his character that stood out to him and inspired him to tackle the part. “I feel like he’s a fragile individual when you meet him, someone that’s almost given up on life and surely given up on himself. So getting to perform that, and then him finding Shelly and falling madly in love with her and how he projects onto her this kind of saving angel,” he explained. “And then when he loses her, what he’s willing to do for her. It’s kind of the beautiful archetypal story about what people do for love, and he’s commendable that way, I think, Eric as a character — very generous.”

Sanders, who said he sought “two very naturalistic actors,” elaborated on the special characteristics that made Skarsgard and FKA Twigs the right people for their respective roles. “Bill is really a very acclaimed actor and had such an amazing physicality. He’s such a beautiful, empathetic man, but also he’s capable of this terrifying side to him that he likes to bring out, and he kind of relishes that,” Sanders explained. “Twigs is just an otherworldly, magical person, and I really wanted this vacuum to be left when Shelley died in the movie, that the audience really went on that journey with Eric to try and get her back.”

Prior to the murders that fuel The Crow’s mission, the film focuses on the connection between Eric and Shelly. On building chemistry with Skarsgard, FKA Twigs told THR , “We went for dinners, we hung out, we went for walks. Bill’s a very easy person to get on with, so we had a good time.”

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The team behind The Crow emphasized that they wanted to make their own version of O’Barr’s story, one that stands apart from the 1994 original, a movie legacy scarred by tragedy when its 28-year-old star Brandon Lee, son of icon Bruce Lee, was killed on set after being struck by a bullet from a prop gun.

Citing the 1994 film as a “touchstone” for him as he grew up, screenwriter William Josef Schneider, who worked alongside Zach Baylin to adapt the comic, spoke about paying homage to the first movie while leaving their own mark on the story. “We didn’t want to go the same route, because we felt like that did a disservice to the film. Instead, we wanted to chart our own course almost as a way to sort of celebrate it and say, ‘Hey, we found a new way into the story, and we want them both to exist with their own voices, with their own set of fans.'”

Producer Molly Hassell added, “It should make people proud. I’m surprised it hasn’t made the original filmmakers more proud, because it’s a step in a different direction, but it’s a necessary step to deal with the age-old themes of love and loss.”

While The Crow has its fair share of blood and violence, the team reiterated that the story is rooted in grief and, ultimately, love. “I hope everyone walks away from this film just reinvested in the people they love and care about. Because yes, it’s about grief, it’s about loss, but it’s also about sacrifice and what you’re willing to do for the person you love,” Schneider said. “I hope people step out of the film and they start to think [about] what am I going to do for the person I love? How am I going to help them? How am I a nurturing person?”

The Crow flies off into theaters on Aug. 23.

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