Shoot to Kill; Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard's army stint did little to help his 'tour of duty' in Iraq

From The Straits Times (Singapore)

Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard was a sergeant in the Swedish marines. But that did not prepare him for the filming of HBO's latest series, Generation Kill.The seven-part miniseries, which premiered on Max (StarHub Channel 59) last night, chronicles the first 40 days of the 2003 Iraq war from the perspective of a group of elite American marines.

Produced by the creators of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire, the new series takes a similarly hard-hitting look at the gritty realities of war.

'When they wrote it, there was a conscious effort to make it as real as possible and not to explain everything to the audience,' says 32-year-old Skarsgard over the telephone from Sweden where he is holidaying with his family.

He admits having trouble understanding the technical lingo between the soldiers in the script initially.'That was a big challenge because when I first read the script I didn't understand half the words.'

Based closely on the award-winning non-fiction book of the same name by journalist Evan Wright who was embedded with the 1st Reconaissance Battalion during the war, the series is touted to depict the true nature of combat. The names of the characters are those of real marines who were in the First Recon Battalion as well.'It is very technical and the way they speak to each other is not everyday English,' explains Skarsgard. 'But that was something that I really liked because you really feel like you do take part in the journey.'

To ensure the authenticity of the show, two real-life marines were on set to conduct a crash course for the cast and crew as well as to serve as consultants through the filming process.'

They were tremendously supportive, helping us out with everything from small details such as stepping out of a humvee, a military vehicle, to holding a weapon,' says the actor of the team's dedication to specifics.

The Swedish hunk who plays sergeant Brad 'Iceman' Colbert in the show is no stranger to television.He is the son of critically acclaimed actor Stellan Skarsgard whose movies include Angels & Demons (2009) and Mamma Mia! (2008), and has been working in film and theatre since the tender age of seven.The oldest of six siblings, Skarsgard started out as a child actor but took a eight-year hiatus from the industry when he turned 13.'I didn't like the focus and the attention that I got. I just wanted to go to school, play football with my friends and be a regular kid.' says Skarsgard, who then went on to complete his military service in the Swedish marines and study language at Leeds Metropolitan University in England.But the acting bug bit again and he enrolled in at Marymount Theatre School in New York City in 1997.

Since then, the good-looker, who has been named Sweden's Sexiest Man five times by the media there, has been carving a name for himself in the industry.He has worked in various Swedish productions including the successful Swedish movie Hundtricket (2002), where he was nominated for a Guldbagge Award, given by the Swedish Film Institute, for his supporting role.He is currently filming the second season of the hit HBO series, True Blood, where he plays Eric Northman, a powerful vampire.When asked what viewers can look forward to in that show, he cheekily replies: 'We're still shooting so I can't reveal too much, but yes, I am naked in Season 2.' fionalow@sph.com.sg Generation Kill is on every Sunday at 9pm on MAX (StarHub Channel 59).