For his next big screen role, Alexander Skarsgård stars in Pillion as Ray, a gay biker who takes a submissive partner, Colin (Harry Melling).
The film has been well-received, even when it tackles a subject matter that many actors would shy away from.
Apart from focusing on queer characters, Pillion also tells stories of certain sexual subgroups of queer existence. From leather bikers and dom-sub dynamics, the film is a challenge for many actors.
Authenticity in casting has become a common topic nowadays, and while actors are just a canvas, sometimes they need to have certain identities possessed by their characters.
In Skarsgård’s case, being similar to Ray was not that important.
“I found that in this case, it’s not really relevant what my background is,” he said in an interview with Variety. However, the True Blood star confirmed that he was experienced in non-heterosexual relationships.
“I mean, I do have a kid, but what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women…,” he said, hinting that he might be bisexual.
In Pillion, Skarsgård’s goal was to tell a unique story. He explained, saying:
“To me, what was important was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture I hadn’t seen portrayed this way – with so much authenticity.”
The actor has one child with Swedish actress Tuva Novotny, with whom he’s also in a relationship.
What Is ‘Pillion’ About?
Photo: A24 (Screenshot)“A timid man is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive,” reads the movie’s description.
Pillion tells the love story between Ray and Colin, whose atypical dom-sub relationship plays out in a soft, sweet manner after a chance meeting.
However, it is also graphic and sexually charged.
“[The film’s writer ] didn’t put on silk gloves to tell this story,” the star said, adding,
“He embraced the awkwardness of it. All these characters were fully fledged, and the sex scenes weren’t graphic for the sake of being graphic.
“Harry did a beautiful job of calibrating it. You don’t shy away from it because ‘Oh, we can’t show men having sex,’ but you also don’t show a close-up of a dick just because you can, for the shock value.
“I think my mom will like this movie, and it’s about kinky gay bikers and a D/s relationship. Portrayed with the perfect amount of respect, but not too much respect.”
Pillion is written and directed by Harry Lighton and will be distributed by A24.
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