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Fans will probably never forget Bill SkarsgårdA full front second as Earl Orlok fell Nosferatu – but the creative team behind the scenes are still just as scared.
Heavy prosthetics is nothing new for Skarsgård, 34, as he’s been transformed into varying levels of horror. creatures in movies like It is a The Crow. Add a prosthetic penis on his body for his role as Count Orlok in Nosferatu, however, it was a new experience – one that created a memorable moment not only for Skarsgård’s on-screen character but for a costar Nicholas HoultThomas Hutter and the film’s creative team.
“With (the character of Nick) Thomas, they had a scene where Orlok was sucking his blood and the penis kept rubbing on his leg and he didn’t know how to react to it,” Track Loader, Nosferatu‘s lead makeup designer, he said Us Weekly in an exclusive interview.
“I don’t think you’ll ever forget that moment,” said the film’s head of hair, Suzanne Stokes-Muntonhe added, and Loader replied, “No, that will go on forever!”
Bill Skarsgård knows how to get into character by dramatically transforming into several terrifying roles throughout his career. Skarsgård cemented his role as the scream king when he portrayed Pennywise in the It film franchise. His filmography, however, was already filled with other horror projects including Netflix’s Hemlock Grove. The actor, who played Roman, was a costar (…)
Audiences get their own take on the prosthetic appendage in the third act when Thomas tries to flee Orlok’s castle after realizing he is being fed by the ancient vampire. As he finds his way to the cellar, he tries to take a sleeping Orlok but wakes him up instead. As Thomas runs for his life, Orlok rises out of his sarcophagus, revealing himself unclothed.
As for why the prosthetic penis was necessary to film in the first place, the head prosthetic make-up effects designer David Gwyn – who created the prop – who gave Us some glimpse of the scene.
“(Bill) knew it was coming, and as soon as I saw that shot in the frame, I thought, ‘Oh no, these are the questions about that.’ Because until then nobody had said a word,” said White. “It was a creation beyond Bill’s own… We had to find a way to make the whole body work for the shot where he rises from his coffin. So, there was no way around it.”
Hoult himself has been candid about the awkward moment on set, saying Elle in a recent interview after voicing that he could feel the prop pushing up against his leg, director Robert Eggers she sent him a surprise gift.
Nicholas Hoult
Aidan Monaghan“As a gift wrapped, Rob got it framed, and he sent it to my house,” Hoult told the store, noting that he ended up having to take the prosthetic to a framing shop after the gift arrived damaged.
“When I went back to pick it up, I think (the store owner) clocked, like, how weird it was that I was possibly framing this vampire penis,” Hoult explained. “And he was like, ‘Is this some sort of collector’s item?’ and I was like, ‘Hm, you could say that.'”
While the fake genitalia may have posed some challenges for Hoult, getting dressed was no problem for Skarsgård. Gwyn said Us the he ended up being an actor “professional.”
Skarsgård was also involved in the creative process, according to his team and had a say in helping craft Orlok’s mustache. The facial hair was initially supposed to be much longer and a different color than what the final product turned out to be, thanks to Skarsgård’s input.
“There were a few different sizes of mustache to choose from,” White recalled. “I offered a wide variety. At first it was a bit big, believe it or not, it was bigger than what it is now, and then it’s reduced and if you look closely, it’s actually thinned in the middle area and that’s is done on purpose so you can see a bit more of the teeth and everything underneath.”
He continued: “I added a bit of silver to the end, which I thought would be really lovely and give it a bit of extra character and suggest ageing, but not take it too far. And Bill was aware of those color changes. So he agreed and wanted that to be true.”
White added that while on set, Skarsgård tended to stay in character and was “quiet and in the shadows like Orlok would be.” Seeing the actor in full clothes, however, was a lot funnier behind the scenes than one would think it would be.
“When he first went to set, he would be half-dressed and then get joggers on the bottom,” Loader recalled with a laugh.
Nosferatu playing in theaters now.
