While the world knows Alexander Skarsgård for his stunning looks, physicality, and powerful performances, a look back into the actor’s Swedish background will reveal that he served in the military before making the trek to Hollywood. Skarsgård was a part of the Swedish Armed Forces unit that dealt with anti-sabotage and anti-terrorism in Stockholm for 18 months.
But serving and protecting the country is no small feat. Skarsgård faced this first-hand when he went through extreme rigor and was forced to push his body to brutal limits in return for a prestigious award that the country bestowed on the soldiers.
Alexander Skarsgård’s Gruelling Stint As A Swedish Solider
Swedish heartthrob Alexander Skarsgård may be Hollywood royalty now, but the celebrity’s early life in Sweden was anything but easy. At age 19, the True Blood actor enlisted in the military and served in the Swedish Armed Forces for 18 months. The stint proved to be a ruthless and brutal learning for Skarsgård, who went through all kinds of hell to prove his worth.
One of the prestigious rewards for his military commitment was a hat that every soldier craved to possess. Speaking to The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Skarsgård revealed the various tasks and life-threatening situations he went through during his training, which ultimately led him to receive the all-important hat.
”They dropped us in the woods for what felt like six months but I think it was 10 days. It was a survival course. You’re obviously sleep deprived and you don’t eat. At one point we had to assemble a canoe. And that was horrible. It took us nine hours to do that.”
Despite the challenges and hardships, Skarsgård confessed that it was all worth it for the honor of serving the country, along with the coveted reward that he received at the end of the training.
Military Training Made Alexander Skarsgård Emotionally Strong
Apart from the physical rigor of training in the Armed Forces, Alexander Skarsgård revealed that the experience also gave him the emotional strength to deal with rejection and failure. Speaking of starting his acting career from scratch in Hollywood, the Zoolander actor in an interview with The Spokesman, revealed dropping out from drama school in New York and going back to working as a barista in Sweden, before his ambition to become a movie star made him push his limits.
“I felt something was missing. I wanted more opportunity. The industry there is very small, so sometimes I had to take jobs that I didn’t love just to pay rent. There’s so much more out here. Maybe I should give it a go.”
This inner resolve made Skarsgård try his luck once again in the USA to pursue his dream of becoming a movie star. His persistence and tenacity to succeed, paid rich dividends, with the actor now considered one of Hollywood’s most popular stars.
