While promoting his latest film, The Northman, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Alexander Skarsgård revealed what some cast members kept as souvenirs from the shoot.
“Nicole Kidman got a sword, Willem Dafoe got a longship — the whole ship. I might be kidding, but I think that’s actually what happened. Björk got three Icelandic horses.”
With those awesome gifts, one would assume that Skarsgård, the star of the film, would walk away with something equally if not more impressive. But the reality is Skarsgård’s gift was a bloody thong he wore while filming. Skarsgård has a good sense of humor about it, saying: “That’s how much they valued my performance, my contribution to this movie.”
Skarsgård goes on to say that he wore the thong in a pivotal scene, so the gift does actually make quite a bit of sense. He said: “So, that’s what I wore for a week, and my character’s quite wounded, so he’s bleeding a lot, profusely, so that was my wrap gift.”
The Northman is an epic historical film directed and co-written by Robert Eggers. It is based on the Icelandic legend of Prince Amleth, played by Skarsgård. When young Prince Amleth witnesses his father’s murder at the hand of his uncle, he vows to one day get his revenge.
Skarsgård is supported by an all-star cast, including Nicole Kidman as Queen Gudrún, Amleth’s mother, Willem Dafoe as Heimir the Fool, and Björk as the Seeress. His thong did not get credited but offered much support while filming, making it a perfect wrap gift. The Northman was released in theaters on April 21.
