Bill Skarsgård Reveals the Gripping Truth Behind Filming ‘Locked’ with Anthony Hopkins

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This article contains minor spoilers for the movie titled Locked. Following his success in portraying Pennywise in 2017’s It, actor Bill Skarsgård has become known for his ability to disappear under layers of makeup, prosthetics, and CGI effects, taking on a variety of characters. However, it is in roles that require transformation where he truly shines, earning him recognition as virtually unrecognizable. Despite the horrifying and transformative scenes he’s portrayed on screen, Skarsgård has stated that none of these experiences compare to shooting his latest film, Locked, alongside acting legend Anthony Hopkins. He describes working on this movie as a challenging and grueling experience.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor reminisces about working on the movie “Locked”, where he portrays Eddie Barrish, a crook who gets into a pickle when he attempts to swipe the wrong vehicle. Directed by David Yarovesky (known for “Brightburn”), “Locked” is a new thriller that also stars Hopkins and Michael Eklund alongside Skarsgård. The film is adapted from the 2019 Argentinian thriller called “4×4”, which revolves around a carjacker who encounters problems when he targets a car customized by its owner to discourage thieves. The movie has been released in theaters, and it’s received favorable reviews with a score of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes and an impressive 82% approval from viewers.

As a film critic, I’ve witnessed Alexander Skarsgård transform into a myriad of characters, each time demonstrating his extraordinary ability to blend seamlessly into roles, often spending countless hours in makeup chairs. However, the preparation for Locked seemed to be on a grander scale, as the actor immersed himself in solitude and isolation, mirroring the main character’s plight, as he himself revealed:

“For previous roles, I’ve spent hours in makeup chairs, but the process for Locked was unlike any other. I found myself isolated and alone, much like the film’s protagonist.

This isolated encounter was quite challenging for me, as I deeply missed my fellow actors since I derive a great deal of joy from the collaborative aspect of acting, specifically dancing scenes with my scene partners. However, towards the end, there was an opportunity to dance with Sir Anthony Hopkins, which was undeniably thrilling. Nevertheless, spending such a prolonged period alone felt awkward… Throughout the entire film, all of Anthony’s lines are delivered through a car. As the movie progresses, it becomes increasingly intense, and I had to perform these scenes without any direct interaction with Sir Hopkins. This can be quite demanding, as it often feels like a grueling emotional journey when my character experiences turmoil throughout the narrative.

In the part where Anthony’s character appears to adjust the temperature in the car, making it extremely cold and hot, but the car didn’t really have air conditioning or heating. So while I was pretending to shiver in numerous layers of clothes, I was actually sweating. On the other hand, when Eddie appeared to be drenched in sweat, I was freezing instead. This is essentially what it felt like acting in that scene – quite a challenge!

Improvising With Anthony Hopkins “Was a Special Thing”

Performing alongside Hannibal Lecter, as portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, is undeniably a formidable task. Due to the plot of the movie, Hopkins and Skarsgård didn’t often need to be in the same physical location. The actor from John Wick reminisced about their rehearsal process with Hopkins, which surprisingly didn’t go smoothly. “I would come and go, and our dialogue exchange wasn’t flowing well. He couldn’t hear me clearly, and I had trouble hearing him. It was quite an awkward situation,” Skarsgård admitted. However, Skarsgård eventually got to act with the legendary Hollywood figure in person instead of over the phone, which mirrors how their characters communicate throughout much of the film.

Working with him was truly delightful, as I’ve been admiring his talent for years. He’s not just a renowned figure, but a true heavyweight among actors. He belongs to the elite group of exceptional performers. However, during this particular production, he joined us later in the filming process.

As a film enthusiast, personally experiencing his presence on set was undeniably a memorable highlight. The final scene we shared together was an exhilarating, spontaneous production moment. Incredibly, it evolved into a series of improvisations. He was improvising, I was improvising, and the scene simply unfolded organically. To have had the opportunity to collaborate and improvise with one of the legends of cinema was truly a unique experience.

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2025-03-25 16:33