Bill Skarsgård has teased his mysterious Nosferatu transformation, which won't be revealed until the movie's release.
Robert Eggers' upcoming remake features Skarsgård as Count Orlok, the terrifying vampire who is infatuated with a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp). Though the trailer hints at Orlok's horrifying presence, the character's appearance is still being kept under wraps.
"I think the best way to discover Orlok is through the movie for the first time," Skarsgård told Entertainment Weekly. "The movie functions on that, as well. He lives in the shadows for a long time, and it teases the reveal of the character as the movie progresses."
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"I'd hate to spoil anything," co-star Willem Dafoe added. "The only thing that I thought was really great and felt really fresh is he looks like he could have been from Romania as opposed to a suave English guy or something. He had a look that was rooted in historic accuracy and a folk tradition."
Meanwhile, it's not just fans who have been left in suspense. Before filming began, Skarsgård partially secluded himself from the rest of the cast. To enhance the impact of his transformation, the It actor kept his distance from Depp, Dafoe, Emma Corrin, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Ineson on shoot days.
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As well as the highly-anticipated first glimpse, fans can look forward to hearing Orlok's distinctive voice, which Skarsgård worked hard to emanate.
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The star studied with an opera coach to help lower his voice to the desired octave. He recorded voice samples to review with Eggers, which his co-star Nicholas Hoult described as "chilling".
"It was unlike anything I'd heard before," Hoult recalled. "It was chilling to me. Rob [Eggers] was playing it off of his phone, but it still filled the room."
Skarsgård added: "[Eggers] really wanted a very deep, resonant voice. The character is somewhat paradoxical because he's very powerful and demanding, but there's something frail about him, as well, because he's a corpse.
"So the voice needs to be very powerful, but at the same time, there needs to be some sort of fragility or almost pain and labor in his breathing and talking."
Nosferatu is released in US cinemas on December 25 and is released in UK cinemas on January 1, 2025.
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Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a "telly addict" since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.
