The Crow is Lionsgate’s upcoming action fantasy film starring Bill Skarsgård and singer-songwriter FKA Twigs. Their characters, Eric and Shelly, are star-crossed lovers who are brutally murdered. Hanging between life and death, Eric is given the chance to save the love of his life, which leads him to transform into the unstoppable creature known as The Crow.
There’s a darkness within the conscience of a superhero born out of death, horror, tragedy and vengeance that Skarsgård enjoyed exploring. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at the Lionsgate film’s world premiere, held at New York’s Village East by Angelika on August 20, the actor spoke about his mental state while filming the movie.
He said, “I did a lot of intense shooting, a lot of night shoots. … You get stuck in a gloomy state of mind for a while.” However, he admitted that he liked this aspect of playing dark roles. He said, “I like to be immersed in it when I’m doing it. Actually, we were working a lot; I found it really helpful.”
The Crow is filmmaker Rupert Sanders’ new adaptation of James O’Barr’s comic book series, being released thirty years after the original 1994 film adaptation. The superhero, originally portrayed by Brandon Lee, is a unique character in his own right, but the quality that Skarsgård found most appealing was his generosity as a lover.
Speaking about his character, the IT actor told THR that at first he seems to be a fragile man who has almost “given up on life,” but after falling in love with Shelly, he develops resilience and strength.
“(Eric) finding Shelly and falling madly in love with her and how he treats her as this sort of saving angel” was something Skarsgård found interesting to play. And when he loses her, he’s willing to do extreme things, including self-sacrifice, to save the love of his life.
“It’s a beautiful, idealistic story about what people will do for love, and I think Eric’s character is admirable in that way — he’s very generous,” he said.
The Crow will be released in theaters on August 23.
