Alexander Skarsgård

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

#13,458
OHVamp said:
Apologies if this has already been posted. I've been running around like mad last week and not online much. I like MovieFone's summary on "Here's Why Tarzan Beat Expectations at the Box Office". I've believed from the beginning, if done correctly, Tarzan could be a fun watch (if not Picture of the Year caliber), and not to immediately write it off as a flop.

http://www.moviefone.com/2016/07/03/box-office-tarzan-the-bfg-spielberg/

I've seen it twice now. Once with husband, and another with a friend who really wanted to see it too... So why not? :biggrin: Both times, many people exiting had favorable opinions of Tarzan with "good movie", "liked/loved it", "lots better than I expected", etc.

The biggest negative thing I think some critics and some viewers had in their minds going in to Tarzan, was their preconceived notions of what Tarzan should be. His appearance. His iconic yell. The feminist thing. The white savior issue. All in all, I think these issues were handled pretty darn well. If I had a complaint, it would be that I'd have liked a bit more supporting character sub plot development. I was interested in knowing more about Rom, the exploitation of the Congo, and the African tribal leader who set up the scenario to lure Tarzan back to the jungle. The plot/story was there and was understood tho.
Click to expand...
And a lot of their notions seem to be based on what they think they knew about Tarzan was based on prior movies, not on the actual characters created by ERB. I'm not sure how much more WB could have educated people on that, though.
So far it seems like ERB fans really liked it, here's another review:
The Saturday Matinee I’ve Been Wanting Forever
or at least since 1969 or thereabouts. It happened yesterday. When Julie and I went and saw The Legend of Tarzan.
Now, a great deal of what made it magical for us was coming into it spoiler-free. So be warned, there are many such spoilers below. If you’re here just wanting a read from a fan on whether it’s worth it? YES. Emphatically. Go. But try to go into it cold.
If you’ve seen it already, or you don’t care about being spoiled, join us below the fold.
You have to understand, Tarzan’s always been one of my favorites, ever since I encountered his adventures first on TV and then in the Gold Key comics in the late 1960s.
...shaped me into a Burroughs purist with VERY firm opinions on who the REAL Tarzan was and my minimum expectations for a good adaptation. Needless to say, that expectation was rarely, if ever, met on TV or in the movies.
What kind of Tarzan movie would make you happy??
Well, as it happens, a great many people have been asking me this for the last ten days or so, enough that I finally decided to write it all down. Here is the list, and here’s how Legend of Tarzan scored on it.
…Tarzan is a polished Englishman who turns feral at need, torn between civilization and savagery, fully at home in neither. He is NOT a grunting caveman like Johnny Weissmuller. He is the Hugh Jackman Wolverine, basically, but in a loincloth.
Dear God yes. Skarsgard NAILS it. He is terrific. Much has been made of how ‘cut’ and ‘ripped’ Alexander Skarsgard got for this role, but the important part is the guy can ACT, he can use his eyes to convey emotion. Tarzan is a role that demands this talent; a lot of your story is going to be a guy interacting with animals and growling. You need an actor who can sell it. Moreover, the story itself plays up this conflict between the civilized Lord Greystoke and the savage Tarzan. The key thing about Tarzan is that he is always superior but never entirely comfortable. Among the apes his human intellect makes him better but apart– among humans, his animal traits make him at best a bit odd, and at worst they are scary. The only person that really understands him is Jane, and she is the only one who truly puts him at ease. That’s what makes her important. Which brings us to…

Will it be that much fun for people who aren’t fans of the books? Well, honestly, I have too much baggage to answer that question objectively– but my wife Julie only knows Tarzan from Disney, and a few vague memories of the sixties Ron Ely and the seventies Filmation versions. She was delighted. She had more fun than me. She loved the animals and the adventure and the romance. She even loved the hippos. So I’m thinking yeah, it probably will work for a general audience. Let’s hope so.
Because I’m getting the sense that it’s playing out like John Carter all over again. For whatever reason, it seems like critics are just out there waiting in the weeds for this one. Ignore them. Listen to us old-timers that actually know something about Tarzan. It’s the real one. Finally. Enjoy it.
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2016/07/03/the-saturday-matinee-ive-been-wanting-forever/
 
  • Like
Reactions: OHVamp and VampFan
#13,459
Some rambling questions:
The US weekend box offices aren't in, but the headlines seem to be pretty consistent: Dory wins 3rd week in a row, Tarzan performs better than expected, but not as well as needed by its presumed budget, The Purge does great, and The BFG WTF happened?
Right now LOT can be considered an underperformer, it still has a ways to go to be considered a break even movie, never mind a profitable one. But the worry has been that it would be an outright disaster, and if it was, what effect would it have on Alex's career?
This is what EW wrote this morning:
The Legend of Tarzan
Posted July 4 2016 — 2:28 PM EDT
Future film franchises, take note: Alexander Skarsgård’s abs can apparently catapult a critically-savaged film to box office gold, as Warner Bros.’ The Legend of Tarzan continues to defy expectations after a solid $38.5 million three-day weekend, adding an estimated $7 million on the Fourth of July for a $45.6 million holiday finish.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/04/july-fourth-box-office-finding-dory-legend-tarzan

There's been a goober on Pajiba who's been vocal about how LOT is going to be horrible, flop and take everyone's careers with it. That wasn't going to be the case if if did flop, SLJ and CW have had flops before, and Margot's still going to a be a hot HW commodity, but it might have impacted Alex's career negatively, at least in terms of big budget movies.
So now that LOT appears to fals somewhere in the underperformer but not outright flop range, does he get credit for not having LOT be a total flop? Even though a lot of critics hated it, there were who liked it, and his performance, so does this help him in terms of getting more, and better scripts, for bigger movies? Or is he still going to be more of an Indie movie type of guy, because those scripts tend to be more interesting to him?
 
  • Like
Reactions: jooa
#13,460
^Good post.

I'd say he'll continue to walk the line between indie projects and blockbusters. I guess the bigger movie roles/films will depend on:
A) if he's actually offered them
B) how much he enjoyed the pressure of carrying a film and this amount of PR

I have to say he's handled the PR well, he's looked great and occasionally he's broken out of his standard responses especially in interviews where it's not him alone. Eg. Margot's spontaneity has rubbed off on him or he's in a style of interview that's out of the box (WWHL)
 
  • Like
Reactions: djuna1 and jooa
#13,461
FreeSpirit71 said:
^Good post.
I'd say he'll continue to walk the line between indie projects and blockbusters. I guess the bigger movie roles/films will depend on:
A) if he's actually offered them
B) how much he enjoyed the pressure of carrying a film and this amount of PR
I have to say he's handled the PR well, he's looked great and occasionally he's broken out of his standard responses especially in interviews where it's not him alone. Eg. Margot's spontaneity has rubbed off on him or he's in a style of interview that's out of the box (WWHL)
Click to expand...

Oh, yes, he has to be offered them first! And I do think the appeal of this role wasn't just because he wanted to be 'a stah, baby!', that he really did like the script, and yes, his Dad is a major Tarzan fan.
But the PR push has probably been exhausting for him, especially since he's often been the only one doing it, and he still has about three weeks to go. So that may factor in. But yes, I think he's been more 'him' on this PR go-round, which has been nice to see.
I would like to see him get offers that are still offered to all the Chrises first, even if he doesn't take them. And I like to see him get offered roles in movies like Spotlight, really excellent ensemble movies with other excellent actors.
I think I just want more opportunities for him to show that he's not just another pretty face and an 8-pack of abs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: djuna1 and jooa
#13,462
Thanks, ladies, for all the updates & reviews!:smile:

More from promoting LOT today in London (July 4, 2016):

13534393_498206933712685_1215542884_n.jpg


13551538_1059499854134519_1012567420_n.jpg


“Look who's here! Tarzan & Jane
#alexanderskarsgard
@margotrobbie
#thelegendoftarzan
#cineboxtvi24.”

-vicvictorius instagram

13551690_1060972983989768_1391058296_n.jpg


Les blagues d'Alexander Skarsgård marchent sur tout le monde. #Tarzan #londres #interview #alexanderskarsgard #margotrobbie

-aureliabaranes instagram

13549486_1776117989276941_1764855541_n.jpg


“Getting inbetween two of the most beautiful people in cinema is great for the ego. Look out for my interview on digitalspy.com.”

-scarlettroserussell instagram

“So @AlexanderSkarsgard just likened @MargotRobbie to a 'cod fish' Happy Birthday Margot!@beboxmusic #Tarzan .”

CmgrZO3WIAAyzIJ.jpg


-venetiafalconer twitter

https://twitter.com/venetiafalconer/status/749897056639152128

Another from promoting LOT in LA (June 26, 2016):

13534572_991671264262299_1355023815_n.jpg


New Tarzan thrilled by Elle Ukraine Alexander Skarsgard gave an exclusive interview #elleua turns out, he reads Nabokov interested in geopolitics and even loses his head for love Simply Scandinavian miracle! Active link to #alexanderskarsgard #tarzan profile Tarzan # # # aleksandrskarsgard interview

-elle_ukraine instagram
 
Last edited:
#13,463
BuckeyeChicago said:
Some rambling questions:
The US weekend box offices aren't in, but the headlines seem to be pretty consistent: Dory wins 3rd week in a row, Tarzan performs better than expected, but not as well as needed by its presumed budget, The Purge does great, and The BFG WTF happened?
Right now LOT can be considered an underperformer, it still has a ways to go to be considered a break even movie, never mind a profitable one. But the worry has been that it would be an outright disaster, and if it was, what effect would it have on Alex's career?
This is what EW wrote this morning:
The Legend of Tarzan
Posted July 4 2016 — 2:28 PM EDT
Future film franchises, take note: Alexander Skarsgård’s abs can apparently catapult a critically-savaged film to box office gold, as Warner Bros.’ The Legend of Tarzan continues to defy expectations after a solid $38.5 million three-day weekend, adding an estimated $7 million on the Fourth of July for a $45.6 million holiday finish.
http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/04/july-fourth-box-office-finding-dory-legend-tarzan

There's been a goober on Pajiba who's been vocal about how LOT is going to be horrible, flop and take everyone's careers with it. That wasn't going to be the case if if did flop, SLJ and CW have had flops before, and Margot's still going to a be a hot HW commodity, but it might have impacted Alex's career negatively, at least in terms of big budget movies.
So now that LOT appears to fals somewhere in the underperformer but not outright flop range, does he get credit for not having LOT be a total flop? Even though a lot of critics hated it, there were who liked it, and his performance, so does this help him in terms of getting more, and better scripts, for bigger movies? Or is he still going to be more of an Indie movie type of guy, because those scripts tend to be more interesting to him?
Click to expand...

FreeSpirit71 said:
^Good post.

I'd say he'll continue to walk the line between indie projects and blockbusters. I guess the bigger movie roles/films will depend on:
A) if he's actually offered them
B) how much he enjoyed the pressure of carrying a film and this amount of PR

I have to say he's handled the PR well, he's looked great and occasionally he's broken out of his standard responses especially in interviews where it's not him alone. Eg. Margot's spontaneity has rubbed off on him or he's in a style of interview that's out of the box (WWHL)
Click to expand...

I'm glad that he is a reason for people to see the movie and I hope it opens some eyes for additional casting. I also think that this major PR roadshow has helped him with learning how to do better interviews. He always does better with castmates, but even on his own, he's been better this go around.

I hope he ends up having a career like his dad. Stellan was in his mid 30's when he made Hunt for Red October and it was after that that he started getting more roles in US movies. I hope he gets that kind of career trajectory. I wanted Tarzan to do well, but not that well that they made sequels, because I don't think they can sustain additional movies. I'm glad that there has been positive feedback for his performance and hopefully it will open some doors. Maybe..
 
  • Like
Reactions: BuckeyeChicago, OHVamp, Santress and 2 others
#13,467
From ASN:

Alex with fans in London today (July 5, 2016).

Sources/Thanks:

CmluIV-XgAARWal.jpg


I'm dying a little bit. One of my bae's (with #AlexanderSkarsgard).

-iamthecriss twitter

https://twitter.com/iamthecriss/status/750251939892498432

CmluU6GWcAAa9LW.jpg


Just met Alexander Skarsgard!

-WeasleyRiddle twitter

https://twitter.com/WeasleyRiddle/status/750252145077878784

13549635_1782132592020763_882278558_n.jpg


ALEX #alexanderskarsgard

-ammyy670 instagram

13561979_259975441049193_385774777_n.jpg


#alexanderskarsgard

-emily_fitzp instagram

Cmmlie6WAAE8N5u.jpg


SO THIS JUST HAPPENED!!!!!!! Alexander Skarsgard...holy ****... He was the most precious thing ever I'm so
2764.png
2764.png
2764.png


https://twitter.com/thornofcamorr/status/750312864582397952
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: OHVamp
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top