Friendship in the time of war

MANILA, Philippines – War brings out the best and the worst in people. On the set of the new series Generation Kill (premieres tonight at 9 on Max/Cinemax), it only brought out the best from the actors. Take it from Alexander Skarsgard, who plays Sgt. Brad “Iceman” Colbert in the series.

“We shot the episodes for seven months in Namibia,” reveals the 32-year-old Swedish actor. “We were so isolated. It was like we were stuck in a different planet. You embark on the same journey for several months with people you haven’t met before.”

When this happens, human nature dictates that you stick to each other like Mighty Bond. In-between takes, Skarsgard got to know his co-stars’ families, girlfriends and significant others like never before. They became instant family. And this showed on screen. Theirs is a chemistry as strong, if not stronger than blood. It’s borne of kinship for the past seven months in a place far, far away from home.

It would have been totally different, says Skarsgard, had they been shooting say in nearby California, where they could just jump into their cars and go home to their families after a shoot.

“I had 32 brothers for life at the end of the shoot,” reports Skarsgard.

He also came away from the experience a lot richer as an actor. As battalion leader, Skarsgard plays someone who doesn’t like being in the limelight but must do so because it’s his job.

Like all leaders, “Colbert must stay focused and keep his guys motivated. If they’re not motivated, they will make mistakes and kill civilians.”

The thing is, the Colbert character himself has his own issues to deal with. He starts out knowing what he’s there for. But later, questions start bugging him. Is he fighting in Iraq for the right reasons? Is the war worth the cost of many innocent lives?

There lies the challenge — and the joy of it all — for Skarsgard. It’s a whole new world, a whole new character for this seasoned actor. And how he loves it.

“I don’t want to play exactly the same character I’ve done in 15 movies back-to-back,” he relates.

The artist in him jumps at roles with elements of uncertainty. Skarsgard wants to walk the tightrope of uncertainty, find his balance, and slowly gain confidence along the way.

It’s a journey of discovery he takes every time he agrees to a role. And the thrill of finding out what’s in it for him as an actor in the end is joy never-ending for him.

“I thrive in situations like that,” Skarsgard admits. “That puts me in situation where I’m very creative.”

It’s also in this way that he makes the role his very own.

This could be why he chose not to meet the real Sgt. Colbert at first. He could have, but Skarsgard did not. Instead, he chose to read the book on which the seven-part mini-series was based. He also talked to people closely connected with Colbert.

Finding things out on his own has always been Skarsgard’s style. At 13, his father, Stellan Skarsgard (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, King Arthur, Ronin, etc.) told his then shy son, “If you don’t want to do this (acting) anymore, go find something else.”

He did, and became a normal American teenager who played football and went to college.

Seven years after, Skarsgard knew where his heart really belonged. He went to theater school in New York. And he has never looked back since.

“I’m very grateful my dad took that approach,” he recalls. “If he pushed me at 13, and tried to convince me to keep on acting, I would have crashed and burned at 15. I’m pretty convinced I won’t be acting today.”

To that, Skarsgard’s fans and followers can only murmur a grateful “Amen!”