Bill Skarsgård, the star of Dead Man's Wire, claims that he is not portraying a monster this time.

      You may not have expected the actor who brought Pennywise the Dancing Clown to life, as well as Barbarian’s Keith and Nosferatu’s Count Orlok, to take on a dramatized true crime film next. However, Bill Skarsgård was immersing himself in 1970s cinema and envisioning an actor-centric, “night-of” narrative when the chance to work on Dead Man’s Wire presented itself.

      “It was one of those raw performances I was eager for at the time,” he shares. “So I jumped at the opportunity, even though it terrified me.”

      Collaborating with director Gus Van Sant felt like fate and was a clear choice for Skarsgård, who had admired his work for years. However, portraying the true story of Tony Kiritsis presented a different challenge for him — the actor doubted he could embody the character authentically.

      In 1977, Kiritsis took over the offices of Meridian Mortgage Company in Indianapolis, holding president Richard Hall hostage for 63 hours. He wielded a sawed-off shotgun strapped to Hall’s neck, a contraption known as a dead man's wire.

      Skarsgård worried he couldn’t portray Kiritsis truthfully due to their physical differences.

      “The real man was in his mid-40s and a foot shorter than me, but Gus wanted me, and when I discussed it with him, the script was fantastic and the story was unbelievable,” recounts the 35-year-old Skarsgård. “I used the actual Tony as a guiding spirit for my performance, and I had a blast doing it.”

      To transform physically, he utilized a wig and a mustache. Skarsgård portrayed Kiritsis as someone burdened with a lot of weight, rendering him tense, rigid, and slightly hunched — “from carrying all that weight.”

      He also immersed himself in available footage and recordings of Kiritsis for inspiration, noting that Austin Kolodney’s script included links to the real-life situations. Additionally, he read Richard Hall’s memoir about the kidnapping and watched a documentary on the subject.

      Skarsgård initially got so absorbed in the role that his performance felt too grounded in reality. Eventually, Van Sant encouraged him to adopt a more character-driven approach.

      “He advised me to stop imitating the real person,” Skarsgård says. “So I released that and focused on his speech patterns and rage. The real guy was prone to extreme anger followed by apologies. He was infuriated but also had a humorous side. There was something charming about it. At one point, I had 17 pages of dialogue to rant through in one day.”

      In reality, Kiritsis was frustrated over a $130,000 mortgage taken out with Meridian. He accused the company of sabotaging him once they learned the property's worth had increased. Consequently, he took Hall, portrayed by Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), hostage, forcing him to walk through the streets until they commandeered a police vehicle, making Hall drive to his apartment. Kiritsis then demanded an apology, $5 million, and assurance of immunity from prosecution for Hall's safe release.

      The film tracks these tense events, meaning Skarsgård and Montgomery spent considerable time together on set in Louisville, Kentucky, which substitutes for Indianapolis.

      Skarsgård credits the idea to his co-star to map out the dead man's wire in a crucial opening scene, setting the film's tone. They filmed this on one of the first days of their 19-day shoot using two handheld cameras. Van Sant allowed them the freedom to improvise and let moments unfold organically.

      “Dacre and I both bring a lot of energy and ideas as actors,” Skarsgård shares. “I sometimes describe Gus as having a Zen-like aura, both generally and in his filmmaking approach. He observes and allows Dacre and me to express our ideas until we’re out of steam, then he shapes it gently while letting the film find its own identity.”

      Skarsgård mentions there were many spontaneous moments, including a telephone call scene involving him, Montgomery, and Al Pacino, who portrays Richard Hall’s father, M.L. Hall. This scene was not in the initial script and was suggested by Pacino.

      Skarsgård praises Van Sant for allowing Dead Man’s Wire to evolve freely instead of forcing a vision upon it.

      “Whenever those moments occurred, we built upon them, and many of the humorous or quirky lines were improvised,” he notes. “These came about as we were shooting in character and occurred spontaneously. It’s delightful when that happens, as it allows for surprises and unique gems that you could never really plan.”

      He compares the concept of Dead Man’s Wire to one of his favorite ‘70s films, Mikey and Nicky, which features two long-time friends evading a mob boss.

      “The entire film is improvised between Peter Falk and John Cassavetes