Alexander Skarsgård Clarifies Sexuality After Viral 'Men' Comments

Alexander Skarsgård is finally addressing a whirlwind of online speculation that he had quietly come out as bisexual. The controversy began last fall at the Zurich Film Festival, where the True Blood star was promoting his new A24 drama Pillion — in which he plays a biker who gets involved in a relationship with a man played by Harry Melling, per Variety — and made comments fans interpreted as a revelation about his sexuality. “I found that in this case, it’s not really relevant what my background is. I mean, I do have a kid, but what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women,” Skarsgård said at the time during the festival, per EW. “To me, what was important was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture I hadn’t seen portrayed this way — with so much authenticity.” But now he’s setting the record, um, straight. In an interview with Variety that dropped on Tuesday, January 20, Skarsgård, 49, says the viral moment was nothing more than a misunderstanding. “It was definitely not an intended statement,” he explained. “I don’t know what I was talking about.” Skarsgård now insists he was simply trying to shift attention away from his personal life and onto the film’s authenticity and characters. In the interview Skarsgård — who shares a child with actress Tuva Novotny — also told the outlet that his once “nomadic” lifestyle has slowed down as he prioritizes fatherhood.