We expect a lot from those who are supposed to lead by example.
Whether it’s our parents, school teachers or commanding officers, we look to those in places of authority to have some sort of moral high ground for us to follow.
In “The Kill Team,” Alexander Skarsgard portrays a morally dubious sergeant in the U.S. military during the Afghanistan invastion who uses questionable tactics, including murder of innocent civilians, to incentivize his soldiers.
The film was written and directed by Dan Krauss and was based on real events Krauss chronicled in his 2013 documentary of the same name. The film also stars Nat Wolff as Andrew Briggman, one of Sergeant Deeks’ soldiers who is skeptical of his tactics, and Adam Long as Rayburn, who is more than willing to dirty his hands for the sergeant he is desperate to please. Skarsgard turns in an unforgettable and haunting performance of a complex villain that should remind us of the horrors of war.
I recently spoke with Skarsgard about the film and his fascination with toxic characters.
Alexander Skarsgard in ‘The Kill Team’. Photo: Manolo Pavon. Courtesy of A24.
What initially drew you to the character of Sergeant Deeks?
Alexander Skarsgard: I was fascinated by the character of Deeks. I thought it was an opportunity to play someone with a real darkness but in a way that wasn’t the stereotype of a villain where you fall in to the old tropes. It felt very different and the character had a certain charm and an ability to win over the soldiers’ will without intimidating them.
He’s such an interesting villain in that his motivations are both calculating and genuine at the same time.
Alexander Skarsgard: In his mind, what they’re doing is obviously justified. They’re all collaborators. Everyone outside of the perimeter, when we leave the base, they’re all in on it. If we kill one of them, we save 10 of ours. He’s lost a lot of his friends over the years. So in his mind, everyone on the outside, if they’re not a part of the combative enemy unit they’re helping them out. He feels morally that what he is doing is right. He’s not going out there to do something that he thinks is incorrect. For him, it’s very clear. The rules of engagement are different when you’re out in the field than when you’re behind a desk writing them. You just have to adapt and it’s crucial that these soldiers fall in line. He uses that sense of loyalty to his advantage. I was really interested in how he plays these soldiers against each other. In a way, it’s almost like a love story. Because he uses jealousy. He decides to give one soldier attention and in turn making the others jealous and then they get a little attention. It’s about sparsing that out in a way to get them to basically eat out of his hand and get them to do what he wants them to do. I enjoyed exploring that dynamic.
Even though these characters are soldiers in the middle of a war zone, they are all young adults and vie for Sergeant Deeks’ attention like he’s a father figure or a ‘cool teacher.’
Alexander Skarsgard: Exactly. When you have someone in a position of authority, it’s so important to win his or her acceptance that you kind of surrender your own morality. They look up to Deeks so much. When he shows up, he’s everything they aspire to be. He’s a tough soldier, he knows everything, he’s seen everything. These guys are kids, they’re rookies. So whatever he says, they will do anything just to win his approval.
While Briggman is trying to win over Deeks in order to climb the chain of command, Rayburn is more in it to do Deeks’ dirty work by killing those who may be standing in their way. This causes some tension between the two soldiers.
Alexander Skarsgard: That is something that Deeks acknowledges and uses to his advantage. Because when Briggman starts to resist or shows him autonomy in terms of his moral choices, Deeks quickly turns away from him and leaves him alone and leaves him vulnerable. Deeks knows that if he leaves him out in the cold for a bit, by having Rayburn as his pet, it’s going to be so much easier to win him back over.
There are many cases where Deeks uses his own family life back home as emotional collateral to make sure that Briggman does not tell the higher command of what is actually going on. It puts Briggman in a tough spot.
Alexander Skarsgard: It shows complexity. I think it’s important to show the audience how fallible we all are and how easy it is. This is a heightened situation, in a war zone, when you are surrounded by people who are supposed to protect you. Your brothers in arms. But then that makes it more difficult to turn against them even when your morality is being compromised. So that makes it hard and Deeks knows that and uses it.
Between “Big Little Lies,” “On Becoming a God in Central Florida” and this film, you have been playing some prime examples of toxic masculinity. In a way, it’s doing the world a service in showing men how not to behave. Have you been actively seeking out those kinds of roles?
Alexander Skarsgard: It’s not something I’ve been seeking out, even though I’m fascinated by these topics. When you can find a well-written script and a character who is fascinating and exists in that universe without being didactic or preachy, I find that those are often the projects I gravitate towards. They all speak to something quite topical and timely.
Have these roles made you want to play “the hero” in other projects?
Alexander Skarsgard: There was definitely more levity in “On Becoming a God….” My character is gambling away what little money they have and jeopardizing his family’s future. But at the end of the day, the tone of it wasn’t as dark as some of my other projects. I’ve done a couple of things that have been lighter. I just finished “Godzilla ss. Kong” — that character is definitely not a dark and disturbed character. That was quite cathartic doing something so different. I think I needed that (laughs).
