Bill Skarsgård is kind of an enigma. He's a handsome guy but manages to creep you out a little, even when he's not dressed up as a demon clown. Truthfully, the part that may creep you out has nothing to do with him; he's just created a fantastic career that's dominated by horror and drama, and he portrayed one of the most recognizable villains in literary history. Dramatically, his roles can wobble to the darker side into films that are rewarding to watch but, at times, slow-burning and heavy (recall the haunted but creepily hopeful Willard Russell in The Devil All the Time).
No, Bill Skarsgård is charismatic, and despite what the truth may be, his face denotes the kind of expression that says he may be up to something mischievous even when he's not. This quality is both put to use and celebrated in Netflix's Clark, a Swedish-language series directed by Jonas Åkerlund.
Clark Olofsson Is Charming Beyond Consequence
In Clark, Skarsgård portrays Clark Olofsson, a career criminal who spent his life in and out of prison. He has been convicted of robbery, attempted murder, assault, and drug trafficking. He has escaped prison numerous times and is the inspiration for the term Stockholm syndrome (more on that later). Olofsson is quite the enigma also and later became known as Sweden's first "celebrity gangster."
Clark portrays Olofsson as a man with unremitting charm with men and women alike. He "falls in love" with different women constantly and appears authentically beguiled by each of them... at least for a while. He is a womanizer, for lack of a better word and most of them seem to fall in love with him right back. To the viewer, Clark is obviously a narcissist or exhibits similar qualities to one. He expresses his love for each of these women to the non-biased viewer, indicating that he genuinely feels that way at that moment. However, mere moments later, Clark uses many of them for his gain. In one particularly cruel instance, he goes as far as to develop a sexual relationship with the mother of one of his beloved young women and robs their home by the following day.
He is just as captivating among men, but he captivates men differently. Throughout the show, Clark asserts himself as a leader. He is a trusted professional criminal, and he is respected more than he is trusted. In more than one instance, he abandons a childhood friend when and leaves them open to being captured by the police. Although these gentlemen have also committed crimes, it's still a not-chill thing to do to a friend. Yet, despite his immoral deeds, he's not often revered as a "bad" guy. His talent for evading consequences makes him illustrious, and even the all-knowing viewer loves him throughout the show.
Clark Olofsson Is Also a Master of Motivations
What the viewer has to remember, though, is that Clark is still a television show. Although there are real-life parallels, Skarsgård's Clark onscreen is not equal to Clark Olofsson in real life. The wild debauchery that accompanies Clark is irresistibly fun, and Skarsgård portrays this fictional character inspired by a real-life person well. It is easy to believe Skarsgård acting as an illustrious criminal because of his aforementioned enigmatic quality of being both scary and likable. Truthfully, it's a quality he shares with his character.
Skarsgård has shown his range at numerous moments in his career, but Clark truly gives him a stage to prove a multidimensional range. His portrayal as Clark Olofsson gives him moments to employ that look of mischief as Clark always has an ulterior motive or a trick up his sleeve, a man that loves nothing more than freedom (which he reminds the viewer of many times), and it's admirable. As played by Skarsgård, Clark Olofsson is a man who lives outside the bounds that we confine ourselves to, mainly because we don't want to go to jail. But Clark loves prison — except for the fact that prison leaves him "bored out of his mind" — so he always finds a way to escape. Freedom motivates Clark more than anything, which is ironic because his hedonistic quest for the same constantly leaves him in the confines of a prison cell.
Skarsgård has developed a knack and reputation for playing affecting dramatic and horrific roles. But further, he seems to either choose roles with strong motivations or have an incredible talent for identifying and portraying his character's motivations. As an actor, one of the first questions is, "What are my motivations at this moment?" That motivation will then lead the character into their next moves. In The Devil All the Time, we find that Willard's greatest motivation may be love and righteousness, both of which lead him to his end. Clark then becomes a clear segue, being that he is also motivated strongly by something (freedom) which repeatedly leads him to an end (prison).
It's refreshing to see Skarsgård portray a character that's so silly and upbeat, even in his darkest moments. He employs a similar tone to his voice to characterize Pennywise the Dancing Clown but, in this instance, is given a moment to lighten up his prior repertoire of heavier roles. We get to see him be playful, and it's deliciously entertaining.
There is this misconception that comedies do not allow actors to demonstrate their range as well as drama does; that's not necessarily so. Clark is a testament to that. There is a monolith of talent in taking a character that could easily be a twisted funnyman or funnywoman and making them into a nuanced character that is just as likable as they are threatening. At the same time, as the viewer, there are few joys greater than seeing an actor get to step out of their zone and prove to the world that they're more than capable of being just as remarkable in this unfamiliar genre. Clark gave Skarsgård that moment, and it'd be a shame to miss watching it because this role could really have been made for him. By the way, if you want to learn how Clark Olofsson inspired the term Stockholm syndrome, you should find out by watching Clark.