Fans will likely never forget Bill SkarsgårdFull front moment as the desperate Count Orlok enters Nosferatu – but the creative team behind the scenes remains just as haunted.
Heavy prosthetics are nothing new for Skarsgård, 34, as he has transformed into various levels of haunted creatures in films such as it AND The raven. Adding a prosthetic penis to his body for his role as Count Orlok Nosferatu, however, it was a new experience – one that created an unforgettable moment not only for Skarsgård’s on-screen character, but for the actor as well. Nicholas HoultThomas Hutter and the film’s creative team.
“With (Nick’s character) Thomas, they had a scene where Orlok was sucking his blood and the penis kept rubbing against his leg and he didn’t know how to react to it.” Loader Traci, NosferatuThe lead makeup designer said Us Weekly in an exclusive interview.
“I don’t think you’ll ever forget that moment,” the film’s head of hair, Suzanne Stokes-Muntonadded, to which Loader replied: “No, this will live forever!”
The audience gets its own take on the prosthetic appendage in the third act, when Thomas tries to leave Orlok’s castle after realizing he’s being fed by the ancient vampire. As he finds his way to the basement, he tries to push a sleeping Orlok, but instead wakes him up. As Thomas runs for his life, Orlok rises from his sarcophagus, exposing himself without his clothes.
As for why the prosthetic penis was necessary to film in the first place, the head prosthetic makeup effects designer David White – who created the prop – gave us some knowledge on the scene.
“(Bill) knew it was coming, and as soon as I saw that shot in the frame, I thought, ‘Oh no, here come the questions about it.’ Because until then nobody had said a word,” White said. “It was a creation above and beyond Bill’s own… We had to find a way to make the whole body work for the shot where he rises from his sarcophagus. So there was no way out.”
Hoult himself has been candid about the difficult moment on set, sharing Ellen in a recent interview that after stating that he could feel the pole pushing his leg, director Robert Eggers sent him a surprise gift.
Nicholas Hoult
Aidan Monaghan“As a gift-wrapper, Rob framed it and sent it to my house,” Hoult told the outlet, noting that he ended up having to take the prosthetic to a frame shop after the gift arrived damaged.
“When I went back to pick it up, I think (the store owner) remarked how weird it was that I was potentially framing this vampire penis,” Hoult explained. And he said, ‘Is this some kind of collection?’ and I said, ‘Um, you can say that.'”
While the fake genitalia may have posed some challenges for Hoult, wearing it was no problem for Skarsgård. White said us the actor was the ultimate “professional”.
Skarsgård was also involved in the creative process, according to his team, and had a say in helping create Orlok’s mustache. The facial hair was originally supposed to be much longer and a different color than what turned out to be the final product, thanks to Skarsgård’s input.
“There were several different mustache sizes to choose from,” White recalls. “I offered a whole variety. At first it was a little big, believe it or not, it was bigger than what it is now, and then it got smaller and if you look closely, it’s actually thinned out in the center area and that’s so you can see a little more of the teeth and everything down.”
He continued: “I added a bit of silver to the bottom, which I thought would be really nice and give it a bit of extra character and suggest ageing, but not take it too far. And Bill was aware of those color changes. So he agreed and wanted it to be that way.”
White added that during filming, Skarsgård tended to stay in character and was “quiet and shadowy like Orlok would be”. Seeing the actor in full costume, however, was far more comical backstage than one might assume it would be.
“When he first went to the square, he was half-dressed and then there were runners at the bottom,” Loader recalls with a laugh.
Nosferatu now playing in the cinema.
