Pillion star Alexander Skarsgård has told RTÉ Radio 1's Arena that the acclaimed "dom-com" caught him off guard with its tenderness.
Produced by the Dublin-based Element Pictures, Pillion tells the story of the timid Colin, played by Harry Melling, who is drawn into a submissive relationship with Skarsgård's charismatic biker, Ray.
Listen: Alexander Skarsgård's exclusive Irish interview with RTÉ Radio 1's Arena
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Based on the novel Box Hill by Adam Mars-Jones, the Cannes Film Festival favourite marks the feature debut of writer-director Harry Lighton.
"I was so surprised when I started reading it," Skarsgård told Arena's Sinéad Egan in an Irish exclusive interview.
"I had heard it was a BDSM, sub/dom story, but I didn't expect it to be so tender and so sweet and so funny and so awkward."
"I think often when that subculture is depicted on screen and in books, it's often either very shocking or very kind of extreme," the True Blood and Succession star continued.
"It can either be super sexy or sexy but, like, verging on something dangerous - it's, like, an ominous tone to it. I thought it was so refreshing to read it.
"Yes, there were definitely thrilling and sexy and exciting moments in it, but Harry Lighton (director), who wrote the screenplay, left space for so much awkwardness and tenderness, and all these mundane moments brushing up against the more extreme moments was something I really gravitated towards."
Saluting his co-star Melling, Skarsgård said: "If you work with Harry Melling, it's hard to not feel sweetness and tenderness because he is just such a delightful human being and so lovely and sweet and fun to work with. It definitely wasn't a stretch for me as an actor to kind of find those moments. They came very naturally in working with Harry."
Skarsgård has received much attention for his red-carpet looks while promoting Pillion and said making daring choices has made the circuit more fun.
"I wore a simple black tuxedo the other night, actually," he said.
"When you're on a press tour, and we've been fortunate enough to travel to a lot of film festivals with Pillion, it can be monotonous and exhausting. It just instils a little bit of fun and life into it when you can play around with the outfits, and rather than just bringing five different black/grey/navy suits, you can actually be a bit more playful with it. I've quite enjoyed that.
"I'm obviously not, like, playing the character from the movie - I'm not Ray on the red carpet - but no doubt have I been inspired by the movie and by working with these guys from GBMCC (Gay Bikers Motorcycle Club). I think it's a little bit spur of the moment, depending on what I want to wear. Sometimes it's a bit more conservative, but I have enjoyed it. I definitely have."
Pillion is in cinemas now.
Arena, RTÉ Radio 1, weeknights, 7pm
