The upcoming Robert Eggers' film, The Northman, stars Alexander Skarsgård as a Viking prince on a quest to avenge his family. While the movie is actually based on a story from medieval Scandinavian legend (the same story Shakespeare's Hamlet is derived from), many fans of Skarsgård's took one look at the trailer and remarked that it seemed like the movie was just the backstory of his character from HBO's True Blood.
Skarsgård comes from a famous family. His father, Stellan Skarsgård, is a well-known actor (appearing in Swedish films and American blockbusters alike) and several of his brothers, including Bill Skarsgård, are actors as well. Skarsgård himself began acting in childhood, though he took a break in his teen years and shot to fame in Sweden in the early 2000s. However, it was his role in True Blood that made him an international star.
Skarsgård played millennium-old vampire Eric Northman on the show. Eric was originally introduced as the smirky, smoldering owner of Shreveport's premier vampire bar, Fangtasia. He also served as the vampire sheriff of the area, meaning that he could be sought out to give knowledge about and resolve local vampire conflicts; it was for that reason that True Blood's protagonist Sookie (Anna Paquin) initially sought him out, though they quickly developed a tense, sexually-charged relationship that spanned the rest of the show.
Eric was described as a Viking early on. He reclined on a rustic-looking throne, and he spoke Swedish to his progeny Pam (Kristin Bauer van Straten). It was revealed in the second season that he nearly died on the battlefield as a human but was saved (and turned vampire) by ancient yet eternally-teenage vampire Godric (Allan Hyde), and the pair proceeded to travel together for hundreds of years, eventually adding English noblewoman Nora (Lucy Griffiths) to their family (though she wasn't introduced until Season 5).
It wasn't until True Blood's third season that Eric's full backstory became apparent. When examining King of Mississippi Russell Edgington's (Denis O'Hare) collection of plundered antiques, Eric spotted a Viking crown that he recognized immediately as belonging to his father. His father, a Viking king, and his mother and young sister were murdered by werewolves in the employ of a mysterious figure. Upon finding the crown, Eric realized that Russell was, in fact, that man. He spent his life trying to avenge his family, and he was eventually the one to kill Russell, therefore fulfilling his mission.
The Northman also centers on vengeance and death. As such, True Blood fans have joked that it's just Eric's history all over again. However, Skarsgård's character in the film, Amleth, witnesses his uncle murder his father as a child then spends his life focused on getting revenge and saving his still-living mother, Gudrún (Nicole Kidman). Given that the historical story of Amleth is the basis for Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's most famous tragedies, it's reasonable to assume that The Northman will end unhappily -- meaning that True Blood will still be the place to go to see a Viking prince played by Skarsgård succeed in his vengeance quest.
To see Alexander Skarsgård return as a Viking, The Nortman hits theaters April 22.