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Alexander Skarsgard: I can be self-destructive and intense

Samantha Chang's photo
Celebrity Fitness and Health Examiner

True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard works out 'a lot' to be buff for his many nude sex scenes (and it shows!). (Photos/HBO)

Swedish hottie Alexander Skarsgard "loves" playing Eric Northman, the sexy bad-boy vampire in True Blood, but unlike the calm, cool Eric, he admits he's intense and has self-destructive tendencies.

"I'm different in real life," Skarsgård, 33, told the Telegraph on Aug. 12, 2010. "[Eric is] subdued and calm, I'm more playful. I'm pretty intense when it comes to relationships -- platonic ones as well. If I feel a connection with someone, I'm willing to go there." [Editor's note: Alex is reportedly dating his Straw Dogs co-star Kate Bosworth.]

He adds: "I also know I have to be careful because there is something destructive within me, I think, and I can have a tendency to just search for the kicks. I can't really get too close to someone who's too destructive, or too dark, because then I might go down the rabbit hole myself."

'I TRY TO AVOID PRETTY-BOY ROLES'

While the hunky 6'4" Alexander works out "all the time" to play the insatiable Eric, he's not entirely comfortable with his sex-symbol status. Does he see himself as beautiful? 

"I see myself as most people see themselves, you have good days and bad days," says Skarsgård. "I don't think I'm better looking now than I did three years ago."

Still, Alexander, who has been named the Sexiest Man in Sweden for the past five years (and has made People's Most Beautiful list), steers away from pretty-boy roles. "I'm always looking for something that's real and that's got meat on it," he says. "I think it's artistic suicide if you're too vain, or if you're afraid to play ugly. I would never fall for that."

Despite his model good looks, Skarsgård famously spent a year and half training in the Swedish army -- an experience which came in handy when he played a marine in the 2008 HBO mini-series Generation Kill, for which he underwent a grueling actors' boot camp.

"It was tough," Alexander recalls of his tint in the Swedish military. "For me it was just a personal challenge. I'm very happy that I did it. I hated it at times. The unit I was in dealt with anti-sabotage, anti-terrorism in the archipelago, so some of the people who applied were total warheads. There were a lot of really cool guys, but the mentality sometimes got a little too testosterone-fueled for my tastes."

BOTOX AND PLASTIC SURGERY?

When playing Eric, Skarsgård plays up the vampire's animalistic, dangerous sexuality. Fortunately, the athletic Alexander is comfortable with his character's countless nude sex scenes. “I’m a Scandinavian guy, we love to be naked," he has said. "Nudity is great.”

Meanwhile, Alexander will begin shooting the fourth season of True Blood this fall. The third season is currently showing in the U.S.

So how long does he see himself playing Eric? "I'm not supposed to age, so we might have a bit of a problem when I'm 55 and still playing Eric, it might get kind of pathetic," he jokes. "We still have a couple of years. I do live in LA, so I can cheat with Botox and plastic surgery."

He adds: "That was a joke, by the way."

See more on True Blood and Alexander Skarsgard:

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Slideshow: Alexander Skarsgard: I love playing Eric Northman

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True Blood hunk Alexander Skarsgard loves getting nude for the cameras, say his co-stars. That's a good thing, since Skarsgård's legions of fans love seeing him in the buff! "Alex is not shy about getting naked at all," says co-star Carrie Preston. (Photo/Details)

Slideshow: Alexander Skarsgard: I love playing Eric Northman

, Celebrity Fitness and Health Examiner

Samantha Chang is the executive editor and co-owner of TheImproper.com, an arts and entertainment website in New York City. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Samantha is a former financial journalist who enjoys running, cycling and music. Contact her at schang@theImproper.com.

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