Alexander Skarsgrd and Michael Shannon remember their first favorite albums, their most embarrassing moments on set and their first bad reviews in the latest installment of The First Time.
Shannon and Skarsgrd who co-star on AMCs new John le Carr adaptation, The Little Drummer Girl both revealed the first albums they fell in love with. For Skarsgrd, who was raised in Sweden, it was the Italo-disco compilation, Max Mix 4, while Shannon remembered his obsession with Phil Collins No Jacket Required. I dont really have much of a story about it, he deadpanned. It involved listening to the album and liking it a great deal.
Elsewhere, the two joked about their tall statures and being able to ride whatever ride they want at Six Flags, while they also reflected on the more humiliating aspects of acting. Skrsgard remembered being too scared to play out a confrontation with a mean dog while acting in a film as a nine-year-old, and Shannon said there was rarely a moment when he wasnt embarrassed. Its constantly embarrassing being on set, he said. Its embarrassing being in front of a camera, being around other people Im fairly constantly embarrassed, particularly right now.
Shannon and Skarsgrd also dredged up memories of their first bad reviews. Shannon was able to quote, word-for-word, a reviewers disparaging quip about his performance in a play in Chicago: He said that, Michael Shannon is a semi-attractive youngster who thinks acting is rubbing is forehead and flapping his arms like a bird.'
For Skarsgrd, that first bad review came for his performance in the same film he had to square up against a bad dog as a nine-year-old. Though the character was supposed to be sick and die, Skarsgrd said he was nevertheless scarred when a critic wrote that he looked like he was dying.