No, not Skarsgard.
Peter Sarsgaard is an American actor that perhaps you are not too familiar with, but you should be. And you probably have been, but not realized who it was you were watching. In fact, this has happened to me personally. About less than ten years ago, I was enrolled in a Human Sexuality course in college, and my professor decided to show the movie, Kinsey. This film focused around Alfred Charles Kinsey, a professor known for his work on defining and progressing the study of sexology. In this, Sarsgaard plays Clyde Martin, who was not only Kinsey’s real-life assistant for the professor’s studies, but also his lover.
The thing is, I didn’t know who Peter Sarsgaard was at this point. It would only be about until a year ago or so when I was binge-watching The Killing on Netflix (unfortunately, it’s been removed from the streaming service, but you need to watch this series) that I was witness to some of the best acting I’ve ever seen on television. In The Killing’s third season, Sarsgaard plays Ray Seward. Seward is days away from being executed for murdering his wife or at least that’s what you originally think. As a man who, though not a saint; did not murder his wife, we see the range of emotions he goes through his last few days and the acting chops that Sarsgaard has to deliver such a performance is awe-inspiring. Sarsgaard was even nominated for an award for best supporting actor for his role as Seward during the Critics Choice Television Awards in 2014.
“I have to tell you – coming up in a few episodes is some of the best acting I have ever done in my life.” – Seward stated in an interview with Rolling Stones Magazine in 2013.
Sarsgaard has also been in cult classics such as Boys Don’t Cry, Garden State, Jarhead, and The Skeleton Key. As someone who grew up with a grandfather who loved old Westerns, The Magnificient Seven (1960) rates as my favorite from the time. In 2016, Sarsgaard stared among an all-star cast for the remake consisting of Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, and Haley Bennett. In this remake, which was fantastic and did the original justice while putting in a modern spin; Sarsgaard portrays main antagonist Bartholomew Bogue, who is a clever and well-articulated gold-mining tycoon who essentially is holding a town hostage. If I could have one complaint about the remake it is that it did not feature Bogue enough, but the scenes he was in, were captivating.
Sarsgaard’s most current works are crime thriller movie The Lie with The Killing co-star Mireille Enos and miniseries The Looming Tower. While Sarsgaard may not get the recognition he deserves, he has a special place in my heart as one of the most compelling actors of today and in my review of Black Mass, I expressed how the film should have focused more on Sarsgaard’s character, as every movie needs more Sarsgaard.