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Podcasts Take Two
Alexander Skarsgard goes rogue in 'The East'
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May 31, 2013
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Alexander Skarsgard goes rogue in 'The East'
One of America's biggest heart-throbs today is a 6'4'" blonde, blue-eyed actor from Sweden. Alexander Skarsgard plays a villainous vampire in the HBO series "True Blood." Starting today, you can see him take on a very different role in the new film "The East."
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 28: Actor Alexander Skarsgard attends the premiere of 'The East' at ArcLight Hollywood on May 28, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MAY 28: Actor Alexander Skarsgard attends the premiere of 'The East' at ArcLight Hollywood on May 28, 2013 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
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Jason LaVeris, Getty Images
)

One of America's biggest heart-throbs today is a 6'4'" blonde, blue-eyed actor from Sweden. Alexander Skarsgard plays a villainous vampire in the HBO series "True Blood." Starting today, you can see him take on a very different role in the new film "The East."

One of America's biggest heartthrobs today is a 6-foot-4-inch, blonde, blue-eyed actor from Sweden. Alexander Skarsgard plays a villainous vampire in the HBO series "True Blood," and starting today, you can see him take on a very different role in the new film "The East."

Skarsgard plays the charismatic leader of The East, a mysterious collective of anarchists who plot elaborate attacks they call jams. These jams are intended to give corporations who lie, cheat and pollute a taste of their own medicine.

For example, at a party thrown by the manufacturer of an anti-malarial drug known to make its users seriously ill, The East doses the champagne with large amounts of the medication. In this scene, Skarsgard's character Benji goes undercover as a member of high society named Edward. 

Skarsgard joins the show to talk about his very first role in film, and what it was like to play an anarchist in "The East."