Ray’s “Enigmatic” Backstory In Pillion Addressed By Alexander Skarsgård

Golden Globe and Emmy winner Alexander Skarsgård is a BDSM dom with a really distinctive backstory in his newest movie.

Primarily based on Adam Mars-Jones’ Field Hill, Skarsgård co-leads Pillion as Ray, a member of a neighborhood biker gang who, after an opportunity encounter with timid homosexual man Colin, enters into a really strict BDSM relationship with him. Colin, already feeling aimless in his quiet life dwelling together with his dad and mom and wanting to higher join with somebody, fortunately accepts the chance, solely to seek out that he will not be prepared for what’s to come back.

Harry Potter alum Harry Melling stars alongside Skarsgård as Colin within the movie’s forged, which additionally contains Douglas Hodge, Lesley Sharp, Jake Shears and Mat Hill. Written and directed by Harry Lighton in his characteristic debut, Pillion has garnered common acclaim since its 2025 Cannes Movie Competition premiere, the place it earned a seven-minute standing ovation, and gained each the Un Sure Regard – Finest Screenplay and Palm Canine – Mutt Second. After making the rounds at different worldwide festivals, A24 is bringing the movie, which has a near-perfect 99% approval score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, to home audiences.

In honor of its broad launch, ScreenRant‘s Liam Crowley interviewed Alexander Skarsgård, Harry Melling and Harry Lighton to debate Pillion. When requested about Ray’s backstory, which largely goes unexplored within the movie, Skarsgård admitted to being “very relieved” when he learn the script and located “you do not be taught a lot about Ray,” feeling that “99 writers out of 100” will craft a “large climactic second” within the second act that might reveal “Ray’s obtained a secret“:

Alexander Skarsgård: You’d be taught one thing in regards to the very enigmatic character, after which one thing is revealed, and it is cataclysmic. I used to be so thrilled when that did not occur that you just remained in that sense of him being enigmatic all through the top. I assumed that was unbelievable. You continue to must instill life into the character and have moments the place there’s a little bit of friction, or the place he may be reducing his guard just a little bit. Calibrating that was fairly enjoyable as a result of, once more, it was about doing it just a bit bit as a result of, most frequently, he is very a lot in management.

Pillion’s Script Was Initially Far Extra Graphic Than The Last Lower

ScreenRant: Did anybody know what “pillion” meant earlier than signing onto this movie?

Alexander Skarsgård: I nonetheless do not know what it means.

ScreenRant: It is the backseat of the motorbike, proper?

Harry Melling: Yeah, precisely.

Alexander Skarsgård: Nevertheless it’s additionally the individual on the backseat, but additionally the bodily backseat.

Harry Melling: I sort of like the anomaly of it although, the truth that not many individuals know precisely what it’s. I believe it really works in our favor.

Harry Lighton: I agree. And my favourite factor which has occurred for the reason that film’s been out and about is that folks preserve sending me screenshots of Grindr to the place persons are simply writing “pillion.”

Alexander Skarsgård: I like when individuals say, “[In a French accent] Pillion.” Individuals pronounce it like papillon.

ScreenRant: Harry, I might love to speak in regards to the casting course of for this movie. You wanted very particular actors to meet these roles, but additionally actors who have been going to be all in on the idea of what you have been attempting to get at right here. Are you able to speak to me about casting Harry and Alexander and what struck you, whether or not it’s their auditions or their personalities, that made them proper for these roles?

Harry Lighton: I assumed they each appeared like “all in” sort of guys from their work. I forged Harry first, really. I wished to seek out Colin first. Harry’s work was very diverse, however there was a sort of a uniting factor. In numerous Harry’s work, he was very magnetic, however not in an alpha male manner. And that is what I wished from Colin, somebody who might be on the aspect of a room, however nonetheless command the viewers’s consideration. After which Alex, it was a mixture of getting seen and cherished him in Succession after which seeing a photograph of him the place he wasn’t carrying any trousers and being like, “This man appears fairly mischievous.”

ScreenRant: There have been two issues I used to be noticing particularly all through the movie. His relationship together with his dad and mom was deteriorating as he obtained nearer to Ray and his work ethic at his day job was fading. How do you view Colin’s trajectory all through this movie? Is he dropping his sense of id or is he turning into extra of the person who he’s destined to be? Or is it someplace in between?

Harry Melling: I believe it is in all probability each. I believe he is positively transferring ahead in the direction of one thing that feels proper for him, however on the similar time, by doing that, in fact, you are going to shed sure issues alongside the best way. He’ll really feel some losses can be very vital and others will simply be a part of his altering and transferring in the direction of one thing that he is aware of is nice for him and works for him. That is what actually excited me in regards to the script was the truth that we do go on this vital journey from somebody who could be very closed off to stuff occurring to him, to somebody who’s, by the top of the film, very prepared for it.

ScreenRant: I seen within the first act, in Jay’s front room, there have been beer bottles scattered all over the place on the cabinets, on the nightstand. By the third act, they’re all gone. What does that say about Colin getting into his life and the areas that he is satisfying past simply the sexual pleasures?

Harry Lighton: Nicely, it says that Colin’s a unbelievable home submissive. He would not have to be requested twice to clear up. I believe it additionally says one thing about Ray. Ray would not strike me at the least because the sort of man who’s like a layabout mess. So I believe that when Colin comes again for the primary time, the truth that there are beer bottles on the market prepared for somebody to wash up, I do not suppose that Ray has finished that by chance.

ScreenRant: For Harry, how’d you get the padlock off?

Harry Melling: Good query. I keep in mind we have been discussing sure moments for the movie, and I keep in mind there was a automotive sequence. I got here up with this concept of getting the lock off at one level as a major second, and we each shortly realized that it was a very dangerous thought.

Alexander Skarsgård: There’s an excellent 20-minute scene of you going to a locksmith —

Harry Melling: [Laughs] However no, I am glad that we do not characteristic that within the film.

ScreenRant: For all three of you, was there something within the script initially that was deemed too far for the ultimate lower?

Harry Lighton: No. No, I do not suppose so.

Alexander Skarsgård: No, it was only a bit extra specific within the script, which I believe was sort of good. There could be like 5 paragraphs a few closeup of a penis, and the depiction of the intercourse scenes, nevertheless it was good to do it that manner as a result of then anybody who jumped in knew what they have been moving into. So then the precise shoot and the precise movie felt like PG-13 in comparison with that.

ScreenRant: You are giving very nuanced performances at this stage in your profession. Your father simply obtained his first Academy Award nomination. Invoice, your brother, is shortly turning into the face of concern for our technology in terms of horror. Do you ever take into consideration the Skarsgård household legacy inside movie? And in that case, what do you hope your contribution is to that?

Alexander Skarsgård: I like that Invoice is the face of concern. I’ll begin calling him that. “Yo, face of concern! F-O-F!” I simply hope I am the preferred one. Probably the most cherished one.

ScreenRant: You have been duking it out on the Gotham Awards.

Alexander Skarsgård: We have been each fairly cocky after which we each misplaced. In order that was a little bit of a disappointment. Yeah. I simply need to be the perfect.

Launch Date

February 6, 2026

Runtime

107 minutes

Director

Harry Lighton

Writers

Harry Lighton, Adam Mars-Jones

Producers

Andrew Lowe, Ed Guiney, Emma Norton, Lee Groombridge