Alexander Skarsgård: BDSM Film & Shirt Controversy

Alexander Skarsgård is doing an excellent job plugging his new movie.

The Swedish-born actor is on a promo tour for his new romantic comedy, “Pillion,” which is based on the 2020 novel “Box Hill” by Adam Mars-Jones.

In the film, Skarsgård plays Ray, the charismatic leader of a biker gang, who embarks on a dominant/submissive BDSM relationship with a timid young man named Colin, who is portrayed by Harry Melling.

Just as a fun side note, you may remember Melling as the child actor who played Dudley Dursley in the “Harry Potter” franchise — and we sincerely hope he makes some facial expressions like this the movie:

“Pillion” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and for the occasion, Skarsgård decided to highlight the themes of the film with his choice of T-shirt, which has a graphic of a boot hovering over the face of a shirtless and aroused man.

And during the film’s stop at the Zurich Film Festival in Switzerland on Wednesday, Skarsgård decided to up the ante by wearing a silk shirt from Italian designer Magliano, which is inspired by late 20th-century Italian gay culture.

And just to cut to the chase, the shirt features a graphic that includes a few dildos and butt plugs.

The shirt could also be considered an homage to the only line Skarsgård utters in the film’s trailer, which is: “I’ll text you a shopping list. And buy yourself a butt plug, you’re too tight.”

Yet, Skarsgård’s advocacy for the lifestyle seems to go a bit deeper than just his red carpet outfits.

“I found that in this case, it’s not really relevant what my background is,” the “True Blood” alum said of his reasons for doing the film, per Variety. “I mean, I do have a kid, but what I’ve done in the past, who I’ve been with, men, women… To me, what was important was that this felt like an opportunity to tell a story about a subculture I hadn’t seen portrayed this way — with so much authenticity.”

He then compared “Pillion” to 1980’s erotic thriller “Cruising,” which starred Al Pacino and focuses on a serial killer who targets gay men in New York City’s 1970s leather scene.

“My experience of watching this on screen was through ‘Cruising,’ where it’s this dark underbelly of New York City and it’s dangerous, murderous and scary. Leather gays are scary,” Skarsgård said. “I’m no Ray, but I have a little bit of experience from that world and I know that’s not the truthful depiction.”

He added of the film’s sex scenes: “We wanted it to be clumsy and weird. On screen, it often looks like a ballet, but sex can be awkward and funny.”

“Pillion” is set to hit theaters in the U.S. in February 2026.