Warning! This article contains spoilers of season 1 of Murderbot, episode 3 and the artificial condition.
Alexander Skarsgård had a fun way to prepare for his leading role in Apple TV+ Murder. It could even be a track of a great plot in the second book. Skarsgård leads the cast of Murder as the titular secunity, Murderbot. Reviews for Murder have already praised Skarsgård’s ability to bring the character to life in live action, with consensus seeming to be that he was perfectly chosen as the socially anxious Android. However, he did not receive that praise by accident. Skarsgård put in a truly shocking and hilarious job to prepare to play secunity.
Apple TV+ Murder is based on The Murder Newspapers by Martha Wells, but it has not been entirely faithful to the award-winning science fiction books. For example, there was a significant change in Dr. Guathin, portrayed by David Dastmalchian, and several elements from the books have been expanded and extended for the show. That said, Murder is also a fairly faithful adaptation in specific areas, such as the plot itself and the sarcastic and dry wit of Wells’ writing.
In an interview with USA Today, Alexander Skarsgård revealed that he underwent multiple full-body Brazilian waxes during the six-month filming of Murderbot. Skarsgård wanted to portray the character «without hair» accurately, as Murderbot, being an artificial security, has no body hair.
«I made the completely stupid decision to be completely hairless. So, I shaved my entire body. Like a Brazilian wax, but from head to toe. I was screaming. And then I had to continue doing it for six months during the lengthy filming. That was a terrible idea.»
Skarsgård clearly regretted his decision to go through with the extensive hair removal process for the role.
