Swedish heartthrob Alexander Skarsgård has kissed his way through some of Hollywood’s most beautiful people – but it turns out, the kiss that made the biggest impression wasn’t with Margot Robbie or Nicole Kidman.
No, it was with another man on True Blood, and it was – according to Alexander – “gentle”, and “tender”, and honestly… we’re still sweating from that scene.
And if that juicy revelation isn’t enough, stick around to hear about the male-on-male Tarzan kiss that was deemed “too much” for audiences and left on the cutting room floor.
True Blood: The Show That Pushed All Our Buttons
HBO’s True Blood wasn’t just a vampire drama – it was a steamy exploration of desire, power, and sexuality that changed television. Running from 2008 to 2014, the series became famous for its bold approach to LGBTQ+ themes (and others).
Alexander portrayed Eric Northman, the thousand-year-old Viking vampire whose character evolved from mysterious antagonist to vulnerable love interest as the series progressed.
The show embraced same-sex attraction, featuring numerous gay characters and storylines that resonated deeply with queer audiences.
With its sultry Louisiana setting and supernatural premise, True Blood created the perfect backdrop for Alexander to showcase both his acting talents and physical appeal.
Creator Alan Ball (known for Six Feet Under and American Beauty) ensured the series pushed boundaries in all the right ways.
An Authentic Ally From Day One
Alexander’s comfort with queer content on screen makes perfect sense when you learn about his background. His support for the LGBTQ+ community isn’t just talk – it’s deeply personal.
“It’s always been the most natural thing to me because my uncle and godfather is a gay man and so growing up, even as a little toddler, it was just as natural as being straight,” Alexander has shared.
“My aunt would show up with her husband and my uncle would show up with his husband. He was, by far, out of my father’s four siblings, the most fashionable and the most trendy, cool guy.
“So, when I was a kid, he was the one I looked up to. I thought he was really badass: fit and awesome and cool, and obviously not because he was gay.”
This early positive influence shaped Alexander’s worldview in meaningful ways, especially during his teenage years when homophobia often runs rampant.
“When I became a teenager and the kids made fun of other teenagers who were gay, I never really understood that,” he recalled. “It just baffled me because my idol, my godfather, was gay, and he was the coolest guy I knew. I just couldn’t understand how that could be an insult.”
The Confession That Had Everyone Talking
In 2016, while promoting The Legend of Tarzan, Alexander appeared on Australian news panel show The Project, where he faced a question many actors might have dodged: Who was his best on-screen kiss among three former co-stars – Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, or Ryan Kwanten?
Without hesitation, Alexander delivered his unexpected answer:
“Out of the three I’ve got to say Ryan Kwanten is surprisingly a good kisser,” he confessed with that signature smirk. “He’s very tender. You wouldn’t think it because he’s kind of a tough guy, but very soft, gentle, tender touch.”
When one of the show’s hosts jokingly suggested that Alexander should write it into his contracts that he can only kiss Australians from now on, Alexander playfully replied, “or only Ryan Kwanten.”
Eric and Jason: The Scene That Launched a Thousand Fantasies
For those who need a refresher, Ryan played Jason Stackhouse, the womanizing brother of protagonist Sookie.
While Eric and Jason weren’t romantically linked in the main storyline, they shared an intense dream sequence that quickly became one of the series’ most talked-about moments.
The scene featured Jason experiencing a blood-induced fantasy where he and Eric engaged in a passionate encounter. The chemistry between the two actors was undeniable, with a perfect balance of intensity and tenderness that left viewers rewinding for multiple viewings.
When Ryan himself spoke about that memorable scene, just before it aired, he revealed something deliciously interesting: Over the years, he and Alexander had mostly just seen each other during table readings since their characters rarely shared screen time.
According to Ryan, the two actors actually “begged” the producers for scenes together – and the show’s creators certainly delivered, giving them one of the hottest encounters in the series.
Their characters had a complicated relationship throughout the series – Eric often seeing Jason as little more than human collateral, while Jason viewed Eric with a mixture of fear and grudging respect.
This underlying tension made their dream sequence all the more charged and memorable.
The Tarzan Kiss That Hollywood Couldn’t Handle
While Alexander clearly has no qualms about intimate scenes with men, audiences were robbed of another potentially iconic moment several years ago.
The Legend of Tarzan originally featured a scene where the villainous Captain Leon Rom (played by Christoph Waltz) kissed an unconscious Tarzan, followed by the suggestive line: “Your husband’s wildness disturbs me more than I can even express.”
The line survived the final cut (you can even hear it in the trailer), but the kiss itself ended up on the cutting room floor. Director David Yates explained that test audiences were left “perplexed” by the moment.
“We pared it back because it was almost too much,” Yates said at the time. “It was this really odd, odd moment when Christoph kisses him. We loved it at the time. But early test audiences were perplexed by it and in the end it just felt too clever and overworked.”
Too clever? Or too hot to handle? We’ll never know what might have been.
What we do know is that Alexander’s refreshing candor about his male kissing partner – and his apparent appreciation for Ryan’s technique – continues to be one of those delightful Hollywood moments that reminds us why we’ve been fans for so long.
In an industry often plagued by “no-homo” posturing, Alexander’s casual admission feels like a breath of fresh air.
If you want to rewatch that scene – True Blood is available on Amazon’s Prime Video.