SPOILERS for Big Little Lies

Since many of you wanted to talk about the finale episode of Big Little Lies, I thought this would be a good space for it. I was interested in watching the series but not interested enough to actually subscribe to HBO, although that’s a decision I’m regretting as I read all of the thinkpieces about the show. In any case, many viewers and critics agree that it was a pulpy soap opera… until it wasn’t. Until it was about real things, and it was centered around nuanced, incredible performances. Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Alexander Skarsgard are all getting some of the best reviews of their careers for BLL. And after months of doing zero promotion for the show, Skarsgard finally gave some interviews post-finale, a finale in which the audience finally learned that his character (the abusive husband) was the one who died. Some assorted quotes from Alex:

He’s worried he’ll never be a leading man now: “I have a feeling this is going to be my last interview ever (laughs) because after Perry Wright, I’ll never get another job. But, hell, it was worth it. Yeah [because he’s a monster]. I’ll never play leading man, that’s for sure.

His reaction when he read the scripts: “I was very excited. I thought the tone was so unique. It’s funny and twisted and camp and then really dark and twisted. The pendulum would swing back and forth between different tones. I was very intrigued by the relationship between Celeste and Perry. I thought it was an opportunity to tell a story about an abusive husband that wasn’t a stereotypical wife-beater. I thought it was fascinating that he was a good dad, loves his kids, and adores his wife. On the surface, they have a perfect life and then he’s struggling with these demons and he doesn’t know how to handle that. It’s almost like a switch flips and he goes black and he goes violent.

Understanding the nuances of an abusive relationship: “It is a very physical relationship. It’s the envy of most people when they first see this couple. It’s too good to be true. The kids, the house, the sex, everything. There is more to it than that. It muddles the line because their sex life is violent and they both get off on it. It makes it difficult for her to draw the line, for her to feel that he’s abusive, because she feels like an accomplice. But there is a difference between liking it rough in the bed and pure abuse which he crosses that line early on. It’s tough and I think that’s what makes it interesting on a character level. Because it’s tough for her to move and to accept the fact that he’s bad for her and the kids. There is a lot of love. She loves him when he’s not abusive. In those moments he’s great. And that’s what makes it an interesting story.

The most difficult scene for him to shoot: “Yeah, I had to throw Nicole across a room and slap her and beat her and throw her up against the wall and over a chair. It was a long sequence around the bedroom where they would just use little snippets of it for flashbacks and memories. But we’d have to shoot it in one long sequence and that was very tough to shoot because it was emotional and very violent. So, yeah, I did not enjoy that.

[From EW & Vulture]

I kind of enjoy how he analyzes the difference between a couple enjoying rough sex and an abusive relationship. There’s a nuance there, and he acknowledges that the victim of abuse feels some sense of culpability and guilt too, which is a very real thing. Anyway, I’m understanding why Alex didn’t do much press for the show beforehand. His character was the huge reveal and there was very little he could say that wouldn’t have given away major plot points.

Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and WENN.