Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Murderbot season 1, episode 3 & Artificial Condition.Alexander Skarsgård had a hilarious way to prepare for his starring role in Apple TV+‘sMurderbot, and it could even be a hint at a big plotline in the second book. Alexander Skarsgård leads thecast ofMurderbotas the titular SecUnit, Murderbot.Reviews forMurderbothave already praised Skarsgård’s ability to breathe life into the character in live-action, and the consensus seems to be that he’s perfectly cast as the socially anxious android. He didn’t earn that praise by accident, however, and Skarsgård put some truly shocking and hilarious work into preparing to play SecUnit.
Apple TV+‘sMurderbotis based onThe Murderbot Diariesby Martha Wells, but it hasn’t been entirely faithful to the award-winning science fiction books. There was a hugechange to David Dastmalchian’s Dr. Gurathin, for example, and several elements from the books were expanded and lengthened for the show. That being said,Murderbotis also quite a faithful adaptation to specific areas, such as the plot itself and the general sarcastic and dry wit of Wells’ writing. Alexander Skarsgård is responsible for one ofMurderbot’s more surprising and hilarious book consistencies, and it may be more important than it seems.
Skarsgård Got Multiple Full-Body Brazillian Waxes Over The Course Of Murderbot’s Six-Month Shoot
In an interview withUSA Today, Alexander Skarsgård said that he had his entire body waxed for the entire duration ofMurderbot’s filming so that he could be “hairless.” As an artificial SecUnit, Murderbot doesn’t have body hair, and Skarsgård was clearly dedicated to that aspect of the role.
“I made the completely stupid choice to be completely hairless. So I waxed my entire body. Like a Brazilian wax, but top to toe. I was screaming. And then I had to keep doing it for six months for a long shoot. That was a terrible idea.”
Clearly, Skarsgård sorely regretted that decision. It does show how dedicated he is to the role of Murderbot and making sure that he could believably play an artificial lifeform like a SecUnit, but it was also clearly something he wouldn’t like to do again.As funny as Skarsgård’s waxing regiment was, it also may have a deeper meaning forMurderbotand its chances of continuing past its first season.
Murderbot’s Hairlessness Only Comes Up In Artificial Condition, But Murderbot Is Adapting All Systems Red
Image via Apple TV+
Alexander Skarsgård’s decision to be “completely hairless” forMurderbotactually is in line with a fairly large plot point in theMurderbot Diariesbooks.InArtificial Condition, Murderbot revealed that SecUnits are completely hairless save for their heads and eyebrows. The hair on their heads helps them appear less frightening to human clients, while the lack of hair on their bodies helps them wear skintight armor more easily. Murderbot even remarks that the lack of hair on its body made it feel less like a human person, which it actually enjoyed.
Later on inArtificial Condition, ART (A**hole Research Transport) convinces Murderbot to change its genetic coding and start growing hair on its body so it can better blend in as an augmented human instead of a SecUnit. That’s a fairly important moment inArtificial Condition, as Murderbot didn’t want to become more human, but it decided to have the procedure done anyway to help it escape recapture byMurderbot’s mysterious Company. However,Murderbot’s lack of body hair isn’t important at all to the first book in the series,All Systems Red, which is the bookMurderbotseason 1 is adapting.
Alexander Skarsgård’s Waxing Routine May Hint Toward A Murderbot Season 2 Storyline
Since Murderbot’s lack of body hair wasn’t important to the bookMurderbotseason 1 is adapting, it may be a hint that the Apple TV+ show is already planning ahead for the future.Alexander Skarsgård’s waxing routine may be proof that he and the creators ofMurderbotare already settingMurderbotseason 2 up to adapt Murderbot’s reconfiguration inArtificial Condition. Skarsgård’s waxing routine won’t have a payoff untilMurderbotreaches the middle of the second book, and it’s hard to believe he went through so much trouble for something that only has a chance of happening.
What makes it even more likely thatMurderbotis already setting up season 2 is the fact that the show could easily have avoided Murderbot’s lack of body hair.Murderbothas already made some big changes to the books it’s based on, and the Apple TV+ show could have handled Murderbot’s reconfiguration without having Skarsgård get full-body waxings.While it may just be a sign that Skarsgård is dedicated to the role, it also may be proof that Apple is planning to turnMurderbotinto a multi-season show. At the very least, it shows that Skarsgård is already looking ahead to futureMurderbot Diariesbooks.
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July 11
Even if Skarsgård’s waxing routine is proof thatMurderbotis already laying the groundwork for season 2, there are still a few hurdles the show will have to overcome.No amount of planning ahead or preexisting books can guarantee thatMurderbotwill be renewed for a second season. The only thing that can guaranteeMurderbotwill continue is viewership. Right now, it’s impossible to say how successful the show is, as Apple doesn’t share viewership data publicly. Hopefully,Murderbotwill prove just as popular as the books, and it will be able to make use of this superb bit of setup it already included.
