FILM 1641: THE LEGEND OF
TARZAN
TRIVIA: Alexander Skarsgård
said that one of the main reasons he took this role was to impress his father Stellan Skarsgård.
He said, "My dad is a massive Tarzan fan. Growing up, we had these VHS
cassettes of the Johnny Weissmuller films, and that was my introduction to the
character. But those films are seventy years old, and so much time has passed,
that I think mine is a fresh take. I'll never compete with Johnny Weissmuller,
but I just wanted to impress my father. He was thrilled; he was more excited
than I was."
In the scene where Jane and Captain
Rom are eating dinner, she crosses her fork and knife. The Captain rings the
bell, and tells the servant Lady Clayton is finished. After she leaves, he
places her knife and fork beside each other. In formal dining, when people
cross their silverware, it means they did not enjoy the meal. When they are
placed next to each other, it means they are finished.
Alexander Skarsgård's
first cheat meal occurred more than five months into his training. Skarsgård
had been on a very strict diet for five straight months, avoiding any fat
completely, as he was in the process of developing an eight-pack. He said,
"It was a Sunday, and we were training hard in the gym, and my trainer saw
that my will to live was fading. He told me to put down the weights and he took
me to lunch. That day he let me order whatever I wanted. I got to eat pizza,
pasta, tiramisu. I get emotional just talking about that day." On the last
day of filming, the crew congratulated him on the end of his diet by gifting
him with a huge "Banoffee Pie," a British dessert. Skarsgård said
that to celebrate, he ate the entire pie by himself, in a single sitting.
Alexander Skarsgård
joked that he would like Tarzan to be drastically different in the sequel
because of the heavy workout and diet demands on him. He said, "We have an
outline already in which Tarzan gains weight. Tarzan remains hairy and does not
have eight pack abs. It has no action and Tarzan eats cake, lots of cake. I
wrote it."
Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was
in talks to play Tarzan. Ironically, Johnny Weissmuller was an Olympic swimmer
before landing in the role of the title character in the 1932 film and its
multiple sequels.
