Alexander Skarsgard reveals real reason behind retirement

Alexander Skarsgard, during his appearance on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast, disclosed the reason behind his hiatus from acting back when he was 13.

The 48-year-old first explained how different things were when he starred in Hunden som log (The Dog That Smiled), a 1989 Swedish TV film, and garnered major popularity.

"It was a 50-minute-long TV movie, but this was back in the 1980s, so we only had like two channels in Sweden, way before cable," He continued, "So if something was on, the whole country would watch it. I was 13 and suddenly just because of that one little thing, I was recognised."

"Yeah. I became a star," he further added.

As to the reason for his break, he explained how fame became overwhelming at such a young age, "I didn't like being recognised. I didn't like going to school and kids at school being like, 'I saw the movie.'"

He also revealed how the role affected his personal relationships, "I remember being 13, 14, and if a girl showed a little bit of interest in me, I was like, 'She's just a fan of the movie. That's it,’" he added. "It just crushed me. I was like, 'This is terrible.' And I've done one 50-minute made-for-TV movie. I don't want to keep doing this."”

"I retired. Threw in the towel at 13," he said further.

However, Alexander came out of retirement with his Hollywood debut in Zoolander in 2001.