says he ‘nearly ran over’ with his car while she was protesting.
Skarsgård, 45, drove past the environmental activist, 19, on his way to an interview when he narrowly missed her.
Speaking with , the actor said: ‘She’s how we sell our country now,’ since he and Thunberg are both Swedish.
‘And I almost hit her with my bike,’ he laughed.
‘Greta is like a modern-day Viking and, like Greta, the Vikings refused to fly.’
Thunberg began protesting in 2018 and has become known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action against climate change.
Elsewhere in his Times interview, Skarsgård talked about , The Northman, a film in which he plays Prince Amleth.
The Prince is on the verge of becoming a man when his father is brutally murdered by his uncle, who kidnaps the boy’s mother.
Two decades later, Amleth is now a Viking who raids Slavic villages. He soon meets a seeress who reminds him of his vow — save his mother, kill his uncle, avenge his father.
The film boasts a star-studded cast, including brother Bill Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman and Anya Taylor-Joy.
Northman sounds pretty gory, as one scene sees SkarsgÃ¥rd take a chunk out of someone’s throat and he’s frequently covered in blood.
SkarsgÃ¥rd says he is ‘staggered’ that the violent film was made.
On why he doesn’t Google his name and doesn’t have a social media presence, the Big Little Lies star said: ‘This industry is incredibly ridiculous. In meetings, people are really insecure and eager to please. But it’s a strict hierarchy.
‘If people at the top say something is good, people fall in line. Also, menial trivial b******t stuff becomes very important to people.’
‘As an actor, the value placed on how important something is can become laughable to me,’ he added.
However, the Succession star is aware of his privilege, acknowledging that he ‘doesn’t really have to work’ since he’s ‘made enough,’ with a reported worth of $15million (£11.4m).
‘I could retire, which is extraordinary. But I don’t feel the need to broadcast that with expensive clothes or cars. That radiates insecurity,’ he said.
‘When you see somebody with a $1 million watch? That’s peacocking. It can feel like they’re overcompensating.’
The Northman hits cinemas on April 15.
