Alexander Skarsgård was born into an actors family, his father Stellan as well as several of his brothers are successful actors. Furthermore, he got off to an early start when a friend of his father got him a role at seven years old, which seemed to suggest he was always destined to become an actor. However, along the way, several diversions could have set him on another path. At 13 years old he quit acting as he got uncomfortable with the fame. Later on, he joined the Swedish national service, went off to study English in Leeds, and considered pursuing an architecture career. But in the end, he chooses the path of acting.