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+'s Reviews for Murderbot have 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+'s Murderbot is based on change to David Dastmalchian's Dr. Gurathin, for example, and several elements from the books were expanded and lengthened for the show. That being said, Murderbot is 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 of Murderbot's more surprising and hilarious book consistencies, and it may be more important than it seems.
Alexander Skarsgård Wanted To Be “Hairless” To Play Murderbot & Had Regular Waxing Sessions
Skarsgård Got Multiple Full-Body Brazillian Waxes Over The Course Of Murderbot's Six-Month Shoot
In an interview with USA Today, Alexander Skarsgård said that he had his entire body waxed for the entire duration of Murderbot'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 for Murderbot and its chances of continuing past its first season.
Murderbot Is Hairless, But That Isn’t Important Until The Second Book
Murderbot's Hairlessness Only Comes Up In Artificial Condition, But Murderbot Is Adapting All Systems Red
Alexander Skarsgård's decision to be "completely hairless" for Murderbot actually is in line with a fairly large plot point in the Murderbot Diaries books. In Artificial 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 in Artificial 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 in Artificial Condition, as Murderbot didn't want to become more human, but it decided to have the procedure done anyway to help it escape recapture by Murderbot'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 book Murderbot season 1 is adapting.
Alexander Skarsgård’s Waxing Routine May Hint Toward A Murderbot Season 2 Storyline
Murderbot Might Already Be Thinking Ahead To Adapting Artificial Condition In Season 2
Since Murderbot's lack of body hair wasn't important to the book Murderbot season 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 of Murderbot are already setting Murderbot season 2 up to adapt Murderbot's reconfiguration in Artificial Condition. Skarsgård's waxing routine won't have a payoff until Murderbot reaches 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.

Why Alexander Skarsgård's Murderbot Character Is Referred To As "It" In The Apple TV+ Show
Murderbot is frequently called "it" in Apple TV+'s sci-fi thriller, but that pronoun doesn't dehumanize the SecUnit - it makes it even more unique.
What makes it even more likely that Murderbot is already setting up season 2 is the fact that the show could easily have avoided Murderbot's lack of body hair. Murderbot has 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 turn Murderbot into a multi-season show. At the very least, it shows that Skarsgård is already looking ahead to future Murderbot Diaries books.
Murderbot Release Schedule |
|
---|---|
Episode Title |
Release Date |
FreeCommerce |
May 16 |
Eye |
May 16 |
Risk Assessment |
May 23 |
Escape Velocity Protocol |
May 30 |
Rogue War Tracker Infinite |
June 6 |
Command Feed |
June 13 |
Complementary Species |
June 20 |
Foreign Object |
June 27 |
All Systems Red |
July 4 |
The Perimeter |
July 11 |
Even if Skarsgård's waxing routine is proof that Murderbot is 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 that Murderbot will be renewed for a second season. The only thing that can guarantee Murderbot will continue is viewership. Right now, it's impossible to say how successful the show is, as Apple doesn't share viewership data publicly. Hopefully, Murderbot will prove just as popular as the books, and it will be able to make use of this superb bit of setup it already included.

Murderbot
- Release Date
- May 15, 2025
- Network
- Apple TV+
- Showrunner
- Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
Cast
- Murderbot
- Noma DumezweniMensah
- Directors
- Aurora Guerrero, Roseanne Liang
- Writers
- Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
- Franchise(s)
- The Murderbot Diaries
- Creator(s)
- Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz
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