BEVERLY HILLS—This week in the Hills, handsome “True Blood” star Alexander Skarsgård, who portrays 1,000-year-old Viking vampire Eric Northman, who normally enjoys his Santa Monica area digs is in New York City filming a movie, while awaiting the ambitious and anticipated “Straw Dogs’” release next month. And talented “General Hospital” actor Ronnie Marmo, who runs Theatre 68 in Hollywood, has embarked on an east coast jaunt, which will include opening up a new theatre off-Broadway in the Big Apple as well, and what else should matter in the Hills this week?

Alexander Skarsgård Lounging In Sunny L.A.

Well, with all eyes and most of us headed an hour north of L.A. to Kim Kardashian’s royal wedding, two big stars in the Hills decided that they’d be heading east, both embarking on exciting new projects. Nordic superstars are a small list of legendary actors, directors and two of Hollywood’s most unforgettable actresses. Before the strikingly handsome Alexander Skarsgård was even born, Hollywood welcomed Max von Sydow into its fold. Not to mention maverick director Ingmar Bergman or the magnificent two-time Oscar winner Ingrid Bergman, who was the Angelina Jolie of Hollywood scandal long before Angie stole Jen’s husband Brad Pitt. However, perhaps the biggest superstar in Hollywood history was MGM actress Greta Garbo, who walked away from Hollywood and never looked back after mesmerizing millions of moviegoers from the 1920s until her departure in the early 1940s.

Now who do we have from Sweden that captures everyone’s attention? It’s Alexander Skarsgård, who is currently in New York City filming “What Maisie Knew” co-starring my “As The World Turns” co-star Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan. The film is a contemporary New York City revisiting of the Henry James novella by the same name. It revolves around unwitting 7-year-old Maisie caught in the middle of a custody battle between her mother Susanna, an aging rock star, and her father Beale, a major art dealer.

Though it’s Alex’s highly anticipated film “Straw Dogs” that is receiving the most buzz right now. The film is about an L.A. screenwriter David Sumner, who relocates with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. There, while tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both. Skarsgård plays the heavy Charlie in the film, which opens around the country on September 16. It’s a Rod Lurie film, but Alex steals the movie, and for “True Blood” fans of Alex and Eric, you won’t be seeing much of either of them in this film, which may net the tall, handsome star an Academy Award nomination for a role that is a mixture of Robert Mitchum in “Night of the Hunter” and Cary Grant in 1940s “Suspicion.” Rarely can anyone as handsome as Alex be transformed in this way unless he’s a magnificent actor; and that, of course, we all will realize Alex Skarsgård has become right before our eyes.

For an exclusive look at two of the movie’s official trailers, click on the videos.