Alexander Skarsgård was "truly a wreck" when he ripped a guy's throat out in The Northman.

The 45-year-old actor stars as Viking warrior prince Amleth in the upcoming epic revenge thriller and spoke out about how one of the climactic scenes was so "complex" and "difficult" because it featured 50 people fighting at the same time.

He said: "It was the end of a very long, complex shot of the Viking berserkers raiding a Slav village. The choreography was so difficult, with all these elements, 50 people fighting simultaneously, the extras and the horses… making it look perfect was a real undertaking."

The former 'Big Little Lies' star went on to reveal that he found one shot in particular - which saw him "rip out a guy's throat" - to be exhaustive and left him feeling "truly a reck."

He told Empire: "That climax, where I rip a guy’s throat out and howl at the moon… it was primal. I just let it all out. I was exhausted, and I think you see it in the shot. I was a wreck. Truly a wreck."

Alexander - who is the son of fellow Hollywood actor Stellan Skarsgård, 70 - also noted that the experience shooting the film "changed him" and he how feels "a bit lost" as he is unsure how to top the epic drama.

He added: "A lot of stuff that I might have said yes to a couple of years ago, I’m just not that keen on doing anymore. I feel a bit lost. I don’t know where to go from here. This experience… it definitely changed me. I think it changed most people who were on that mountaintop.

'The Northman' is set to be released on April 15 in the UK and April 22 in the USA.