IT Actor Bill Skarsgård Arrested for Drug Possession in Sweden

Actor Bill Skarsgård has been arrested in Sweden, on charges of alleged drug possession. According to sources reportedly in law enforcement, Skarsgård was arrested in Stockholm, Sweden’s Arlanda Airport back in October of last year, when it was found that he allegedly had nearly 2.5 grams of marijuana in his possession. He was reportedly sentenced yesterday; Skarsgård will not face jail time, probation, or parole – but he did have to pay a lofty fine of 40,000 Swedish krona – which equates to a bit under $4,000 USD. 

 Bill Skarsgård is best known for playing Pennywise the Clown in the recent two-part movie adaptation of Stephen King’s IT; he also got his breakout playing a lead role in one of Netflix’s first original series, the horror-themed Hemlock Grove. In recent years, Skarsgård has continued making himself a horror icon, starring in the cult-hit film Barbarian; taking on big franchise roles as the villain in John Wick 4, a mo-cap actor for the character “Kro” in Marvel’s Eternals, and even a bit role in Deadpool 2. Next up, Skarsgård will lean back into the darker side of things, taking on the late Brandon Lee’s role as Eric Draven in The Crow remake, as well as playing the iconic Count Orlok in a remake of the industry-defining silent film, Nosferatu. 

Like his brother Alexander Skarsgård (Succession) and father Stellan Skarsgård (Dune: Part Two) Bil is a native of Sweden and is therefore not only subject to, but familiar with, the country’s laws. On the other hand, the status of Cannabis as an illegal substance is wildly fluid right now; from country to country (or even state to state in the US) you can either freely use Cannabis, or be harshly punished for it, depending on which side of a line (read: border) you are standing. 2.5 grams is a very small amount of Cannabis, indicating that Sweden indeed has very harsh views about drug use. 

In fact, according to a government website, Sweden adheres to the “Narcotic Drugs (Punishments) Act” of 1968, which states in its first section that “a drug offender as anyone who unlawfully transfers drugs, manufactures drugs intended for misuse, handles in any way drugs intended for personal use, or sells drugs.” The listed punishments for drug usage in Sweden include, “a fine or imprisonment for a maximum of 6 months for persons convicted of a petty drug offense, and imprisonment for 2-10 years for a grave drug offense.”

Via: TMZ