Bill Skarsgard shares toll filming The Crow had on his mental state

Bill Skarsgard has discussed the impact filming The Crow had on his mental state.

The 34-year-old Swedish actor plays lead character Eric Draven, aka The Crow, in Lionsgate film's gothic superhero movie.

Discussing the punishing work schedule he had to follow for the film project, Bill said that he channelled his "bleak" emotions to perfect his gritty performance.

He told The Hollywood Reporter, "Physicality wasn't really an issue, but the mental state kind of wears on you because you live in it for four months, you know?

"I had a great shoot, a lot of night shoots. ... You're kind of preoccupied in a bleak state of mind for a while. I like to be consumed by it when I'm doing it. Actually, we were working out a lot, I found it really helpful."

He added, "There's nothing like being tired and sweaty to get the demons out."

The Crow is a reboot of the 1994 film that starred Brandon Lee in the lead role.

The American actor, who was the son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee, tragically died at the age of 28 after being shot on the set of the 1994 film.

Acknowledging that the original film spawned sequels despite Brandon's death, Bill told PEOPLE that taking on the iconic role felt "daunting".

He said, "I'm not the first one to fill those shoes... (Brandon gave) an iconic performance, (it was) a tragic thing that happened with Brandon... For me, I approached this like I do any other job like, 'What's this story? How can I do this story justice?'"

The Crow is released in cinemas on Friday 23 August.