Fresh Air with Stellan Skarsgård: "Stellan Skarsgård Doesn’t Believe in Bad Guys"
Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Dave Davies (NPR)
Guest: Stellan Skarsgård
Episode Overview
This episode features a rich, candid conversation with acclaimed Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård. With a career spanning over 50 years and more than 100 films—including arthouse standouts like Breaking the Waves and Hollywood blockbusters like Dune and Mamma Mia!—Skarsgård reflects on fame, family, the complexity of playing “bad guys,” recovering from a stroke, and his latest wave of success with the Oscar-nominated film Sentimental Value. The discussion dives deeply into his methods, philosophy of acting, and his perspective on artistic freedom and aging.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
On Sentimental Value and Parallels to His Own Life
- Parallel with Family: Skarsgård plays Gustav Borg, a director whose daughter resents his frequent absence—themes mirroring Skarsgård’s real life as a father of eight, many of whom act.
- “If I was at home eight months a year, I wasn't enough home for him. So I started to thinking about it… I have eight children, so I have eight different needs.”—Stellan Skarsgård [03:12]
- Personal Resonance: Initially, Skarsgård claimed, “Not at all. He's from a different generation. He's a different kind of father than I am.” [02:19] But his son Gustav urged him to consider deeper similarities with his character.
The “Bad Guy” Mythology
- Skarsgård challenges the notion of "bad guys" in real life.
- “I don't believe in bad guys... Human beings, we have problems because they are nuanced, real humans.”—Stellan Skarsgård [04:11]
- Contrasts between roles: While his Dune character is monstrous, he insists human conflict on screen should reflect real moral complexity.
Acting “Between the Lines”
- On the nuanced technique in Sentimental Value (and filmmaker Joachim Trier):
- “What you need to do, and what I like to do, is to show whatever happens between the lines, under the lines, before the lines, after the lines... it becomes a much richer tapestry of feelings.”—Stellan Skarsgård [05:16]
- Praise for Trier's filmmaking: Focus on the act of listening, not just delivering lines—spotlighting the “center of love” in the film, Inga. [06:20]
Stroke and Creative Adaptation
- Skarsgård’s 2022 stroke: He lost some memory and the ability to learn lines conventionally but resumed work with an innovative workaround:
- “I cannot remember anything, any lines. And they said, don't worry, we'll fix it... an earpiece and a prompter.”—Stellan Skarsgård [08:05]
- He details the intricate method: Live prompting in his ear during scenes, synchronizing with co-actors—a complex feat, but seamless for viewers. [10:04]
- Outcome: “I don't think there's any trace of the stroke in my work.” [10:45]
Early Fame, Family, and Parenting
- Became famous at 16; credits thoughtful parents for keeping him grounded:
- “They pointed out to me how different I was from my public persona... don't get that difference too big, because that's when it goes wrong.”—Stellan Skarsgård [13:25]
- On parenting his actor-children: Skarsgård prefers not to push or advise heavily, allowing his children autonomy. [37:43]
Working with Visionary Directors
- Lars von Trier (Breaking the Waves):
- Embrace of mistakes on set as liberating and vital: “In making mistakes and not being afraid of making mistakes, you're expanding your possibilities and you're expanding the life in the character.” [18:29]
- Bo Weidenberg: Sought authenticity and “real life” acting; wanted seasoned actors to match amateurs’ unfiltered presence. [19:00]
Improvisation and Taking Risks
- Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting:
- “He had like three brains going on at the same time... we had to do some extra takes because he had to get his versions out of his system... you had to follow him wherever he went.” [24:55]
- On his own fears around improvisation: Tackled them head-on in Mike Figgis’s Timecode and musical roles like Mamma Mia!, despite lack of singing/dancing talents.
- "It's like with Mamma Mia... No, I can't sing, I can't dance." [27:16; 27:30]
The Physical Challenge of Dune’s Baron Harkonnen
- Grueling makeup: “It took eight hours of makeup... I added 40 kilos of foam to my weight. I'm playing this fat monster.” [33:46]
- On playing villainous archetypes: “He has one job in the film... to be the very epitome of evil... You don't care about his psychological motives... you need him to have a physical, frightening presence.” [33:51]
- Skarsgård advocated for the Baron’s vulnerability: More frightening "naked than in those armors." [35:00]
Chernobyl’s Soviet Complexity
- His character—a loyal Soviet official—awakening to the failings of the system:
- “Everybody in the system were lying about everything in the nuclear reactor system because facts didn't count... when he discovers the unfathomable size of this catastrophe, he gradually comes to his senses and realizes that we've made this ourselves, and that's an interesting character to play.” [31:26–32:52]
On Aging and Longevity
- Despite cognitive aftereffects from his stroke, Skarsgård continues acting:
- “Being an actor is not a very intellectual work... You have to produce real life, real irrationality, real emotions... it has nothing to do with laying an intellectual puzzle.” [36:46–37:36]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- On being a parent:
- “You can't get it right as a parent.” —Skarsgård [03:27]
- On acting between the lines:
- “Show whatever happens between the lines... it becomes a much richer tapestry of feelings.” —Skarsgård [05:16]
- On recovery and work adaptation:
- “There's a lot of actors using this technique, which is an earpiece and a prompter... I don't think there's any trace of the stroke in my work.” —Skarsgård [09:39, 10:45]
- On “bad guys”:
- “I don't believe in bad guys.” —Skarsgård [04:11]
- On acting and improvisation:
- “We had to follow [Robin Williams] wherever he went. And also he would follow you wherever you went. Everything became different from the previous take.” —Skarsgård [24:55]
- “No, I can't sing, I can't dance... we were all terrified [in Mamma Mia!]." —Skarsgård [27:30, 28:08]
- On authenticity:
- “You have to be as good as an amateur. You have to produce real life, real irrationality, real emotions... it has nothing to do with laying an intellectual puzzle.” —Skarsgård [36:56]
- On freedom for actor-children:
- “I didn't encourage it and I didn't discourage it. I don't think parents should impose their dreams on the kids at all. They shouldn't interfere with their choices.” —Skarsgård [37:43]
Timestamps for Notable Segments
- Early Discussion & Film Parallels:
- [02:19–03:27] Parallels between Sentimental Value and Skarsgård’s life/family
- Nuanced Acting & Working with Joachim Trier:
- [05:16–06:20] Acting between the lines, Trier’s directing
- Stroke and Earpiece Technique:
- [06:46–10:45] Stroke experience, adapting to learning lines
- Breaking the Waves & Artistic Philosophy:
- [16:44–18:56] Clip and reflections; “make mistakes” directive from von Trier
- Improvisation, Williams, and Mamma Mia!:
- [24:55–28:08] Working with Robin Williams, fear and exhilaration with improvisation, singing/dancing in musical
- Playing Baron Harkonnen in Dune:
- [33:46–35:32] Intense makeup process, crafting a unique villain
- Philosophy on Aging, Acting, and Parenting:
- [36:11–39:39] Effects of aging/thoughts on the future, his philosophies on acting and children
Takeaways
- Skarsgård’s humility, candor, and depth shine through; he resists typical “bad guy” narratives and embraces both the risks and freedoms of his craft.
- Despite personal health challenges, he continues to innovate, finding new ways to meet creative demands.
- His encouraging stance on artistic autonomy—both for himself and his children—reinforces the lasting value of flexibility, authenticity, and openness to mistakes in both art and life.
For listeners and fans, this episode provides remarkable, unfiltered insight into both the technical and philosophical instincts that have shaped one of cinema’s most enduring character actors.