Award-winning actor Stellan Skarsgård defended his young son against constant “nepo baby” jibes, which he said were making the boy feel “sad” and “isolated.”
The 74-year-old Swedish actor opened up about the corrosive effect the label can have on younger children.
“My 13-year-old, Kolbjörn, the youngest, suffers from that,” the father of eight told the publication. “When his pals at school call him nepo baby, he gets so sad. He doesn’t have any friends at school. He gets isolated. Cruel kids—or cruel and ignorant.”
He said the nepo baby taunt was an internet favorite, adding, “But it is such a bulls--t thing. Because nobody would hire you, at least not for anything good, if you’re not good enough.”
In an interview with Vulture, Skarsgård jokingly referred to himself as a “nepo daddy” due to the goodwill and “maybe jobs” generated by his relationship with his older, more famous sons, including Succession and The Northman star Alexander, 49, It actor Bill, 35, and 44-year-old Oppenheimer star Gustaf.
When asked how he maintains such a strong relationship with his many children, Skarsgård, who became a grandfather in 2022, said the secret to his success was earning their respect as a person, rather than just as their father.
“They have no respect for me just because I’m their father. Because that’s bulls--t. You shouldn’t be respected for five minutes of joy,” he explained.
“No, I don’t demand respect for being a father. I demand respect for a good idea or if I do something well or if I create something for them.”
Using Alexander’s appearance on Conan as an example, in which his son recalled Stellan’s habit of walking around naked at home and made a light-hearted quip about the size of his member, he remarked, “That lack of respect is very good. He can joke about anything.”
Stellan himself has appeared in over 130 roles since starting his career in the late 1960s, including Good Will Hunting, The Hunt for Red October, and his Golden Globe-winning appearance in HBO’s Chernobyl miniseries.
He is also being tipped for a late-career Oscar for his role as an aging film director and patriarch of a large family in the Norwegian drama Sentimental Value.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” he said of the comparisons between his character in the film and his real-life persona. When asked if he had inserted any of his experiences as a parent into the film, Skarsgård replied, “I didn’t intend to, but especially when I see the film, I go, ‘Ooh, yeah. I could have been there. That could have been done.’ Alexander saw the film at Telluride, and he came out, destroyed in his face, and he hugged me.
