Stellan Skarsgård, best known for his roles in Good Will Hunting (1997), Mamma Mia (2008), and Thor (2011), made it known in an interview with Vulture how he really feels about the term “nepo baby.”
Skarsgård’s Sons Are Also Actors
Skarsgård has fathered several generations of actors, including Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), Bill Skarsgård (Nosferatu), and Gustaf Skarsgård (Black Bag). Currently, Skarsgård’s 13-year-old son, Kolbjörn, is starring on the series Blood Cruise. The veteran actor opened up about how “nepo baby” criticism has affected his family, most specifically Kolbjörn.
‘Cruel and Ignorant’
“My 13-year-old, Kolbjörn, the youngest, suffers from that. When his pals at school call him nepo baby, he gets so sad,” Skarsgård explained. “He doesn’t have any friends at school. He gets isolated. Cruel kids—or cruel and ignorant.”
‘Nobody Would Hire You If You’re Not Good’
Skarsgård continued, specifying that a familial connection will only get you so far in the industry. “They love [the term ‘nepo baby’] on the internet. 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.”
Back in 2018, Vikings star Gustaf Skarsgård told Sweden’s Schön! magazine that, despite most of his family being in the same business, there’s no jealousy or resentment amongst them. “Luckily, we are different in type and age, so there hasn’t been a lot of competition for specific parts,” he said. “There is competition to the point that we can actually make fun of it—we’ll keep scores and laugh about it. At the end of the day, we’re in this industry to have fun,” he concluded. “We’re a very close family, and we’ve always been supportive of one another.”
