Stellan Skarsgard says his son compared him to a "deadbeat dad" character he played

Skarsgard's son compared him with Sentimental Value's Gustav Borg, a self-absorbed filmmaker

Veteran actor Stellan Skarsgard recently revealed that one of his sons compared him to a “deadbeat dad” character he played in the film Sentimental Value.

The actor recalled the moment candidly, saying, “You recognise yourself?”, a question from his child that caught him off guard.

Skarsgard admitted that initially, he didn’t see any connection between himself and his character, Gustav Borg, a self-absorbed filmmaker with strained relationships with his daughters. “I said, no! But of course, they see things that I don’t see, but you can never satisfy a kid,” he explained, highlighting the honesty of children’s observations.

Reflecting on parenting, Skarsgard added, “You can never be a good parent to a kid, because truthfully, they have things to complain about because we’re only human, and they’re not perfect either. So you’ve got to live with it.”

He also joked about the challenges of raising eight children, admitting that balancing family life and a demanding career makes perfect parenting nearly impossible. “I’ve got eight kids, and it’s f‑‑‑ing impossible,” he said with humour.

Despite the blunt reflections, Skarsgard emphasised the positive side of his relationships with his children. He explained that they support each other’s pursuits and give one another space to grow.

Speaking about traditional parental duties, he quipped, “Sitting through a soccer game, I would die — so boring for me,” showing that parenting doesn’t have to be perfect to be meaningful.