Actor Stellan Skarsgard shares a brutally honest opinion on parenthood, asserting that it’s nearly impossible to be a “good parent” to a child.
The 74-year-old star, who is a father to Alexander (49), Gustaf (44), Sam (43), Bill (35), Eija (33), and Valter (29) from his first marriage to My Skarsgard, as well as Ossian (16) and Kolbjorn (13) with his second wife, Megan Everett, revealed that one of his children has even likened him to Gustav, the egocentric director and absent father he portrays in his new film, ‘Sentimental Value’.
Stellan clarified that he wasn’t bothered by the role being written with him in mind. Speaking to ‘The Independent’, he stated, “It’s never an insult, because I don’t play myself usually. I don’t think they can know my personality. And I never thought of Gustav as being like me in any way. Our situations are similar, but it’s totally different. Or at least, I thought so until my son saw the film and said to me, ‘You recognise yourself?’ I said, no! But of course, they see things that I don’t see. You can never satisfy a kid. 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.”
Despite his candid remarks, Stellan maintains a good relationship with his children but acknowledges that he wasn’t always a “present” father during their formative years. He admitted, “I realised more that maybe I wasn’t totally present when my kids were growing up. But I have eight kids, it’s f** impossible. I have been very tolerant of my kids, and they have to be tolerant of me, too. I’ve let them go and do whatever they want, and they can let me go and do whatever I want.”
Additionally, the ‘Dune’ actor expressed that he wouldn’t have found happiness as a father standing on the sidelines while watching his children participate in sports.