Key Insights

Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value

The veteran Swedish star known for Good Will Hunting, Mamma Mia!, Thor, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Dune, Chernobyl, Andor, his brooding indie collaborations with Lars Von Trier, and much more had yet to have “Oscar nominee” on his CV—until now.

Skarsgård, 74, described the accolades he’s been receiving for his supporting role in Joaquim Trier‘s Sentimental Value as Gustav Borg, a revered director wanting to create a film about his family following the death of his ex-wife, much to his estranged daughters’ dismay, as delightfully unexpected.

Especially since the father of eight believed he would never act again after a stroke he suffered three years ago left him with short-term memory damage. Instead, he learned how to remain present in a scene while having his lines fed through an earpiece and ended up with the role of a lifetime.

“You can never tell how a film will resonate,” Skarsgård, who won the 2026 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, told the LA Times, “but this one has reached everybody, every generation, every culture. It’s obviously touched something. And it’s remarkable because in spite of its seriousness, it’s light. It’s like a soufflé with dark specks in it.”