Joey Magidson
It feels wild that Stellan Skarsgård has only just now become an Oscar nominee. His career, which really kicked off in the states, acclaim-wise, with his supporting turn in Good Will Hunting, has been full of work that could easily have caught the Academy’s attention. Now, at long last, he’s getting his flowers for a towering turn in Sentimental Value, which has him currently the odds-on favorite to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Last week, I spend some time on Zoom with him talking about just that. Previously, I spoke to Best Supporting Actress nominee Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas here and Best Original Screenplay nominees Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt here (Trier is also nominated for Best Director). Today, it’s Skarsgård up to bat for a chat.
In my rave review (here) from back at the Toronto International Film Festival, I said the following about Skarsgård and his cast:
Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård are immediately formidable Oscar contenders in Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. Reinsve was snubbed for The Worst Person in the World, so this would be a just correction, while Skarsgård has never been nominated by the Academy previously. Both could end up being early frontrunners, too. Reinsve once again finds exciting ways to make her character lovable yet tough. It’s complex work that continues to show how she’s one of the most exciting young actresses in the business. Skarsgård has rarely been this good, proving charming yet also stubborn. You can see why he made his choices, while also seeing him only now figure out the damage that he’s caused. Both are splendid. Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas is a revelation, while Elle Fanning has some really strong moments as well. They’re all interacting with each other flawlessly, too.
Below, you can see my discussion with Skarsgård. We obviously touch on the aforementioned Good Will Hunting and focus in on Sentimental Value, but we kick off with a bit about Nymphomaniac, the wild Lars von Trier outing that he’s a part of. Skarsgård has a very funny remark about getting offered that movie that I won’t spoil here, but it starts off the conversation on a really amusing note. Overall, Skarsgård is very sweet, clearly humbled by the awards season experience, and more concerned with doing good work than winning trophies. To that end, he may well be a month out from winning an Academy Award, solely due to the work itself. If you haven’t seen Skarsgård in Sentimental Value, rectify that immediately…
Here now is my interview with Sentimental Value co-star Stellan Skarsgård. Enjoy:
Sentimental Value is available to watch right now and Stellan Skarsgård is nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards!
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