BEVERLY HILLS — The 83rd Golden Globe Awards delivered high fashion and historic reveals, but it was veteran Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård who provided the night’s most viral comedic moment. Accepting the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role – Motion Picture, Skarsgård delivered a deadpan tribute to his famous children, jokingly thanking them for teaching him exactly what a “bad father” looks like.
Skarsgård, 74, took home the trophy for his role in Joachim Trier’s critically acclaimed Norwegian drama Sentimental Value. The win marks Skarsgård’s second Golden Globe, following his 2020 victory for the HBO limited series Chernobyl.
A Family of Stars: The Skarsgård “Bad Father” Education
Stellan Skarsgård is famously the patriarch of one of Hollywood’s most successful acting dynasties. His children include Alexander Skarsgård (Succession, The Northman), Bill Skarsgård (IT, John Wick: Chapter 4), and Gustaf Skarsgård (Vikings). In total, six of his eight children are active in the industry.
In Sentimental Value, Skarsgård plays Gustav Borg, a once-celebrated filmmaker attempting to navigate a deeply fractured relationship with his two daughters (played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas). From the podium, the actor didn’t hesitate to draw a hilarious parallel between his on-screen character and his real-life parenting.
“I’m playing a father who is a bad father there,” Skarsgård told the laughing audience. “And my children have really told me what a bad father is. They’ve been very educational.”
He also gave a heartfelt, if characteristically “brutal,” shoutout to his wife, Megan Everett-Skarsgård, calling her a “tough lover” and his greatest support system.
A Plea for the “Extinguished Species”: The Future of Cinema
Beyond the jokes, Skarsgård used his platform to issue a serious warning about the state of the film industry. In a year where headlines have been dominated by Netflix’s $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. assets, the actor made a passionate plea for the survival of the theatrical experience.
“Hopefully, you see it in a cinema, because they are an extinguished species now,” Skarsgård remarked regarding Sentimental Value. “In a cinema, the lights go down and eventually you share the pulse with some other people. That is magic. Cinema should be seen in cinemas.”
His comments struck a chord in a room filled with creators facing an increasingly digital-first landscape. Sentimental Value, a small-budget Norwegian production, has been hailed by critics as a “bracingly mature work” but has struggled to find a massive audience in a market saturated by franchise sequels like Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The Road to the Win: Fierce Competition
The Supporting Actor category was one of the night’s most stacked fields. Skarsgård beat out several heavyweights, including:
- Benicio Del Toro (One Battle After Another)
- Sean Penn (One Battle After Another)
- Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein)
- Paul Mescal (Hamnet)
- Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)
The win for Sentimental Value cements its status as a top contender for the upcoming Academy Awards, where many expect Skarsgård to lead the race for Best Supporting Actor.
Inside ‘Sentimental Value’: Plot & Cast
Directed by Joachim Trier (the visionary behind The Worst Person in the World), Sentimental Value follows sisters Nora and Agnes as they reunite with their estranged father, Gustav. The film explores themes of artistic ego, generational trauma, and the difficult path toward reconciliation.
| Character | Actor | Role Description |
| Gustav Borg | Stellan Skarsgård | A charismatic but flawed film director seeking a comeback. |
| Nora Borg | Renate Reinsve | A successful stage actress struggling with family trauma. |
| Agnes Borg | Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas | The “diplomat” sister researching the family’s secret history. |
| Rachel Kemp | Elle Fanning | An American star caught in the middle of the family drama. |