Alexander Skarsgard Has A Shocking Viewpoint On The Nepotism Debate
Alexander Skarsgard admits that on a "daily" basis, he struggles with "insecurities" that the only gets acting work because of his famous father Stellan Skarsgard.
Kate Hudson may not think there’s much merit to the nepo-baby debate, but the star of The Northman has some different thoughts. The upcoming sci-fi horror film Infinity Pool just screened at Sundance, and Alexander Skarsgard was on hand to give TheWrap his take on the nepotism controversy. The star said he struggles “daily” with the fear that he only continues to land roles because of his father, Stellan Skarsgard.
“I would say I struggle daily with insecurities and desperately trying to find a reason why I don’t deserve a job. And then the go to is because my dad’s an actor. It’s very convenient. After 20 years in the industry, I still thank my dad for every single job I get.”
-Alexander Skarsgard
When Brandon Cronenberg, writer and director of Infinity Pool, responded to Skarsgard with “So it’s emotional masochism for you?” Skarsgard answered, “I don’t really know if I can use it. It’s just haunting me.”
It’s ironic that Alexander Skarsgard’s candid admission about nepotism was followed by what seemed like a bit of sarcasm from director Brandon Cronenberg, considering that he’s the son of the famous cult director David Cronenberg.
For those who might not understand why Alexander Skarsgard fears he might benefit so much from nepotism that it continues to be his only saving grace, the Godzilla vs. Kong star’s father Stellan Skarsgard has been working in TV and film since the late sixties. Some of the elder Skarsgard’s more visible roles include the professor who discovers the titular prodigy in Good Will Hunting, the spymaster Luthen Rael in Disney+’s Andor, the merciless Baron Harkonnen in last year’s Dune, and of course Professor Selvig in Marvel‘s Thor and Avengers films.
As if to drive the point home, Alexander Skarsgard may very well not be the only man bearing that last name who potentially benefits from nepotism. The Emmy winner is the eldest of 4 brothers, all of whom are professional actors; with the most well known doubtlessly being Bill Skarsgard who became a permanent fixture in plenty of nightmares when he played Pennywise in the It movies. Just 4 years Alexander’s junior is Gustaf Skarsgard, best known as Floki on Vikings.
Finally there’s the youngest, Valter Skarsgard, who hasn’t made as quite as big a splash just yet.
Alexander Skarsgard’s words on nepotism are in stark contrast to actress Kate Hudson’s words on the subject. Asked about the New York Magazine article that sparked the recent discussion on nepo-babies, Hudson — the daughter of Goldie Hawn, stepdaughter of Kurt Russell, and half-sister to Wyatt Russell — said she didn’t feel nepotism was a problem in Hollywood, and that it was much more prevalent in other fields. Which, one might argue, is kind of like saying, “I’m not corrupt because I am corrupt, but that guy over there is more corrupt.”
