Awards season is ramping up as is the amount of chatter surrounding Stellan Skarsgård. Having been recognized in a few ways as of late, Skarsgård is one of the many 2026 Golden Globe nominees, thanks to his highly praised performance in Sentimental Value. As for how his actor kids are taking in buzz their father’s success, his son, Alexander, is joking about launching a “massive smear campaign” against him this awards season.
Stellan Skarsgård has been nominated 23 times in the Supporting Actor category for Sentimental Value, as of this writing. Considering the sheer amount of nominations he's received as of late, it's feeling like a certainty that there's an Oscar nomination is in his future. Murderbot’s Alexander Skarsgård spoke about his father during an episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. The younger Skarsgård is still trolling his pop, but he also had some kind sentiments to share:
We were joking the other day about orchestrating a massive smear campaign against him — no, but truly, it’s been such a joy. We’ve been going to the same festivals, hanging out, partying together. I get to see him in this moment where he’s just glowing.
Nothing like a little family rivalry to keep things interesting, right? I was already laughing at the father-and-son pair roasting each other after being nominated in the same Gotham Awards category this year. But a smear campaign? Suddenly, we’ve hilariously entered Succession-level family drama. With Stellan Skarsgård nominated at the Golden Globes for his drama flick and his eldest son snubbed this year for his role in Pillion, I can understand why the funny back-and-forth banter is still going.
On the other hand, as Alexander Skarsgård said, his famous dad getting awards attention does mean more family time together. Film festival appearances and partying it up with dear old dad does sound fun, to be honest. Of course, despite the funny father-and-son jesting, Alexander genuinely told Variety how proud he is of his father. In fact, here’s the talented actor’s reasoning for why Skarsgård getting recognition for Sentimental Value is so important for him:
He’s so proud of the film and so happy. He loves Joachim Trier, who directed it, and his co-stars. He’s spoken publicly about having a stroke a few years ago, and there was a real moment where he wasn’t sure he’d be able to work again. For someone who’s been an actor for 60 years and identifies so deeply with the work, that was an existential crisis. To then make this film — to feel safe, supported, creatively fulfilled — and to have it embraced the way it has, has been extraordinary. Being around him as he travels, receives praise, and truly enjoys it has been incredibly moving. It’s been really, really beautiful.
I can imagine how “moving” it is for the Northman star to see his father still receiving praise. As Stellan Skarsgård has graced the big and small screens with his best works for six decades, it’s clearly a proud moment for his children to see that their dad’s success has never wavered from him.
Amid the see of family love, it's still priceless that Alexander Skarsgård is joking about starting a “massive smear campaign” against his dad’s awards success. But, all joking aside, it’s very beautiful that the Big Little Lies actor sees his dad being on the awards circuit as an opportunity to hang out with him more and continue to create a career legacy worth being proud of.
Tune into the 2026 Golden Globes to see if Stellan Skarsgård wins Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture. The show airs tonight, Sunday, January 11, on CBS at 8pm ET/5pm PT and will be available to stream live with a Paramount+ subscription.
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