Stellan Skarsgård is reflecting on how suffering a stroke three years ago has changed his outlook on life and acting.
The 74-year-old actor revealed in a new profile interview with Vulture that he experienced a stroke shortly before filming began on Andor season 2 and Dune: Part Two.
Keep reading to find out more…
“I feel a little more like I live under the sword now,” he shared. “Because I’ve lived a naughty life. And I’m 74, which is already on overtime.”
When asked how the stroke impacted him, Stellan admitted, “I got really scared.”
He went on to explain how the incident affected his memory and ability to perform, particularly while filming Dune: Part Two.
“But I found a way,” he said. “They have earpieces where you have a prompter that says the line. It’s not enough because I have my rhythm. They have to say their line on top of my line for me to be able to answer it. They have to say it very fast, very neutral. It takes a lot of training for that guy.”
He continued, “You might say, ‘Oh, you’re lucky. You don’t have to learn your lines.’ There’s more work now than there was before. Suddenly, I can’t come up with names. I can’t follow a thought or make an argument that spans several sentences that gets to the point — that, then bang! That is extremely frustrating. But on the other hand, I’m alive. I can work.”
When asked if the stroke made him consider any larger existential questions, the Mamma Mia! star responded, “Wouldn’t that be lovely? No, I’m afraid I didn’t because I knew I was going to die. It didn’t come as news to me. But, of course, I considered, This might be the end. I didn’t know how bad the stroke would be or if there would be follow-up strokes.”
Still, he admits the experience left him with a deeper awareness of his own limits.
“I’m not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of not being capable of living,” he said. “That is a fear. And being boring.”
See the cute moment Stellan shared with Elle Fanning at their movie premiere!
