Stellan Skarsgard: I'm not afraid of dying

Bang Showbiz on Oct 22, 2025

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Stellan Skarsgard thinks he's living on "overtime".

The 74-year-old actor suffered a stroke three years ago, and Stellan admits that the experience has changed his outlook on life.

He told Vulture: "I feel a little more like I live under the sword now. Because I've lived a naughty life. And I'm 74, which is already on overtime."

Stellan doesn't have any fears of dying. However, he's determined to make the most of life while he's alive.

He said: "I'm not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of not being capable of living. That is a fear."

The movie star also confessed to being afraid of being "boring".

He shared: "With all my eight kids, there's one thing I've been afraid of every time I have a new kid. Not that they have Down syndrome or they're autistic … that they're boring. Luckily, none of them were."

Stellan admitted that his health scare has made his language "weaker". However, the actor is simply appreciative to still be alive.

The Hollywood star - who has appeared in the two Dune movies - said: "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."

Meanwhile, Stellan previously admitted that he loves "morally ambiguous" characters.

The actor explained that Andor, the prequel to the Star Wars film Rogue One, was filled with imperfect heroes.

Stellan told Q: "People don't know if he's a good guy or a bad guy, which I really like, because none of us are really good guys or bad guys.

"He does really terrible things, but so does any general. He sacrifices people for a cause -- and so does every military. But is it the right cause? You don't know. And often you don't know until much later if it was the right cause. So this ambiguity, the grey zones, I'm very interested in."