Stellan Skarsgard Says Son Kolbjorn, 13, Is Bullied at School by ‘Cruel’ Classmates, Gets Called ‘Nepo Baby’

Stellan Skarsgård will not stand for bullies discrediting his youngest son’s work in Hollywood.

The actor, who is a father of eight, opened up about the harsh words his 13-year-old son, Kolbjörn, has endured from his classmates, including being called a “nepo baby.”

“My 13-year-old, Kolbjörn, the youngest, suffers from that,” Skarsgård, 74, told Vulture on Wednesday, October 22. “When his pals at school call him nepo baby, he gets so sad. He doesn’t have any friends at school. He gets isolated. Cruel kids — or cruel and ignorant. They love it on the internet. But it is such a bulls*** thing. Because nobody would hire you, at least not for anything good, if you’re not good enough.”

Though he is only a teenager, Kolbjörn already has an impressive acting résumé. He made his acting debut on the 2022 miniseries Clark, appearing in five episodes of the show. That same year, Kolbjörn acted in eight episodes of Kenny Starfighter. Kolbjörn also starred in the 2024 short Neon, 2024’s Quiet Life and several episodes of the Swedish horror series Färjan this year.

Family is at the center of Skarsgård’s latest film, Sentimental Value, in which he plays Gustav Borg, a film director and father estranged from daughters Nora and Agnes Borg, played by Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, respectively. Gustav attempts to mend the relationship with his daughters while adapting a screenplay about his mother’s life before her suicide.

“Your work is you to such a big extent. It’s not like being an accountant. If you’re a painter, if you’re a musician, you go to work with you and your own material. Combining that with family life is hard,” Skarsgård reflected on the message of the film. “But if you become a really good father and you are at home more than you want to be, then suddenly you reduce yourself.”

Skarsgård himself said that he felt like he has personally not been reduced to just being a father, as seven of his eight children have pursued careers in show business. (Skarsgård shares Kolbjörn and son Ossian, 16, with wife Megan Everett. He is also a father to Alexander, 49, Gustaf, 44, Sam, 43, Bill, 35, Eija, 33, and Valter, 29, from his marriage to ex-wife My Skarsgård.)

“No, because you’ve become some other person. It’s like you would think differently. You would act differently. You need your creative art. It’s your stimuli,” the Mamma Mia actor continued. “And you are more fun to the kids when you come home and tell them a story that you can’t tell them if you haven’t been stimulated. I’m trying to defend myself now.”

Stellan said he has “a very good relationship” with his kids.

“I wouldn’t have spent 50 years with them otherwise,” he quipped. “But they have no respect for me just because I’m their father. Because that’s bulls***. You shouldn’t be respected for five minutes of joy.”

Stellan also revealed he “usually” brings his family with him when he works on projects abroad.

“You also have to bring your wife’s friends because otherwise she will be alone in a foreign city babysitting,” he told the outlet. “You have to get some of the kids’ friends. They’re a social functioning unit. We had 43 Swedes living in Frescati outside of Rome when I was shooting the first Exorcist movie there.”

Stellan added, “I worked 12 hours a day because I was the lead. I barely saw them. I saw them on the weekends. But the house was vibrating with joy because they were having a party. I made a lot of money on the film, but there wasn’t that much left. It was worth it.”