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Stellan Skarsgård shares his best tips on parenting

The Local Sweden
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Stellan Skarsgård shares his best tips on parenting
Three of Stellan Skarsgård's children. From left, Gustaf, Bill and Alexander. Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård isn't just an A-list Hollywood star, he's also the father of eight (!) children, and recently shared one of his best tips when it comes to good parenting.

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“From the age of 16, it’s not your business what they decide to do in life, you have to let them make those decisions themselves,” the star told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet at the premiere of his latest movie 'Borg/McEnroe' in which he is cast as Swedish tennis player Björn Borg’s legendary trainer, Lennart Bergelin.

“Otherwise they will probably accuse you of ruining their lives, or think that they have a good life thanks to dad, and that would be equally horrific.”


Stellan Skarsgård, actor and father of eight. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Skarsgård has a total of eight children – four of whom have decided to follow in their father’s footsteps: Alexander, 41, Gustaf, 36, Bill, 27 and Valter, 21.

Gustaf has starred in the hit TV-series Vikings, Alexander in series True Blood and films like Lars von Trier’s Melancholia, Bill as Pennywise the clown in It, and Valter in a string of Swedish films, including Arn: Riket vid vägens slut.

According to Skarsgård, however, their decision to go into acting was never an idea that came from him, but rather a choice that came from themselves.

“No, I don’t get involved like that,” he said.

“I’m really proud over the fact that they’re all really nice, smart and good people. And of course I’m very happy that they’ve also become really great actors, because it would have been horrible for them otherwise. But I’m mostly proud over how all eight of them are when they’re together and how they act toward each other.”

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