Stellan Skarsgård is keeping his thoughts on parenting simple, by choosing not to offer advice at all.
The 74-year-old actor spoke with PEOPLE at the Los Angeles premiere of Sentimental Value on November 5, where he explained why he avoids guiding his children, many of whom followed him into acting.
“I haven’t given them any advice at all because it is very dangerous to do,” he said at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood. He went on to explain his reasoning, noting that, “Because if they listen to my advice and they’re successful, it’s because of me, and if they listen to my advice and they’re not successful, it’s my fault. So it’s a lose-lose situation.”
Stellan is dad to eight children, Alexander, Gustaf, Sam, Bill, Eija, Valter, Ossian and Kolbjörn, with six of them working in the entertainment industry.
He shares his first six children with ex-wife My Skarsgård, whom he divorced in 2007. He later married Megan Everett-Skarsgård in 2009, and they welcomed sons Ossian in 2009 and Kolbjörn in 2012.
Several of Stellan’s kids have started families of their own. Alexander, 49, Gustaf, 44, Bill, 35, and Eija, 33, have all become parents, officially making the actor a grandfather multiple times over.
Reflecting on that chapter of his life, Stellan shared that his favourite part is “Watching the characters and seeing how different they are.” He added that he finds it fascinating how “Even if they have the same genes, it’s amazing how different they are.”
He noted that the same is true of his eight children. “There are some things in common, but they all have personalities,” he said.
For Stellan, it seems the joy of parenting and grandparenting comes from observing rather than shaping, a hands-off approach he clearly feels works best for his family.
