Stellan Skarsgard feared he was going to die after suffering a stroke three years ago
The Hollywood actor, 74, was struck by the terrifying health scare in 2022 while he was in between acting projects and he's now admitted he didn't know "how bad" the stroke was or whether it would lead to another which would end his life
28 October 2025
He told Vulture: "I got really scared ... 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 ...
"I'm not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of not being capable of living. That is a fear."
The stroke came after Stellan had finished work on series two of Star Wars spin-off Andor but before he was due to start filming the second Dune movie.
However, Stellan recovered and he was able to go back to work on Dune: Part Two but he needed someone to read his lines though an ear-piece because the stroke left him with memory and language issues.
He explained: "I found a way [to go back to work]. 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 ...
"You might say: 'Oh, you're lucky. You don't have to learn your lines.' There's more work now than there was before."
He added of the difficulties he now faces: "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."
During the interview, the actor also admitted he feels like he is living on "overtime" now he's reached his 70s, saying: "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."
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