Stellan Skarsgård is inevitably one of the most legendary personalities the entertainment industry could ever be gifted with. A remarkable actor, he has made sure to give a beyond-captivating performance in every single role ordained to him. Like his embodying of the ruthless Baron Vladimir Harkonnen in his recent project Dune: Part Two, which was nothing short of utterly commendable.
In fact, when it comes to his roles, Stellan Skarsgård doesn’t step back from taking risks if it means he can deliver the ultimate, essential performance required of the character — even if the risk is as great as his life. Just like what he did while shooting for the Oscar-winning masterpiece, Good Will Hunting, with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Stellan Skarsgård Almost Risked His Life for Good Will Hunting
Back in the late 1990s, when he was around in his mid-forties, Stellan Skarsgård got the offer to star as Prof. Gerald Lambeau in Good Will Hunting. And because he found the script of the masterpiece to be “very good”, Skarsgård agreed to take on the role.
But he was in Rhode Island shooting for Amistad during the same time with Steven Spielberg, and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck wanted to meet him in Boston. Thus, to set up a meeting, “they sent down a limousine and I traveled up there.”
As Skarsgård shared while talking to Vanity Fair recently:
“We talked about it and we read and we sat down and we changed things immediately, and everybody was so excited and the collaboration was so, so vivid,” said Skarsgård.
The series of events continued to unfold, and the Thor star continued to find everything about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck‘s movie all the more exciting. But little did he know that there were dangers attached to that excitement as well.
Or, to be more specific, the dangers were attached to Stellan Skarsgård traveling back and forth between South Boston and Rhode Island because of the route’s geographical condition. Making it all the more dangerous was them going out to celebrate and getting “drunk.” As Skarsgård said:
“And then we went out and got drunk and that limousine had to wait all night. We were in South Boston, which was, at that time, very dangerous. And we had this big limousine standing outside of those seedy bars.”
However, thankfully, the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest star was more than just spared as the limousine driver dropped him back off to the sets of Amistad safe and sound. Laughing, Skarsgård revealed:
“But the limousine eventually delivered me to Rhode Island again. [Laughs].”
Well, for what it’s worth, Stellan Skarsgård isn’t one to step back from even risking his life just for a good movie!
Stellan Skarsgård Liked Ben Affleck and Matt Damon “Very Much”
While risking his life for a movie was one thing, Stellan Skarsgård only did it because he was pretty much enchanted — not just by the script for Good Will Hunting, but even by the leading cast and crew members of the masterpiece, i.e. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Continuing to let out his soft side for the duo and praise the masterminds who were the major brains behind the Oscar-winning film from 1997, Skarsgård told Vanity Fair:
“I liked them very much,” revelled Skarsgård. “It was obvious that they were very talented and it made me very happy later on that when the film was such a success, it gave them more possibilities to work.”
For one who could spot talent and good work from afar, Stellan Skarsgård has most certainly proved himself worthy of being one of the most legendary actors in the entertainment industry!
You can stream Good Will Hunting on Netflix.
