Veteran Swedish star Stellan Skarsgård, who plays villain Baron Harkonnen in Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” – part two of which will be released in November – will be honoured by the Locarno Film Festival with its Leopard Club Award.
Skarsgård, who started his Hollywood career working with top directors such as Steven
Spielberg in “Amistad” (1997) and Gus Van Sant in “Good Will Hunting,” the same year, and segued to memorable roles in Gore Verbinsky’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise and in “Mamma Mia!,” among other films. He is being feted by the Swiss fest dedicated to indie cinema with its Leopard Club Award dedicated to a film industry artist who has made a “mark on the collective imagination.”
Outside Hollywood, Skarsgård’s stellar career comprises groundbreaking work in European cinema working with directors such as Lars von Trier with whom he has made five films starting with “Breaking The Waves,” which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 1996.
Skarsgård is also very active in television. In 2019 he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a miniseries for his role in HBO drama “Chernobyl.” He recently starred in Tony Gilroy’s hit “Star Wars” spinoff “Andor” for Disney+, the second season of which he has just finished shooting.
Besides making the trek to accept the career award, Stellan Skarsgård and his son Gustaf Skarsgård, will also be coming to Locarno to present Chinese artist-turned-filmmaker Huang Ran’s crime drama “What Remains” which is screening out-of-competition. He will also be holding an onstage conversation.
The festival will screen a film personally chosen by the actor to represent his career: the 1990 Holocaust drama “Good evening, Mr. Wallenberg” by Swedish helmer Kjell Grede.
“Stellan Skarsgård belongs to the tradition of European actors who have distinguished themselves between auteur cinema and Hollywood,” said Locarno fest chief Giona A. Nazzaro in a statement.
“Endowed with a very powerful stage charisma, he has been able to make every role he has played unforgettable,” Nazzaro added.
Previous recipients of Locarno’s Leopard Club Award include Faye Dunaway, Mia Farrow, Andy Garcia, Stefania Sandrelli, Adrien Brody, Meg Ryan, Hilary Swank, Kasia Smutniak and Daisy Edgar-Jones.
The 76th edition of Locarno will run Aug. 2-12
