Oct 16, 2026 · 20 min · 13 segments
From Tommy Lee to Donald Trump to the Winter Soldier, Sebastian Stan isn’t afraid of disappearing into a role. In his new film, Fjord, he plays a Romanian father in Norway fighting to regain custody…
Sebastian StanGuest
Tom PowerHost
Was there something in your own experience that you recognized in these characters?
I mean, I guess in a way, you know, I was at the same age when I immigrated out of Romania.
the immigrant experience, I think, and, and just the self-awareness and kind of the, the sort of, um, unpredictable shame aspect that sometimes comes with that.
Um, maybe that's a, a touch Eastern European in the sense of, of, uh, you just, you just want to not be different.
You want to fit in, you want to be okay, but, but the self-awareness of sticking out and, and, and having to kind of be a fish out of water, you know, I, I really understood.
And then obviously the, Even though I didn't grow up there, I did have a fairly traditional Romanian upbringing.
Some time that I spent with my father and I also grew up with my grandfather and there were aspects about that.
them that i think um i recognized in in the character so there was a lot for me there to to draw from what
what were those aspects that you recognized in your in your dad and your grandfather just
that stereotypical like you said sort of stoic kind of slightly guarded um You know, strong presence, not not wearing a lot of emotions on the sleeve, you know, and and kind of keep looking forward and keep marching on.
And and yeah, I mean, and so and that was in regards, I think, a really different perspective.
I mean, this film as a whole was a different way for me to connect to Romania and that past that I had left behind.
It was a way of kind of making amends with sort of this mystery that I'd grown up with, you know?
Was there something in your own experience that you recognized in these characters?
I mean, I guess in a way, you know, I was at the same age when I immigrated out of Romania.
the immigrant experience, I think, and, and just the self-awareness and kind of the, the sort of, um, unpredictable shame aspect that sometimes comes with that.
Um, maybe that's a, a touch Eastern European in the sense of, of, uh, you just, you just want to not be different.
You want to fit in, you want to be okay, but, but the self-awareness of sticking out and, and, and having to kind of be a fish out of water, you know, I, I really understood.
And then obviously the, Even though I didn't grow up there, I did have a fairly traditional Romanian upbringing.
Some time that I spent with my father and I also grew up with my grandfather and there were aspects about that.
them that i think um i recognized in in the character so there was a lot for me there to to draw from what
what were those aspects that you recognized in your in your dad and your grandfather just
that stereotypical like you said sort of stoic kind of slightly guarded um You know, strong presence, not not wearing a lot of emotions on the sleeve, you know, and and kind of keep looking forward and keep marching on.
And and yeah, I mean, and so and that was in regards, I think, a really different perspective.
I mean, this film as a whole was a different way for me to connect to Romania and that past that I had left behind.
It was a way of kind of making amends with sort of this mystery that I'd grown up with, you know?
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