Sebastian Stan on the red carpet for Thunderbolts* Credit: Dave Starbuck/Future Image/Cover Images By Tamera Jones & Steven Weintraub Published Oct 10, 2026, 2:45 AM EDT Sign in to your Collider account Add Us Summary Generate a summary of this story Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Listen Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap Summary Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with Sebastian Stan and Cristian Mungiu for Fjord . Stan discusses his time with Marvel, his physical transformation in Fjord , and the roles he takes on now. Mungiu discusses uncomfortable films, Fjord 's "murky" moral dilemma, and challenging audiences. After 15 years as Marvel’s Bucky Barnes in the MCU, Sebastian Stan tells Collider’s Steve Weintraub he’s grateful for the freedom the role gave him, but that he’s finally finding his stride within the industry. The Oscar nominee credits films like Mimi Cave ’s 2022 horror, Fresh , and acclaimed features like A Different Man and The Apprentice for putting him on the radar of directors he greatly admires. Neon’s Fjord , with lauded writer-director Cristian Mungiu , however, is a collaboration a long time in the making.
Opposite Academy Award nominee Renate Reinsve ( Sentimental Value ), Stan stars in Fjord as Mihai Gheorghiu, a family man and devout Christian who moves his family from Romania to a rural Norwegian town with his wife Lisbet (Reinsve). Already, the family’s rigid religious practices make the family a target of scrutiny, but when allegations of abuse emerge, tensions escalate, and lines between concern and prejudice are blurred.
In this interview, Stan discusses his wide-ranging roles, the liberation his physical transformation in Fjord allowed him, and why Mungiu’s single-shot techniques created a claustrophobic environment for his performance. He also reveals whether he knows the full details of Mihai’s story , and how it affected the film. You can watch the full conversation in the video above, with a transcript provided below.
Close Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump in The Apprentice Image via Briarcliff Entertainment Sebastian Stan sitting next to a past version of himself in 'A Different Man' Image via A24 Image via Hulu COLLIDER: I'm doing a supercut of everyone I'm talking to right now, and the question is, where do you like to sit in a movie theater?
SEBASTIAN STAN: Oh, I love that question. Maybe the aisle. Or the back, actually. Or the aisle of the back of the theater.
When you say the aisle, do you mean the front, middle, or back?
STAN: I think the middle or the back, if it's the aisle, is usually where I'm at. I'm definitely not one that needs to be in the very middle, which is always the most favorable area.
I've been very impressed with your work the last few years, and especially in this. Do you feel like your career has taken a turn, or do you feel like people are looking at you in a new way, based on what you've been doing the last few years?
STAN: Yeah, I think the latter, for sure. I'm certainly finally getting to meet the type of directors that I've always wanted to work with, and I think finally they’re paying a little bit more attention to me than they used to. I mean, Cristian [Mungiu], though, I've known for 10 years, and this was an ongoing conversation.
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