Sebastian Stan says Hollywood sees him differently after 15 years as Marvel's Bucky, with Fjord proving the shift

Sebastian Stan says a long stretch as Bucky Barnes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is no longer the only way the industry looks at him. While discussing Fjord, he said the last few years have brought a noticeable change, with filmmakers he has wanted to work with now paying closer attention.

What changed for Sebastian Stan

Stan said the biggest shift is not how he sees his own career, but how other people in film now respond to it. After 15 years connected to Marvel, he said he is now meeting the kind of directors he had hoped to work with for a long time, and that they are noticing him more than they once did.

He tied that change to timing as much as performance. Stan pointed to Fresh, A Different Man and The Apprentice as projects that arrived at the right moment, helping move him into a different conversation in Hollywood. He also said that kind of momentum is hard to control, even when things are going well.

For Marvel fans, the update is simple. The actor behind Bucky Barnes says the attention around his recent non MCU work is opening doors now, and that this newer run of films is helping redefine how he is viewed beyond the franchise. He also described his Marvel role as something that gave him freedom, even as his current slate is bringing him toward filmmakers he has long admired.

Why Fjord stands out in that new phase

Fjord looks like a clear example of the turn Stan is describing. The film teams him with writer director Cristian Mungiu, a collaboration that had been building for 10 years. Stan stars opposite Renate Reinsve as Mihai Gheorghiu, a devout Christian and family man who moves with his wife, Lisbet, and their family from Romania to a rural town in Norway.

The story centers on the scrutiny that follows the family because of their rigid religious practices. Allegations of abuse push the pressure higher, and the film plays in the uneasy space between genuine concern and prejudice.

Stan also said the role's physical changes helped him settle into that world. He wore a distinctive haircut and glasses, and said he kept the glasses on even when cameras were not rolling because the cast was essentially living in the same house and village seen in the movie. He said transformations like that have felt liberating in his recent work, because not fully recognizing himself helps him step into another reality.

That atmosphere was reinforced by Mungiu's use of single shot techniques, which Stan said created a claustrophobic feeling around the performance.