Sebastian Stan is making friends with discomfort, and his new film Fjord is the proof. The Romanian-born actor has built a habit of choosing roles that ask difficult questions. This time, Cristian Mungiu directs him in a drama that won the Palme d’Or at Cannes and opened in American theaters on October 9 through Neon. Popcorn is optional, but a strong appetite for debate comes highly recommended once the credits roll.

While most actors chase applause, Stan appears to prefer a room where nobody agrees, and the reason behind that choice comes straight from his own mouth.

Sebastian Stan chooses discomfort on purpose. In Fjord, he plays Mihai Gheorghiu, a strict evangelical father whose five children are removed by Norwegian authorities. The film is loosely inspired by a real case.

“I’m making friends with discomfort. I think I’ve made that choice a long time ago," he said in a sit-down with The Ankler.

He added, “I welcome conflict. I try not to have it in my life, but with work, I think it’s important.”

Work, it seems, is where comfort goes to retire.

The Ankler interview also shows what worries Stan beyond the film itself. He loves all kinds of movies and believes each one has a place, yet he sees people hardening online and losing the ability to stay open to new thoughts and questions. His answer is to lean into differences, since they keep humanity interesting.

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While Fjord has Stan chasing discomfort, a teen drama once offered him a lead role, and he turned it down.

Sebastian Stan once passed on Stefan Salvatore, a lead role in the CW series The Vampire Diaries that eventually went to Paul Wesley. He revealed this on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. The offer arrived right after NBC’s Kings failed to work out, leaving him feeling burnt out. Another network series, he figured, would not last beyond a single season.

Stan later admitted he guessed wrong because the show became America’s most beloved teen show. Samantha Highfill’s 2025 oral history, I Was Feeling Epic, also lists him among the contenders for both leads. His luck changed in 2014, when he took a Vibranium arm into Captain America: The Winter Soldier after years of steady television work and minimal pay. Passing on Mystic Falls cleared room for a metal arm, and it also fits the pattern Stan describes today, where the harder road tends to lead somewhere more interesting than the easy yes.

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What are your thoughts on Sebastian Stan embracing discomfort and skipping Mystic Falls? Let us know in the comments.