Lars von Trier Makes Kirsten Dunst Squirm With Depression Comment

Danish director Lars von Trier was on a roll on Wednesday at the press conference for his new flick 'Melancholia,' which opened at the Cannes Film Festival. Not only did he claim he was a
Nazi sympathizer (he later apologized) and tell reporters he wanted to make a hardcore porn with his leading lady
Kirsten Dunst, he also threw Dunst under the bus about her battle with depression.
Explaining the dark moods of Dunst's character in 'Melancholia,' von Trier told a room full of reporters, "I would say Kirsten, thank god, has some knowledge of depression. We talked a lot about how things should look and I think she is doing extremely well."
Dunst remained quiet and slunk into her seat. The director looked to her. She nodded slowly.
It's a good hook for the film, which stars Dunst as a bride battling depression on her wedding day amidst a terribly depression situation -- the end of the world.
The actress opened up about her battle with depression in 2008 after she went into rehab for the illness at the famous Cirque Lodge in Utah. She admitted she was sick only to clear up rumors that she had been committed for drug and alcohol abuse.
She later revealed to New York magazine, "I think most people in their twenties go through some sort of depression. If you're successful at a young age, no matter the profession, there has to come a time when you reevaluate everything, what it means to you. Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?"
Yet despite her prior openness, Wednesday seemed like a day when Dunst wanted to focus on her successes, not her dark times, and she was obviously perturbed when von Trier brought the issue up in front of a room of reporters.
Yet maybe the director did her a favor by going so crazy at the end of the press conference. By the time he was done, no one was talking about Dunst's depression.
►
Lars von Trier: 'I Understand Hitler; I Sympathize With Him a Bit'
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=691977&pid=691976&uts=1273167996
http://www.popeater.com/mm_track/popeater/music/?s_channel=us.musicpop&s_account=aolpopeater,aolsvc&omni=1&ke=1
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
PopScene: Week's Hottest Pics
Gabourey Sidibe attends The American Cancer Society's Choose You luncheon on May 5th in New York City.
Amy Sussman, Getty Images
Amy Sussman, Getty Images
PopScene: Weeks Hottest Pics
Add a comment
"Larson von Triers Makes Awkward Depression." Apparently, these things, these lead-ins are written and selected after a long night of heavy alcohol consumption. Abisinthe in an IV drip, anyone?
Reply
He should have respected her privacy. It should be *her* choice whether to talk publicly about her depression.
Someone needs to stick a sock in this guy's mouth to shut him up. No matter what his intentions are...there is NOTHING funny about the Holocaust.
Reply
This guy is nothing more than a self-absorbed jerk. All of the
accolades in the world will not change this.
Reply
Another idiot with "foot-in-mouth" disease.
Reply