Danish director Lars von Trier apologised on Wednesday after he said at the Cannes film festival that he sympathised “a little bit” with Adolf Hitler, shocking his star Kirsten Dunst.
Von Trier, a frequent provocateur, told a press conference after a well-received screening of his apocalyptic new picture Melancholia that he understood the Nazi leader.
“I really wanted to be a Jew and then I found out that I was really a Nazi. You know because my family was German, Hartmann, which also gave me some pleasure,” he said with a cheerful smile when asked about his German heritage.
“I understand Hitler. I think he did some wrong things, yes absolutely, but I can see him sitting in his bunker in the end.”
When Dunst, who is also of German descent, started looking uncomfortable and murmured “oh my God, this is terrible,” to co-star Charlotte Gainsbourg, the director assured her: “But there will come a point at the end of this”.
“I’m just saying that I think I understand the man. He’s not what you would call a good guy, but, yeah, I understand much about him, and I sympathise with him a little bit, yes. But, come on, I’m not for the Second World War. And I’m not against Jews.”