Selmasongs

Lars von Trier denies Bjork's sexual harassment allegations

After Bjork spoke out about her experiences with sexual harassment in the film industry, particularly with an unnamed “Danish director,” Lars von Trier denied the allegations. Bjork starred in von Trier’s 2000 film Dancer in the Dark, after which she vowed never to act again. The Telegraph reports that “filming [Dancer in the Dark] took a heavy emotional toll on [Bjork],” and she “complained that von Trier was “sexist,” and declared she would never work with him again.” Furthermore, Bjork “has been quoted as saying that he needs actresses to infuse his films with a soul ‘and he envies them and hates them for it.'”

Von Trier denied sexually harassing Bjork in the Danish newspaper Jylannds Posten “through his Zentropa business partner Peter Aalbaek Jensen,” according to IndieWire, who goes on to report:

Jensen told the outlet that the director was surprised by the singer’s claims. “As far as I remember, we were victims,” Jensen said, “that woman was stronger than both Lars von Trier and me and our company together.”
Jensen did admit on von Trier’s behalf that the relationship between Björk and the director was steeped in conflict, which has been widely reported on in the past.

While von Trier has not made an official statement, Hollywood Reporter confirmed Jensen’s comments with von Trier’s assistant.

According to Bjork:

it was extremely clear to me when i walked into the actresses profession that my humiliation and role as a lesser sexually harassed being was the norm and set in stone with the director and a staff of dozens who enabled it and encouraged it . i became aware of that it is a universal thing that a director can touch and harass his actresses at will and the institution of film allows it