The brutal way Lars von Trier got under Bryce Dallas Howard’s skin
If you look up the word ‘polarising’ in the dictionary, then chances are you’ll find a picture of Lars von Trier.
The Danish director has created some of the most captivatingly bleak films of all time, from the bizarrely romantic Breaking the Waves to the harrowingly graphic Antichrist. However, for every triumph of twisted creativity, there are stories of von Trier being massively out of line on set.
Nicole Kidman referred to working with the director as the ‘most terrifying moment’ of her career, to the point where she tried to quit the film Dogville several times. Björk, who gave a fantastic lead performance in von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark, also had a dim view of her director, to the point where she would essentially run away from filming for days on end just to stay away from him.
Björk also claimed in 2017 that she had been sexually harassed by a ‘Danish film director’, but declined to offer more details on the matter. It’s worth pointing out that other women who have worked with von Trier, such as Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, have spoken fondly of their time on his films. Even Kidman has admitted she was still friends with him even after Dogville.
Kidman didn’t return for the Dogville sequel, however. The role of Grace Margaret Mulligan, a woman on the lam who is shielded from dangerous gangsters by a small mining town, was picked up in Mandalay by Bryce Dallas Howard instead. The third-generation star had never worked with von Trier before and, as she told The Times, she got to grips with his erratic style very early on.
“He started insulting me,” Howard said, revealing that the director launched into a tirade against her father, the actor and filmmaker Ron Howard. He then threw a glass of water in her face. “I went, ‘Lars, what are you trying to see?’ and he said, ‘Your angry face. I don’t know what it looks like’… So I threw a glass of water in his face. He goes, ‘Why did you do that?’ and got up and left. That was my introduction to the Lars von Trier experience.”
Howard didn’t walk away from the project after this incident, but other proposed cast members didn’t stick around. As well as Kidman, James Caan also refused to reprise his role from Dogville, citing concerns with Mandalay’s takes on slavery and so-called ‘anti-American culture’. John C. Reilly was initially slated to take part in the film, but quit in protest after a real donkey was slaughtered for a scene. His role was taken by Slovenian actor Željko Ivanek, and the donkey scene was cut from the film.
This doesn’t sound like a particularly comfortable work environment. However, it’s important to know that, despite her rocky introduction to von Trier, Howard wasn’t actually that put off by him.
“It wasn’t like I went to my room and cried or anything,” she said, referring to the water-throwing/dad-bashing incident. “I was sort of delighted by it.”
Every director has their own unique set of quirks, but very few are as extreme and unnecessary as von Trier’s. Some actors, like Howard, can see beyond this behaviour, but you can begrudge anyone who would rather stay far, far away from being willing to do this to their own cast.
