Bjork: Director Harassed Me, Had 'Impressive Net of Illusion'

She doesn't name Dane she accuses of sexual harassment, but it appears to be Lars von Trier
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 16, 2017 7:44 AM CDT
Bjork Reveals Unnamed Director Sexually Harassed Her
In this Nov. 13, 2007, file photo, Icelandic singer Bjork performs during a concert at the National Museum in Lima, Peru.   (AP Photo/Martin Mejia, File)

As women continue to come forward with sexual assault accusations against Harvey Weinstein, Icelandic singer Bjork has emerged with a revelation of her own regarding "my experience with a Danish director," reports Rolling Stone. On her Facebook page Sunday, Bjork said she'd been "inspired" by all of the women speaking out on Weinstein, and that even though she hails from a nation "that is one of the world's (places) closest to equality between the sexes" and had already forged her way into a "position of strength" on the music scene, she wasn't immune from what she encountered on the set of her movie. "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," she wrote.

Bjork added that "when i turned the director down repeatedly he sulked and punished me and created for his team an impressive net of illusion where i was framed as the difficult one." Although Bjork doesn't name names, she only starred in one major film, 2000's Dancer in the Dark, directed by Danish director Lars von Trier. Pitchfork notes that at the time the movie was in production, reports surfaced of issues on the set between Bjork and von Trier—including one incident in which she reportedly tore up a shirt and ate pieces of it—and in a 2011 GQ interview, von Trier admitted to the "violent hostility" between the two of them while filming. Bjork noted in her post that after she stood up to her director, "he had a more fair and meaningful relationship with his actresses after my confrontation so there is hope. … Let's stop this … there is a wave of change in the world." (More Bjork stories.)

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