Lars Von Trier is refusing to apologise for the controversial statements he made about Adolf Hitler at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year (11), even though the remarks led to a ban.
He stunned reporters at a press conference for his film Melancholia in May (11) when he launched into a rant about his German heritage and declared he could "understand" the Nazi leader.
Festival officials condemned his remarks, prompting von Trier to backtrack over his comments and personally apologise for causing a stir, even though he was still subsequently banned from the rest of the week's events.
Now, opening up about the incident for the first time, the Danish filmmaker admits his public apology was forced and wasn't true to his feelings.
He tells GQ magazine, "I don't think there is a right or wrong thing to say. I think that anything can be said. That is very much me... To say I'm sorry for what I said is to say I'm sorry for what kind of a person I am, (and that) I'm sorry for my morals, and that would destroy me as a person.
"It's not true. I'm not sorry. I am not sorry for what I said. I'm sorry that it didn't come out more clearly. I'm not sorry that I made a joke.
"But I'm sorry that I didn't make it clear that it was a joke. But I can't be sorry for what I said - it's against my nature... but that's maybe where I'm really sick in my mind. You can't be sorry about something that's fundamentally you. Maybe I'm a freak in that sense."
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