Charlotte Gainsbourg on Melancholia, Kirsten Dunst and Lars von Trier: 'He's Always Right'

Having been Lars's leading lady previously, how did you counsel or advise Kirsten on that relationship, that dynamic?

Oh, I didn't give any advice.

You just let her find her own way?

I thought it was very important that I wouldn't interfere with any of her experience. I don't think she would have liked it, and there's something kind of pretentious in saying, "Oh, I've been there. Don't worry about this." No, no, no. She didn't need my advice in any way. She did ask me in Cannes the year after Antichrist -- we'd just met -- how he was. But in a very simple way, and I just said how much I loved him. That's it.

I guess what I should have asked was if she solicited advice from you.

No, not at all. But I think she has a different way of working with him. I don't think he's the same with her that he is with me. I don't think we work on the same notes, or that he needs to touch the same notes or push the same buttons.

What about with a guy like Kiefer, who has a presence not so unlike Lars?

No, we really didn't talk about it. I remember in the beginning, with the wedding scenes, Kiefer and I didn't know what we were supposed to do because it wasn't written in the scene. The scene was about Justine being taken somewhere, and we just happened to be there. You never know what the camera is going to catch -- if Lars wants you there or not. At the beginning, it was a mess. But it doesn't really matter, because that's the way Lars wanted it.

What was a mess about it?

Just the mess about not knowing where to stand. It's just this question of whether you're supposed to be there or not. You're uncomfortable because you don't know what people want.

Sounds like some kind of existential creative crisis.

Yes, it does! [Laughs] But I don't know if Kiefer had that. It was just being part of the mess. It started out that way, and then, thank God, we had more intimate scenes, and less extras and all that. It became easier after a while.

Do you think Lars will ever come to America?

I don't think he would.

Would you ever encourage him to?

No. He doesn't need to.

I think he'd mentioned once wanting to take a road trip or something.

Oh? Well, then he should.

And he has this professed fascination with America and American culture.

Yeah, he does. But... [Pause] I don't know. I think he has this kind of love-and-hate relationship to America.

What's your relationship with America?

I love coming here. It's completely foreign for me; I don't feel I'm at home at all, even though there's the whole melting pot of New York and all that. It's the fun of being outside of your house -- outside of Europe, everything you know. At one point I thought I wanted to live here in New York, and now I don't think I can.

Why not?

Because I really feel like a foreigner. I don't feel I understand everything, and I can't relate to enough things. But still, it's a lot of fun. When I worked on the album with Beck, we worked in Los Angeles. I got to know that city, which I didn't like in the beginning. It's very inspiring. It's a very inspiring country. But then I need to be reassured by my home. And I've lived in France too long to go elsewhere. In Europe would be OK, but I couldn't go further.

Well, you're welcome to visit any time!

That's very nice! I'm always happy to come.

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[Top photo: AFP/Getty Images]

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