“Nymphomaniac” director Lars von Trier is seeking a “muse” for his next films.
The “Melancholia” helmer shared a personal ad by way of Instagram video to request “enquiries” from applicants to be his next girlfriend be directed to an email address he provided. Von Trier was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in August 2022 and announced he would be taking a break due to his health.
“I don’t know what I’ve dragged myself into this time,” von Trier said in a video uploaded August 15. “So before I drown myself in smug advertising, let me make a few things clear: I’m 67 years old. I have Parkinson’s disease, OCD, and at the moment, controlled alcoholism. In short, with some luck, I should have a few decent films left in me.”
He continued, “All this is as suggested meant as an old-school contact ad, where I, without knowing the least about social media, am looking for a female girlfriend slash muse. And despite of all the whining, I still insist that on a good day, in the right company, I can be quite a charming partner. All enquiries regarding this ad must be sent to bill.mrk.lars@gmail.com.”
The “Kingdom Exodus” auteur told The New Yorker last year that “because of this Parkinson’s I’ve picked up, I could live with not doing more films.” However, von Trier added that he “likes when I have my back to a wall. I have to find something completely new to say.”
The director said at the time, “I’m very aware of the risk of doing what I call old-man films. These are the films that happen because you have a house that is too big, and you’re striving to repeat your success.”
Now, it’s clear that the “Antichrist” isn’t quitting anytime soon.
“I will take a little break and find out what to do. But I certainly hope that my condition will be better,” von Trier told Variety last fall ahead of the festival launch of “The Kingdom Exodus.” “It’s a disease you can’t take away; you can work with the symptoms, though. I just have to get used to that I shake and not be shameful in front of people. And then continue, because what else should I do?”
Von Trier was previously married to Cæcilia Holbek Trier from 1987 to 1996. He later wed Bente Frøge in 1997 before getting divorced in 2015.
