downsides of sobriety

Lars von Trier Is Worried He Can’t Make Films While Sober

BERLIN, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 09: Lars von Trier attends the NRW Reception at the Landesvertretung on February 9, 2014 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Target Presse Agentur Gmbh/Getty Images)
Photo: Target Presse Agentur Gmbh/2014 Target Presse Agentur Gmbh

In his first interview since he was banned from Cannes for his outrageous Hitler jokes, the Nymphomaniac director Lars von Trier told the Danish paper Politiken that he has been attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings every day and will be 90 days sober as of this Sunday. He worries, though, that his sobriety will dull his creative acumen. “No creative expression of artistic value has ever been carried out by former alcoholics and drug addicts,” he said. Von Trier added that he used to drink a bottle of vodka a day, which he liberally mixed with other drugs, as part of his creative process. “I can’t recommend anyone to do the same. It is very dangerous and stupid in every way,” he said.

Lars von Trier Worries He Can’t Make Films Sober