Overview

• Howard recalled von Trier insulted her father’s filmmaking and demanded to see her angry expression during the Norway shoot of Manderlay in 2005.
• She said von Trier threw a glass of water in her face and she immediately tossed one back before he abruptly left the set.
• Howard described the exchange as an exhilarating introduction to von Trier’s provocative directing style rather than a distressing encounter.
• The director has faced multiple on-set controversies, including Björk’s 2017 sexual harassment allegations, which he has consistently denied.
• Manderlay, a sequel to Dogville criticised for its depiction of slavery, was released amid von Trier’s 2022 Parkinson’s diagnosis and his February 2025 admission to a care facility.