http://www.mtv.com/news/headlines/001005/story3.html

MTV.com  2000-10-05

By David Basham


"Björk Talks Cinematic 'Affair' With 'Dancer In The Dark'"


After winning a Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 
Björk is about to hit movie theaters in "Dancer In The Dark," which 
opens nationwide on Friday, October 6.

In the Lars Von Trier-directed film, Björk plays the part of Selma, a 
single mother who copes with a disease that is causing her to go 
gradually blind by taking solace in daydreams fueled by Hollywood 
musicals.

Even though "Dancer In The Dark" weaves musical sequences into its 
storyline, Björk recently admitted that it was tough to be separated 
from music while filming the role, despite the inspiration it provided 
for the movie's accompanying soundtrack.

"I felt like I was having an affair when I did this film, from music," 
Björk said while doing press rounds for the movie. "I kept thinking 
[while I was] sitting on set, waiting somewhere in the middle of 
nowhere, slamming doors and screaming and crying, and wearing glasses, I 
was thinking, 'F***ing hell, if I could take this energy and make a song 
out of it, it'd be a pretty good song.'"

Being able to compose original music for "Dancer In The Dark" turned out 
to be critical for Björk's involvement with the film, and the Icelandic 
singer-songwriter was able to secure and maintain a certain amount of 
artistic control over the music while negotiating the part with 
producers.

"I wrote out a manifesto saying: I want to mix my own music," Björk 
said. "I want to be there if they change it and take part in the 
decision-making on my songs. I want to finalize my own CD when it's in 
the shop. I want to decide what picture goes on the cover of the CD.

"It was only musical things," she added, "and it had nothing to do with 
the film or acting, because I don't know anything about films and I 
never pretended I did. So I came back and they signed the [contract] and 
everything was fine."

Björk's "Selmasongs" soundtrack has already leapt into the upper half of 
the "Billboard" Top 200 album chart after selling more than 48,000 
copies during its first two weeks in stores, according to SoundScan. But 
Björk was quick to note that said she didn't conceive of the EP as a 
true follow-up to her last album, 1997's "Homogenic," only as a 
reflection of her cinematic alter ego.

"My solution was always to go back to Selma, what she would have liked," 
Björk said. "I mean, that's the reason, after I read the script, why I 
wanted to write this music. It was written from love to her.

"When I decided that I would act, it was because of her. Then I decided 
that it wouldn't be right for a CD to pretend that it's a film, so I 
think they should be true [to each other]. Just as much, say, that a 
record should be a record, and a live performance should be a live 
performance."

Despite drawing rave reviews for her acting in "Dancer In The Dark" 
Björk said it was still difficult for her to actually watch herself on 
the screen, mostly because of the incredible emotional turmoil Selma 
endures over the course of the film.

"I think emotionally I could not attach myself to [the film], because it 
was just too much," Björk noted. "I've asked several actors and 
actresses about that, and apparently quite a lot of them just can't 
watch themselves afterward, because they just remember the meal they did 
before that scene, or it's something really trivial. So emotionally, I 
probably need a few more years before I can watch it as an outsider."