Acclaimed Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård has launched a scathing attack on former US President Donald Trump, branding his attempts to acquire Greenland as "absurd" and "criminal". The remarks were made during the European Film Awards over the weekend, where Skarsgård is a frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Sentimental Value.
'A Little Man with Megalomania'
Speaking to Deadline, Skarsgård did not mince his words when addressing Trump's renewed interest in purchasing the vast Arctic territory. "It's absurd, isn't it?" the actor stated. "It's a little man who got megalomania, and he's trying to take the world." He drew a direct parallel to Trump's involvement in Venezuela, suggesting the motivations were purely resource-driven.
"He took Venezuela, suddenly, and that's for Chevron. He'll take Greenland for minerals. He's a criminal," Skarsgård asserted. Greenland, while self-governing, has its foreign and defence policy managed by Denmark, a point of contention for independence advocates.
Björk Joins the Critique of Colonialism
Skarsgård is not alone in his condemnation. Icelandic music icon Björk, who like Skarsgård has collaborated with director Lars von Trier, also voiced strong criticism. Taking to social media, she expressed solidarity with Greenlanders' fight for independence from Danish rule, referencing Iceland's own break from Denmark in 1944.
"Colonialism has repeatedly given me horror chills up my back," Björk wrote, "and the chance that my fellow Greenlanders might go from one cruel coloniser to another is too brutal to even imagine." Her comments underscore the deep-seated regional sensitivities surrounding sovereignty and historical power dynamics that Trump's proposition has ignited.
Trump's Provocative Social Media Post
The actor's comments were prompted by a recent post from Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform. In it, Trump called for the "complete and total purchase" of Greenland and threatened European Union nations with financial tariffs if they deployed troops in opposition to such a move. This renewed a controversial idea from his presidency that was swiftly rebuffed by the Danish government at the time.
Amidst the political commentary, Skarsgård, who is still recovering from a stroke, also touched on his professional life. He revealed discussions are underway for a potential second Mamma Mia! sequel that would resurrect Meryl Streep's character. "A lot of people are working on it," he confirmed to People magazine.
