Scenes from a marriage at the breaking point

Von Trier tried (barely) to explain himself in Cannes, and the press conference was so raucous that the film’s stars, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe, didn’t get a word in. Now’s there’s a chance. Dafoe called from New York, where he’s rehearsing a play. Gainsbourg phoned separately from Australia on the last day of a film shoot. Here’s an edited version of what they had to say.

A. Well, the producer warned me that the reaction would be strong. I’ve never done a film that’s produced this kind of reaction. But they warned me so much that by the time we started shooting I was prepared to receive rotten tomatoes.

Q. Instead you won the prize for best actress.

A. [Laughs] At the public screening, everyone was so respectful. I didn’t hear anybody whistle. That it didn’t happen was a big surprise. I was happy about that.

Q. Lars von Trier has had complicated relationships with the women in his movies - Emily Watson, Björk, Nicole Kidman. He asks a lot of them. How was your experience?

A. He’s a very touching man, Lars. I felt that from the very start. He has a sensitivity that’s so raw. He makes me want to - not protect him because he doesn’t need any protection - but feel for him.

Q. Did he let you in on his state of mind before you started?

A. He didn’t tell me anything. He did ask me to trust him. And he was really trustworthy. Of course, he manipulates you. And like every director, he wants to get what he wants. But he didn’t answer to any of my questions. I had many questions about understanding the script. I felt stupid not having enough references or not understanding what he was referring to. He kept saying, “There are no references!’’

Q. You’re asked to do violent things no serious actor has ever been asked to do in a movie. Did you cross over into some new place not only as an artist but as a person?

A. Yes. I knew while I was shooting that this experience was completely unique for me, that I had never been asked to go that far before or how soon I’d be asked again. To be able to mix everything from grieving and deep sexual emotions to panic attacks and gore stuff and witchcraft even, it was so extreme. I had fears, of course, of not being able to do what I needed to do.

Q. Willem Dafoe said he’s had a tough time getting the film out of his head.

A. Oh really? I had a hard time after the shoot. It was difficult. But I’ve never done a film where I’m so happy to talk about an experience. I’m very thankful to have made a film with a real artist, and that’s very, very rare.

Q. Did you sleep OK?

A. The countdown to the first day of the shoot was just terrible. I couldn’t sleep. We were so isolated. We were all in Germany. It wasn’t our country. There was a bleak hotel and a golf course. It was the perfect atmosphere for nightmares.

Q. Did you get to see your family?

A. Going back to Paris to see my children and Yvan [Attal, her husband], I really needed that. . . . Actually, I was hoping they would come to see me on the weekends. Of course, once they came and saw what it was, they never came back.

A. I called Lars, and he told me, “I’m going through this depression,’’ and he sent me the script. I don’t think he sent it to me specifically as an actor. I think he sent it to me by way of explanation of what he was up to. I said, “Lars this is beautiful.’’ And he was like, “Really?’’ I mention this only because in his fragile state, it was clear he needed me to do this.

Q. You’ve worked on some tough yet strangely affecting movies. Does your work affect what you dream about it?

A. It does. The joke on me is that as I get older you would think I would be less affected. But as I get older, I’m more deeply affected by my work. And this film in particular - it goes without saying - this one really sticks with me. I’ve got to stop watching it. I’ve seen it three times and it will not leave me.

Q. Is it wrong to think of you as brave?

A. I love for people to think I’m brave! But I don’t think of it as bravery. Like most people, I’m oppressed by my fear. And I want to overcome it.

Q. Is there anything you won’t do in a film?

A. That’s a funny question. [Long pause.] The thing I want to make clear about my choices is that I don’t say, “Oh, I’ve got to look for a challenge.’’ Sometimes when you come up against certain things, you feel alive and engaged.

Q. What kind of relationship did you have with Charlotte during this shoot?

A. In a funny way I feel very close to Charlotte. We made this film together and we made it in a spirit that we did trust each other. We found an unspoken trust, probably through our fear and confusion and respect for Lars. On the other hand, Charlotte is quite reserved and I don’t know her very well.

Q. On a more frivolous note, I was wondering which was more difficult: having Charlotte Gainsbourg bludgeon your crotch or having Madonna drip hot candle wax all over you in “Body of Evidence.’’

A. Oh, God! That’s pretty frivolous. [Laughs] I can’t answer that one. But they were two different people. And I was two different people.

Wesley Morris can be reached at wmorris@globe.com.