Stellan Skarsgård Slams Trump’s Greenland Bid as ‘Absurd’
Stellan Skarsgård has taken aim at Donald Trump’s push to buy Greenland, calling the idea absurd and raising alarms about the wider fallout for global politics. The row escalated after Trump threatened new tariffs.
Stellan Skarsgård, the Swedish actor known for his roles in major blockbusters, didn’t mince words when asked about Donald Trump’s ongoing campaign to acquire Greenland. Speaking at the European Film Awards in Berlin on 17 January, Skarsgård, whose home country sits just across the water from Denmark, was quick to take the mickey out of the American president’s latest geopolitical move.
On the same day, Trump announced plans to slap a 25% tariff on goods from Denmark, Norway, France, Germany, Britain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Finland if the United States couldn’t strike a deal to take over Greenland. The European Union, not taking kindly to what they called “blackmail”, was reportedly set to hold an emergency meeting in response. Trump has long claimed his interest in the icy territory is all about military strategy, but plenty of critics reckon it’s more about getting his hands on untapped resources.
Skarsgård and Trier Speak Out
Skarsgård didn’t hold back, saying,
“It’s absurd, isn’t it? It’s a little man who got megalomania, and he’s trying to take the world. He took Venezuela, suddenly, and that’s for [energy company] Chevron. He’ll take Greenland for minerals. He’s a criminal.”
Joachim Trier, the director of Skarsgård’s film ‘Sentimental Value’ and a Danish-Norwegian himself, also weighed in.
“I agree with Stellan that it’s an absurd notion, and international law must be respected, because grinding that down will have such tremendous domino effects on how other superpowers will treat other countries, so the dominant effect of that is extremely worrying, if it is to happen.”
The pair’s comments come as the debate over Greenland’s future heats up, with many in Europe and beyond worried about the precedent such a move could set for international relations.
Hollywood Joins the Chorus
Skarsgård and Trier aren’t the only ones taking aim at Trump’s ambitions. At the 83rd Golden Globe Awards the previous weekend, Mark Ruffalo and Judd Apatow both took public swipes at the US president. Apatow, while presenting the Best Director award, didn’t hold back, saying the US had become “a dictatorship now.” Meanwhile, Ruffalo, on the red carpet, wore a “Be Good” pin in memory of Renee Good, who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis less than a fortnight earlier. Ruffalo pointed out that the US was “in the middle of a war with Venezuela”, which Trump had “illegally invaded.”
Ruffalo didn’t mince words, either:
“[He] is telling the world that international law doesn’t matter to him. The only thing that matters to him is his own morality. The guy is a convicted felon or a convicted rapist. He’s a pedophile. He’s the worst human being. If we’re relying on this guy’s morality for the most powerful country in the world, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.”
Public Figures Weigh In
It’s not just actors and directors who’ve been vocal. Over the past year, George Clooney, talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Jonathan Pryce from ‘Slow Horses’ have all publicly criticised the US president’s actions. The chorus of disapproval from high-profile figures shows no sign of quietening down, especially as the international community keeps a close eye on the fallout from Trump’s Greenland gambit.