Nicolas Winding Refn breaks down at Cannes recalling near-death due to ‘leaking heart’

The director of Drive, unveiling new thriller My Private Hell, told journalists he ‘died for 25 minutes’ in 2023 The Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, best known for films such as the Pusher trilogy and Drive, has emotionally spoken about his near-death experience and heart surgery three years ago. The director, whose first film in 10 years, Her Private Hell, premiered on Monday evening, told gathered journalists that he had “died for 25 minutes” in 2023. His “leaking heart” was “discovered by accident”, Refn continued. “My lungs were filling up with blood. Suddenly, I was told that I would probably not live, but if I did they didn’t know what would happen. So, two weeks later I was operated on.” He added, tongue-in-cheek: “Thank God the surgeon was Tom Cruise and he could fix me with his hands, and then he brought me back to life with electricity.” Through tears, Refn explained that the experience had changed his approach to his career and personal life. “Before I died,” he said, “I had come to the end of my career because I didn’t have anything left in me. So, there was nothing for me to do. “I realised before I died that I’d been given a