Nicolas Winding Refn Says Heart Surgery Sparked His Creative Rebirth for ‘Her Private Hell’

Nicolas Winding Refn has revealed that a life-threatening heart condition and subsequent surgery fundamentally changed his approach to filmmaking. The Danish director, known for films including Drive, The Neon Demon and Only God Forgives, says he had lost his creative drive before undergoing the operation in 2023. Speaking with The Guardian, Refn described the experience as a form of rebirth that eventually inspired his latest movie, Her Private Hell. The filmmaker said he had reached a point where he was…