Golden Globes 2013: Michael Haneke on his parody Twitter account

By Mark Olsen and Amy Kaufman

Jan. 14, 2013 12 AM PT

In what has been one of the strange joys of this awards season, a parody Twitter account attributed to Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has become a treasure trove of comedy gold with its digs at Terrence Malick, pictures of cats and general sense of levity that is at odds with the super-serious nature of the filmmaker’s work. That Haneke’s “Amour” has been winning prize after prize, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and five Oscar nominations, plus a Golden Globe on Sunday night, has made it seem even better.

The Twitter account first appeared in early November. On the morning of the Golden Globes nominations in December, Michael Barker, co-president of “Amour” distributor Sony Pictures Classics, said they were waiting until Haneke came to the U.S. to tell him about it. “I’m sure he won’t be pleased about it,” Barker said at the time.

Among some of the recent messages posted to the account, which has adopted an idiomatic patois all its own:

“tryin 2 decide which black turtleneck i shud wear 4 the golden globes 2nte. ps does any1 no how 2 get rid of a hickey lol”

“if i had a skittle 4 every time terruns malick txts me about a “spiritual experience with a tree” id die of eatin 2 many skittles lol”

“i jst got an amour tshirt made. it says ‘i made a film about strokes + all i got was this tshirt, a parms dorz + 5 oscar nominayshuns’ lol”

The account even gave an “interview” to the British newspaper the Guardian, declaring a love of “Sex and the City” -- “lately ive been such a samantha.” Of frequent Haneke collaborator Isabelle Huppert, the interview said, “izzy huppert always speeks the truth even wen shes high.”

The fake Haneke account has frequently sent messages to the actual account of director Brett Ratner. Worlds collided on Saturday night when Ratner tweeted out a photo from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. awards dinner of himself with his arm over the shoulder of the bearded, bespectacled, real-life Haneke. (“Amour” had won best film of the year from the critics group.) The parody Haneke Twitter account then posted the photo as well, saying, “i lost the award in hooters.”

On the Golden Globes red carpet Sunday night, the real Michael Haneke was asked at last about his hard-partying online doppelganger. “My students said there was a weird Twitter account,” the 70-year-old Haneke, who teaches at the Vienna Film Academy, said through a German translator. “But I’m not that interested in that kind of thing. It’s not for me.”

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Mark Olsen

Mark Olsen writes about all kinds of movies for the Los Angeles Times as both a feature writer and reviewer.

Amy Kaufman

Amy Kaufman is a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, where she writes the A-1 column “For Real With Amy Kaufman.” The series examines the lives of icons, underdogs and rising stars to find out who the people are shaping our culture — for real. Since joining The Times in 2009, she has profiled hundreds of influential figures including Stevie Nicks, Nick Cannon, Drew Barrymore and Lady Gaga. She is also an investigative reporter and was part of the 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist team that covered the tragic shooting on the “Rust” film set. Her work often shines a light on the darker side of the entertainment business, and she has uncovered misconduct allegations against Randall Emmett and Russell Simmons. In 2018, her book “Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure” became a New York Times bestseller.

Golden Globes 2013: Michael Haneke on his parody Twitter account

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