Read and listen to what she said

Marion Cotillard, the Oscar-winning French actress, will not apologise over remarks she made describing the 9/11 attacks as a conspiracy and believes that the comments had been taken out of context and misunderstood.

Cotillard, who won the Best Actress statuette last week for her portrayal of Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose, has claimed that the September 11 atrocity had been orchestrated by the owners of the Twin Towers.

The comments, made in an interview first broadcast a year ago, have resurfaced on the internet since her Oscar victory.

Cotillard said that the towers were destroyed not as part of a terrorist plot, but because it would have been too expensive to rewire them. She also reheated an old conspiracy theory about the 1969 moon landing never having happened.

The actress's agent, Bastien Duval, told The Times that Cotillard, who charmed the crowd with her emotional acceptance speech after winning her Oscar, was "still in shock" at the angry reaction to her comments in the United States.

Mr Duval said that the interview was filmed after a broadcast on Coluche, a French comedian killed in a motorcycle accident in 1986, and she had simply made clear that she intended to form her own opinion about the events of September 11 rather than follow the official version, that it was a terrorist attack led by al-Qaeda.

"This reportage has been taken out of context and one can only condemn such practices," he said.

"Marion deplores that. She is currently filming in Chicago and has a lot of work. She is in an ocean of happiness and voila, this row blows up. It's rather strange. It's an old report, not at all current. Why bring it out now ?

"I talked three times to Marion overnight. This is worrying her. She is still in shock and does not really know how to react. She doesn't have to apologise for a badly presented and badly interpreted reportage."

He added: "She hopes that the Americans will have enough distance to understand, but her career is not just American. She can make films everywhere."

The New York Post has said that the 32-year-old actress had jeopardised the goodwill created by her Oscar win with her comments about the "money-sucking" towers.

It pointed out that she was soon to start filming her biggest role yet, in Public Enemies with Johnny Depp.

Readers of the Post's online edition were less charitable, dozens of them posting comments attacking Cotillard.

"She's just another moron talking about a subject she knows nothing about," said one. "The fact the she's also French adds insult to injury."

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today said it would not revoke Ms Cotillard's Oscar.

"The opinions expressed by Academy Award winners are solely their own," said Leslie Unger, a spokeswoman for the Academy, whose 5,829 members voted Ms Cotillard the best actress of 2007, beating other nominees, including Julie Christie.

"Ms Cotillard is free to express whatever views she has, but they have nothing to do with the Academy or the Academy Awards. Oscars are not revoked in light of any expressions of opinion. The Oscar is recognition of work done in film; nothing more and nothing less."

Times Recommends

• UN may halt 400-year-old 'freedom of the seas'
• Where the Rosetta belongs can’t be set in stone
• Gas deal on hold, but Ukraine may pay in the end