Cotillard defends 9/11 remarks

Oscar winner Marion Cotillard has defended herself after she appeared to question the truth behind the 9/11 terror attacks in New York.

The French actress, who won a Best Actress award for her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, accused the media of taking her comments "out of context".

During a 2006 interview which recently surfaced on the internet, she said: "I think we're lied to about a lot of things."

Her lawyer Vincent Toledano said she "never intended to contest nor question the attacks of September 11, 2001, and regrets the way old remarks have been taken out of context".

Meanwhile, commentators have been debating the impact the 32-year-old's apparent views will have on her future career.

Los Angeles Times critic Tom O'Neil said: "Had they come to light earlier... she probably would have lost the Oscar.

"This crosses the line. You can say crazy things - they all do in Hollywood all the time - but she's a foreigner who is perceived to be saying things anti-American."

However, other insiders believe conspiracy theories are commonplace in the industry and the scandal will soon blow over.