In Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, the actress is marvelous in her ambivalence and hushed irony.
What was it like shooting with Alain Guiraudie?
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We shot in a small village in the middle of nowhere, and we felt like we were playing characters similar to the austere nature we see in the film: the forest in autumn, the trees…. Hermetic characters with an apparent simplicity, who find themselves experiencing surprising things. I’d already seen three films by Alain Guiraudie, so I knew what I was getting into. To prepare myself, I tried to feel this new atmosphere for me, austere and funny at the same time.
Was it a new experience for you?
Yes, I had the impression that I wasn’t cut out for this kind of world. I never thought I’d end up in a film like this. In the past, I’ve always done much more commercial stuff. Still, this was a voyage into unknown territory for me, and that’s what I liked about it.
What do you think your character, Martine, really wants?
I don’t think we’ll ever know. These are people who can’t free themselves, who can’t follow through on their desires. She’s a troubled character, and that too was new to me, but I like it!
How do you pick your career choices?
I like to surprise myself and do other things, which is why I’m also very active in theater. I look for difficulty and I’m very self-critical. If I don’t find what I’m looking for, I may not shoot for a long time! When I read a script, I have to have the impression that something can happen. If I feel that nothing’s going to happen, I’m frustrated in advance and I can’t make the film.
Is there a role that makes you particularly proud in your career?
Xavier Giannoli’s Marguerite, of course. Odette Toutlemonde by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt is also a very important film for me. I received so many letters from viewers for that film, it really moved me. Philippe de Broca’s Viper in the Fist was another. A lot of children wrote to me after the film.
Viper in the Fist is a film that marked me as a child, and I know that’s the case for many people of my generation, so I was afraid of you for a long time.
Yes, I felt that I scared people, but that’s flattering! As an anecdote, on the set it was quite the opposite of what you see in the film, to the point where the youngest child in the film had a transference, calling me all the time, and we had to have meetings with the mother to sort it out.
How do you see your future?
In theater, I think. Right now, I’m taking over a play by André Roussin. It’s been a great success, and I’m very happy about that. It’s wonderful to play a successful play every day. In the cinema, you’re not in control; you’re representing someone else’s world. In the theater, I think you have more creative responsibility.
Catherine Frot
« A troubled character, that was new for me ».
In Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, the actress is marvelous in her ambivalence and hushed irony.
What was it like shooting with Alain Guiraudie?
We shot in a small village in the middle of nowhere, and we felt like we were playing characters similar to the austere nature we see in the film: the forest in autumn, the trees…. Hermetic characters with an apparent simplicity, who find themselves experiencing surprising things. I’d already seen three films by Alain Guiraudie, so I knew what I was getting into. To prepare myself, I tried to feel this new atmosphere for me, austere and funny at the same time.
Was it a new experience for you?
Yes, I had the impression that I wasn’t cut out for this kind of world. I never thought I’d end up in a film like this. In the past, I’ve always done much more commercial stuff. Still, this was a voyage into unknown territory for me, and that’s what I liked about it.
What do you think your character, Martine, really wants?
I don’t think we’ll ever know. These are people who can’t free themselves, who can’t follow through on their desires. She’s a troubled character, and that too was new to me, but I like it!
How do you pick your career choices?
I like to surprise myself and do other things, which is why I’m also very active in theater. I look for difficulty and I’m very self-critical. If I don’t find what I’m looking for, I may not shoot for a long time! When I read a script, I have to have the impression that something can happen. If I feel that nothing’s going to happen, I’m frustrated in advance and I can’t make the film.
Is there a role that makes you particularly proud in your career?
Xavier Giannoli’s Marguerite, of course. Odette Toulemonde by Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt is also a very important film for me. I received so many letters from viewers for that film, it really moved me. Philippe de Broca’s Viper in the Fist was another. A lot of children wrote to me after the film.
Viper in the Fist is a film that marked me as a child, and I know that’s the case for many people of my generation, so I was afraid of you for a long time.
Yes, I felt that I scared people, but that’s flattering! As an anecdote, on the set it was quite the opposite of what you see in the film, to the point where the youngest child in the film had a transference, calling me all the time, and we had to have meetings with the mother to sort it out.
How do you see your future?
In theater, I think. Right now, I’m taking over a play by André Roussin. It’s been a great success, and I’m very happy about that. It’s wonderful to play a successful play every day. In the cinema, you’re not in control; you’re representing someone else’s world. In the theater, I think you have more creative responsibility.
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