Marion Cotillard was born in 1975 in Paris. She started her acting career with the famous Taxi saga. She won the César Award for Best Actress in 2004 for her performance in Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s “A Long Engagement Sunday.” During her career, she has won a number of prestigious prizes, including in 2008 when she received the highest award from the American Film Academy—”Oscar”. Let’s see how difficult Marion Cotillard’s path was and how the star of French cinema managed to become a bright star of Hollywood.
You have worked on different projects, from classic French films to Hollywood blockbusters. Have you developed a favorite working style during this time?
“No, I like it when I have to play differently every time. I can’t bear to compare the films because almost all the characters are radically different from each other. There is no favorite process for me. It’s nice to be in a movie when the director is experienced and fun to interact with. I can adapt to any environment as long as the director doesn’t try to make me do something that goes against my principles or my character’s principles. “
What exactly do you mean?
“Here, for example, when someone tries to make me angry, take me out of order and create a situation that has nothing to do with my character at all. This is 100% counterproductive. At such times, I either get angry or just laugh hysterically. I cannot take such situations seriously.
Why?
“Because at this point, I see the cunning, but I still need authenticity. I must be on the same side as the director. Once, I remember I was asked to do something that I didn’t expect, but I liked it because it really suited the film. I need trust. I must be a participant in the process on the set.”
Are you more confident now than you were before?
“No, in my opinion, confidence has always been in me. It is common for actors to feel insecure and inferior. When I started participating in interviews and talking to people I didn’t know, it was scary for me, but over time I learned how to overcome this fear and fight this feeling that prevented me from communicating with others. Today, I’m already used to all this, although at least partly it seems strange to me to talk to a complete stranger about such topics. I love news and that’s why this process has become more interesting for me. “
When did you decide to work in Hollywood?
“It was destiny. I never imagined that I could be an actor outside of my country, especially in the United States of America. I belong to a generation for which American movies are part of the culture, and it was because of these movies that I dreamed of being an actor. Although it was my goal, I never imagined that the day would come when I would see American films myself. I feel very lucky. “
You won an Oscar for your performance in “La Vie en Rose.”
“It was a really great feeling. I cringe when I think that Olivier Dahan thought I would shoot Édith Piaf. It changed my life radically. As I mentioned before, I always dreamed of working in America as a child, but I still didn’t imagine that it would be possible. “Happiness is doing what gives you pleasure and what you love.”
Many French actors and directors prefer not to work in America, even though they have opportunities. French director François Ozon said: “Americans respect you when you stay and do your work in your own country; it ends when you come to America.” What do you say about all this?
“One year, I was in Cannes with my colleague. She is very beautiful and talented. When my agent saw this lady, he came to me and asked me to introduce her to him. When I told her that the agent wanted to talk to her, she replied: “I don’t care, I don’t know English, and I don’t want to act in American films.” I was surprised. This woman is an actress of my generation; she could have had everything. I begged her. I said, “This is another experience. You never know what will happen in advance. ” But for her, playing in American films turned out to be very personal. What are we going to do? Some people are not interested in it at all. “
Have you always wanted to be an actor?
My parents are actors, so there were many actors around me. There was a certain energy, different and interesting stories that I heard that pushed me to be an artist. ” When I saw people who were completely different in real life and radically different on stage and screen, it was very attractive to me.
How did it feel to stand on stage for the first time?
“I was very young then, maybe 4 or 5 years old. My mother was working on some project on which she was the director. I remember exactly the place; the theater, the stage, where the lady who was supposed to be my mother was waiting for me. I still remember how shocked I was. I couldn’t understand why a stranger should be in the role of my mother when the real mother was standing a few meters away from the stage. My first experience of playing on stage was so interesting.
