When La Vie d’Adèle revealed her to the world, she was a girl with an instinctive talent. Today, nine years later, she is a conscious and contested actress, an organized mother, a true friend. Yet, she still lacks something.
“I’m looking for my place in the world”. Perhaps, you do not expect these words from an actress who seems to have clear ideas for some time: at 13 she made her debut in the cinema directed by Jane Birkin, at 20 she won the Palme d’Or as the protagonist – together with Léa Seydoux – of La Vie d’Adèle by Abdellatif Kechiche and today, 28, has a list of upcoming films worthy of a seasoned diva. For sure, Adèle Exarchopoulos, big black Maria Callas eyes that betray her grandfather’s Greek origins and her hair tied up in a high bun, grew up quickly. Like the character she plays in Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre’s Rien à Foutre. Cassandre is a flight attendant in a low budget airline; desperately alone, she has a wild life, she loves to have fun and hides behind the Tinder Carpe Diem profile; her vague dream is to move to Emirates. One morning she arrives late for work and is stuck for the first time in the same city for a few days, which forces her to deal with the emptiness of her existence and an important bereavement.
What do the roles you choose have in common?
These are usually independent women who make mistakes. Humanity is imperfect, and I don’t like clichés.She quickly achieved impressive milestones and awards.
I continue to live in situations that I never even imagined possible.How much has she had to fight?
The job came suddenly and by chance, at a time when I was afraid of leaving school, which wasn’t exactly my forte. I have known the disappointment of being rejected at the casting and of being considered a second choice. Everyone has their battles to fight, growing up means choosing which ones to spend their energies on.Growing up also means finding your place in the world. She said she’s still chasing it…
I started acting very early, at 17 I was already living alone and at 23 I had Ismaël (from rapper Morgan Frémont, aka Doums) while friends went to parties to get drunk until dawn. Regardless of the goals, I often had to look for my space and the sense of what I was doing, because it was not suitable for my age or my generation.Did she feel older, more adult?
In my choices, but not in my head, so much so that I have never experienced a moment in which I perceived them consistent with the environment I was in.Are you quick to change course?
I have good instincts and, above all, true friends. If I tell a few lies, one of them will think to tell me: “you are bullshit, go further!”A wrong course?
Nostalgia: sometimes you share something very intense with someone who suddenly doesn’t seem to exist anymore and it is useless to insist.Do you tend to slide into the past?
I’m not the type of person who falls into depression. I face my emotions. And even when it’s hard, I get back on track, I try to keep myself in the flow of things.You had troubled romantic relationships. After she ended up with Ismaël’s father, she was linked to actor Jérémie Laheurte for three years. Is love complicated?
Sentimental ties imply dependence, weakness, contradiction, passion: it is not easy to manage these emotions. As much as I am autonomous in working decisions, as much as I must have firmly established my emotional references.What mother is she?
I’m very organized, but my job has several privileges: I don’t have to break my back to support four children, I mean. I try to keep Ismaël in the rhythm of my day while respecting his.You have a long list of films in post-production. What project are you working on at the moment?
I have just finished shooting a bright film on ‘reconstructive justice’, which tells how one can recompose one’s life after the worst experiences.
Source : vanityfair.it