Vanessa Paradis, a well-known French actor and singer, captivated the audience at the Master Class at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon with her frank and charismatic reflection on her multifaceted career.
When asked about co-starring with French film legends Alain Delon and Jean-Paul Belmondo in Patrice Leconte’s 1998 action comedy Half a Chance, she didn’t deny it.
“Jean-Paul Belmondo was always surrounded by people. While Alain Delon was alone, it was just him and his dog, and you could hear a lot of laughter,” she recalled. “But once they got together, you could tell they liked each other very much. They were happy to make this movie together.”
Paradis acknowledged the special privilege of collaborating with such an iconic figure. “I knew then how lucky I was, and today I realized it even more,” she added with a laugh. “I spent four months with them and had them fight over me.”
“Half a Chance” finds himself embroiled in a dangerous feud with the Russian mafia after discovering that one of the two men (both ex-con) could be his father It depicts a young woman asking for help.
Unlike one of her lifelong idols, Marilyn Monroe, Ms. Paradis did not choose to pursue a career in Hollywood, where she lived for several years with ex-partner Johnny Depp and their children. Her first English-speaking role was in 2013, when she played an Orthodox Jewish widow in John Turturro’s indie comedy Fading Gigolo, starring Woody Allen and Sharon Stone. .
Vanessa Paradis
Credit: Sandrine Thesillat / Jean Luc Me
“It was my first time shooting in English and my main partner was Woody Allen. He improvises all the time. At one point he asked, ‘Are you sure?’ So I said, ‘No…I mean, it’s Woody Allen! ‘ she laughed. “But it was difficult to get them to understand the language.”
She described her first day on set, where she played the role of “Lice Woman,” a woman who removes eggs from children’s hair, with unexpected challenges.
“So I had a comb and I was holding this kid with really curly hair, and I was scared of hurting him. And Woody improvised and I put a turban on top of it. The first day was very difficult! ” she said with a throaty laugh, captivating the Lyon audience.
Despite these hurdles, Paradis said the production felt more like working on a French film than a major Hollywood project.
When asked about her favorite movie, she answered without hesitation, “‘Singin’ in the Rain.'” It’s a really fun movie, but no matter how many times I watch it, it makes me cry. I get goosebumps. I love it. I know that by heart. ”
In a conversation with French film journalist Virginie Appiou, Paradis touched on the breadth of his career, which spans comedy and drama, but he has never appeared in a musical. “It’s always been my dream. I don’t know why I haven’t done a musical yet. I’ve sung in a few movies, but to sing and dance and act in a movie, it’s amazing. I think I need to hurry before I get arthritis,” she joked.
Paradis also spoke enthusiastically about her role in Quebec director Jean-Marc Vallée’s 2011 drama Café de Flore, in which she played a single mother raising a son with Down syndrome.
Vallée, whose role in Dallas Buyers Club brought Matthew McConaughey a Best Actor Oscar, passed away in 2021. Paradis fondly remembered how Vallée helped shape his acting.
“The role required a certain kind of authority and masculinity, which I had a hard time bringing out,” she explained. “While writing the script with Jean-Marc, I started imitating his deep voice without using a Quebecois accent, which helped me remove some of the softness.” [in my voice]. He also dyed my hair black to make the character more intense and insisted on no makeup. ”
Paradis, who is always open to new challenges, tried her hand at stage acting in 2021 with the play “Maman,” written especially for her by her husband, actor and director Samuel Benchetrit, in which she also starred and directed. .
As for what’s next, Paradis is currently working on their eighth album, scheduled for release in 2025.
