Meeting with Eva Green, member of the Feature Film Jury
No role is too big for Eva Green. The French actress stood toe to toe with 007 in Casino Royale, held her own in Les Trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers), blended seamlessly into the dark world of Sin City and shot for the stars in Proxima. And yet, after a twenty-year career, she struggles with her humility, which may well be where her real strength lies.
When you look back over your filmography, how do you feel about your choices and experiences?
I never had a plan as an actress. It depends on what others want.In any event, I’m lucky to be able to do this as a job. A lot of classmates I know from drama school were more talented than me and less fortunate. We don’t talk about it enough, but luck is a real factor in this business.
With that in mind, have you developed a certain confidence in your talent over your twenty-year career?
I’d like to say that, at 40, I have the necessary wisdom and hindsight, but at the same time, the thrill of this profession is that you’re constantly questioning yourself; you can never take anyting for granted. In fact, it’s a driving force. But it’s true that sometimes I’d like to feel like less of an impostor, like I deserve to be here. I’m looking for that peace of mind.
When everything began, during your studies in London, were you aware that you were opening up a whole new world of possibilities for your future career?
I mostly wanted to perfect my English and it was a great opportunity. I also wanted to see if this was a profession I really liked, despite the fact I’d never been on stage before. To tell the truth, I watched a friend who really wanted to do this as a job. But it was very full-on because in English schools, the pace is highly intense: 8 hours of lessons a day and lots of topics. It was very hard for me to improvise in English. It was tough, but necessary. Those two months of classes made it clear to me that I could enjoy myself on this path and picture it as a career.
What would you have done if you hadn’t been satisfied?
I think, perhaps, I would’ve been an English teacher. I really liked English in general and I still enjoy working on a character’s voice and accent. It gives me some distance and helps me to be someone else.
Do you approach roles in an instinctive way or do you prefer to prepare for them thoroughly?
A little bit of both. I tend to be almost too cerebral, due to a lack of confidence. Working on something in advance reassures me. Especially since, these days, rehearsing is rare, unlike in theater. Quite often, when the first day of a shoot arrives, we haven’t even done a reading yet. You feel a little better armed and more confident when you’ve prepared a number of routes for your character to take.
Which role required particularly extensive preparation?
Each role has its own challenges. It’s not very stimulating when a role is too easy. But I’d say it was a character that wasn’t in a movie. Penny Dreadful required a tremendous amount of preparation from me. I had to explore extreme states and it’s a character I worked on for three years.
Generally speaking, what roles appeal to you?
I like it when things aren’t obvious at first glance, when there are mysteries and different layers. The challenge, too, is to never repeat yourself. I like women who are a bit masculine, have guts and are strong but with a certain fragility about them. And, one day, I might play a role with a moustache, because why not!
