The French actress recounts her journey to success.
She’s the most famous actress in France, who, with an Oscar and many other awards won, has seduced and conquered Hollywood. The directors, ça va sans dire, go crazy for her angelic face which, in reality, hides a rebellious soul. She is lying with regal elegance on a sofa; legs crossed and covered with tweed hot pants. Honest face. Melancholic look. She says she’s constantly attracted to complex roles, such as the one that made her won the Oscar for best female actress, namely Edith Piaf in La vie en rose (by Olivier Dahan, 2007).
Marion Cotillard (born 1975) is also a style icon who, with her French charm, led Christian Dior to want her as a testimonial. She prefers retro looks, hair tide up, clothes with a vintage flavor, often intense red lips. Alongside this Marion, however, lives an eternal girl with a soapy face and a simple style with neutral and powdery tones. I go towards her with my hand outstretched. Her smile is sweet and dazzling, while her large cerulean eyes and warm, sensual voice are exactly those we know and appreciate on the big screen, those of an intense actress.
How did your acting career begin?
“I was fascinated by my parents’ life, both actors, and by the people around them. I grew up surrounded by actors, people who, when they weren’t acting, loved telling stories. Our house was animated by a magical energy. It was a wonderful world… you were never bored. My mom often took me to the theater with her, and there, on stage, I saw her transform into a fantastic creature. She made me dream…”.
Do you remember your first time on stage?
“Of course, I remember it very well”.
How old were you?
“I was only four years old. We were at the theater and the director asked me to approach a woman lying on the floor. In fiction she was dying and I had to cry because she was my mother. But I was very confused… because actually my mother was fine! I remember the director telling me not to worry, we were just playing, I just had to pretend to be sad. For the first time I understood what acting meant; make others believe something that isn’t true, feel free, put on a show”.
The adventure began…
“Exactly. I started early. I felt that I was made for this job”.
What specifically attracted you?
“I would say that I was immediately attracted to the fact that acting allows you to investigate the nature of the human being”.
And it’s easy, can you do this?
“To tell the truth, I don’t think a lifetime is enough to fully understand the complexity of people. Let’s say I feel like an anthropologist! I try to understand how souls, hearts, brains work. Being an actor very often means dealing with yourself, with your emotions, which change depending on the roles played”.
Are you the same Marion as you were at the beginning, or has this job changed you in some way?
“I’m always the same, with firm principles, with my feet firmly planted on the ground, but I’m much more relaxed and calmer than I used to be”.
I’m curious. How were you before?
“I was emotional to say the least! I’ve always had great sensitivity, or rather a hypersensitivity that I have lived with for years. I was a restless teenager. Maybe this is why I love being an actress, to always take on different identities. Living in different times and places. Acting is like taking a journey into the unexpected”.
How did you manage to find serenity?
“I found it thanks to meditation! It’s a splendid practice that eases the mind by taking you far, and then making you return totally regenerated”.
Can you find the time to do it?
“Yes. Sometimes five or ten minutes are enough… a simple conscious breath, and voilà, you’re done!”.
To close, what advice would you give to our readers?
“Remember to dream, always. And big. Because are dreams, like thoughts, to create our reality”.
