Al Weisel

 

Juliette Binoche

By AI Weisel

US Magazine, June 1997, p. 101

 

Once stars like, Garbo, Dietrich, and Bergman lent European sophistication and grace to the movies. In recent times, however, if you heard an accent at the multiplex, chances are it was Meryl Streep. Juliette Binoche's Academy Award for her luminous portrayal of a kindhearted nurse in The English Patient is a reminder of what Hollywood has been missing. The French actress, 33, first came to the attention of American audiences as the tormented lover of a randy Daniel Day-Lewis in 1988's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Reappearing as a femme fatale in 1992's Damage, she gutsily performed several très risqués sex scenes with co-star Jeremy Irons. Her next role, as a woman dealing with the loss of her husband and daughter in Blue, part of director Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy, won her a César, the French Oscar. Currently resting at her home near Paris, where she lives with her 3-year-old son, Raphael (she is no longer involved with his father, a professional deep-sea diver), the actress reflects, in sometimes tentative English, on her American statuette and her newfound international fame.

 

How were you greeted at home when you returned with your Oscar?

I am the queen here. It's been 37 years since a French actress won an Oscar. They feel a little cocorico, as we say here.

 

"Cocorico"?

[Starts crowing] You know, like a rooster.

 

Oh, I see. That's French for "cock-a-doodle-doo."

Yes, exactly. It's the pride of French people.

 

You looked great on Oscar night.

Well, actually, I don't like fashion very much. I like Sophie Sitbon [the French designer of Binoche's Oscar dress] as a person. That's why I like putting her clothes on. But in life I'm not very keen on what I have on.

 

What was your first thought when you heard your name read as best supporting actress?

I had no time to think. I was so surprised. People love the character I play, this nurse. She feels a lot of compassion toward her patients. l didn't have those thoughts in mind when that happened. I didn't have enough in mind the nurses, because they are the people risking their lives and their time, and they have no Oscars.

 

In your acceptance speech, you graciously acknowledged Lauren Bacall, who was favored to win. Did you speak to her afterward?

We exchanged a few words and grabbed one another. It was warm. She was touched that I talked about her. Of course, She was expecting it because of all the films she made. I think she ought to have an Oscar next year as a symbol of her whole work.

 

The original backers of 'The English Patient' reportedly wanted Demi Moore to star in the film. Do you wish you had gotten paid as much as she would have been?

Money has never been my goal. If you're making films for money, I think there's a sickness. Money can't fulfill you. When you have a house, if you have a second house, you can't live in both. If I say yes to a film, it's because I love the project.

 

Rumor has it that you're up against Kristin Scott Thomas, your 'English Patient' co-star, for a role in the drama 'Age of Aquarius,' set in Bosnia.

Not against. I think she's an amazing actress, and I always say that to her. It's true I've seen the director, but there are other projects I'm interested in, too. I have to take a breath and see what I'm interested in doing.

 

After 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being,' you took three years of from working. Why?

I didn't take them off. [I was] making Les Amants du Pont Neuf, and we didn't have enough money to finish. I used that time working on English, which helped me make other films. So whatever happens to you in your life, you try to make the best out of it. [Breaks into song] "We are the world..." You have to laugh a little bit at what I'm saying. Don't take it too seriously.

 

While you're being so positive, let's talk about 'Damage,' which was somewhat negatively received. What went wrong with that film?

Relationships. Sometimes they were not very healthy. If you're tortured as a person, you can't work as well as you'd like to.

 

Were you hurt when Jeremy Irons said some harsh things about you?

I heard that he said I didn't understand the book [that the movie was based on]. But I think I quite understood it, which was why I wanted to make the film so badly. I had lots of conversations with [Damage author] Josephine Hart. So I don't feel hurt about that, because inside I know it's not true. I did the best I could.

 

While making the 1995 film 'Horseman on the Roof,' you were dating your co-star, Olivier Martinez, but you two weren't romantically involved onscreen. Did you ever get mixed up?

That's none of your business, darling. Sorry about that. That's a private question, and I'm not answering private questions.

 

Where are you going to keep your Oscar?

Now, it's near my fax machine. People when they come here feel like taking it and weighing it. It's moving. I thought I didn't care about the Oscars before, but now I can say it means something.■

 

Al Weisel is the co-author, with Larry Frascella, of Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause, being published in October 2005.

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