The film had achieved 3.6 million admissions in 1986, became cult and revealed its performers Jean-Hugues Anglade and Béatrice Dalle.
Passionate love story between Zorg, a marginal novelist, and Betty, a wild girl, "37 ° 2 le matin", by Jean-Jacques Beineix, is broadcast on France 5 as part of the program "Place au cinéma" (at 8:50 p.m.).
The drama will be presented by producer Dominique Besnehard, who himself spotted Béatrice Dalle.
Then 20 years old, the young woman had only posed, by chance, for a magazine.
The actress tells us about her memories of this tumultuous shoot.
How were you chosen for the film?
BÉATRICE DALLE.
Dominique
(Editor's note: Besnehard)
had seen me on one of the magazine “Photo”.
He called me.
He thought everyone wanted to make movies, but I didn't give a fuck: I was a little girl who lived in squats, I didn't know any actor.
I did not find him pleasant enough.
So I hung up on him.
Dominique called me back and came to pick me up in my squat!
We had a coffee in front of the Comédie-Française, he told me about “37 ° 2…”.
Then, we went to a bookstore: seeing me, the guy at the cash desk said
This girl looks like the heroine of Philippe Djian's book (Editor's note: "37 ° 2 in the morning")!
What memories do you have from the shoot?
I had received 80,000 francs
(Editor's note: the equivalent of some 21,400 euros today, taking into account inflation)
.
I was the lowest paid on the team, but for me it was huge.
With Beineix, we loved each other, but we couldn't stop arguing.
Once I took the yellow Mercedes and put it in the wall on purpose.
For one scene, I, who am super modest, had to put on my T-shirt so that we can see my buttocks: Beineix was screaming, so I screamed louder and I asked that we evacuate the beach, just for the do ch ... And in the sequence where Betty throws everything in the kitchen, I was aiming at Jean-Jacques, on the floor with his camera: he took everything in the face!
And the shooting of the sex scene, who opens the film?
It was horrible.
I wasn't warned that the whole team would be on set.
We had to do close-ups, so we had to redo takes each on his own, Jean-Hugues and me.
At the first screening of the film, my mother was behind me: I come from a religious, Catholic family, so I melted under the seat.
But I am proud of the film: there is no free scene.
"37 ° 2 in the morning" has made you a star ...
The film has completely changed my life.
I went from a great teenager to an icon of the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. To see the rise of the steps of the daughter of “37 ° 2…”, buses had been chartered from Bordeaux or Strasbourg.
At the closing dinner, the cake was even called “Béatrice Dalle”.
Béatrice Dalle in “37 ° 2 le matin”, by Jean-Jacques Beineix (1986) ./ Collection Christophel
Did you leave your squat after the shoot?
Yes, I was with my husband at the time
(Editor's note: in 1985, Béatrice married the painter Jean-François Dalle)
.
I bought an apartment.
The bank gave me credit: the more you have, the more you get.
And then, I received a lot of proposals.
I came from a family with no money: the cinema worked for me, so I continued.
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How did you experience your sex bomb status?
Great !
I was very proud.
How do you manage to be a sex symbol and a feminist at the same time?
I've always decided what to do with my body.
When there was the #MeToo movement, I was asked if I had had bad experiences: I never had.
When Harvey Weinstein introduced me to Mickey Rourke, Mickey tried his luck with me: the guys saw that I wasn't moving an ear, so they said to each other
With her, it's not worth it!
I don't eat that bread.
The watchword of my life is dignity.
Have you remained linked to Jean-Hugues Anglade?
We hardly see each other, but Jean-Hugues will always be in my heart.
Every year, we send each other messages to wish each other a happy new year: he signs Zorg, I sign Betty.
Dominique
(Editor's note: Besnehard)
is more than my family.
And Jean-Jacques
(Beineix)
, I like him too, even if we don't see each other.
What are your projects today?
I had to go back on stage with Virginie Despentes and Casey
(Editor's note: for the show "Viril", in which the actress, the writer and the rapper present feminist and anti-racist texts)
: we haven't played since March 3, it is too sad!
Otherwise, I start a Belgian film, “Fils de”, where I play the mother of three thugs.
And I have to finish Claude Lelouch's feature film, “Love is better than life”, and make a documentary on Claude: I interview all the actresses who have worked with him.
What can we wish you for 2021?
We must wish the world love.
Me, I have, I have a wonderful man
(Editor's note: his companion, Paul Bichet)
.
And then fuck his mother with the coronavirus!
Did I get it?
No, I'm never sick: the weed is solid!
That's what Annie Girardot called me, whom I loved so much: “the Weed”.