Irma Vep had several lives.
The premiere in 1915 in Louis Feuillade's film
Les Vampires
, a gang of criminals' fatal muse played by actress Musidora, an elusive fantasy cast in a black silk jumpsuit.
The second in 1996 in the guise of Maggie Cheung, a Chinese actress who came to interpret the role and get lost in
Irma Vep
, by Olivier Assayas.
A character that the director is reinventing today in a series version (broadcast from June 6 on HBO and OCS in France).
And for which he chose the Swedish Alicia Vikander (Oscar winner for
The Danish Girl
in 2016), superstar with a discreetly cracked personality, propelled into the chaos of a French shoot.
Magnetic, she gives the answer to two of the illustrious "Vincent" of French cinema: Macaigne, impulsive and neurotic director, and Lacoste, unbearable young first.
To discover
"06400 Cannes", the postcard from the Festival, episode 2: the memories of Elle Fanning, the confidences of Carla Bruni and the smile of Julia Roberts
“Alicia is an actress of extraordinary freedom and virtuosity,” Olivier Assayas told us in Cannes, where the first three episodes of the series were screened.
“Technically, she is devilishly gifted.
She can give herself freedom to improvise recreation but like cats, always lands on her feet.
She knows how to react perfectly in front of someone like Vincent Macaigne, who needs to reinvent the scenes from the inside.
With him, she puts herself perfectly in tune: it produces both emotion, but also scenes of pure comedy.
" Meet.
In video, Cannes 2022, the rise of the steps of May 25
Madame Figaro .- What attracted you to the
Irma Vep
series ?
Alicia Vikander .-
What attracted me to the project was first of all Olivier.
He told me about the fact that he was thinking of reinventing his original idea and declining it in a new, longer format.
At the time, he hadn't written it yet.
But since I've known him for years, and was already a fan of his work, I immediately said yes.
What do you have in common with your character, Mira?
We are very different, but obviously we work in the same industry: she and I do the same job, we have made both big budget films and smaller ones.
We also both have an intense passion for cinema.
A very strong bond is created between her and René, her director (played by Vincent Macaigne, editor's
note
): it's something that I felt when I met Olivier for the first time.
And what keeps you away?
Mira leads a life very different from mine: she has chosen to make hers much more public.
She also has a very strong relationship with her assistant.
I met actors who had this kind of link, it's fascinating.
But I wouldn't see myself having a personal assistant who travels with me, and who I'm so close to.
Mine is currently in an office, in another country!
But it was very interesting to play.
In video, "06400 Cannes", the postcard of the Festival, episode 3
Choral series
What do you remember from your work with French actors like Vincent Macaigne, Jeanne Balibar or Vincent Lacoste?
They are all incredible actors, and we had a lot of fun together, it was a very enjoyable shoot.
Irma Vep
is like an ensemble film, so everyone has something to show off their talent.
The dialogues were of the level that those which one usually writes for the theater: it is very rare in the cinema.
Having exchanges that develop on eight pages, instead of the usual one, really allowed us to interact together.
Your character has dance scenes, choreographed by Angelin Prejlocaj.
How did your background as a ballerina help you shoot them?
You should know that thanks to Olivier, I took dance lessons for the first time in 14 years!
And I really liked that.
I still enjoy going out dancing once in a while, but doing it for a role was very special.
Mira pays particular attention to her costumes, to the fabrics in which they are made.
What place do they play in your work?
Putting on a costume is the first step you take when you start to really get into a character.
I think it's a great idea, that Olivier wrote scenes that describe that.
Finding the "skin" of your character is always a magical moment.
Irma Vep's costume is iconic: the one I post in the series was created by Nicolas Ghesquière's teams.
They paid him a very nice tribute, drawing inspiration from the velvet and silk that made it up in the 1914 film. The mixture of these two materials, which they used for the one I'm wearing, evokes this aspect wonderfully. traditional, but is also very modern.
