On May 16, at the invitation of the General Delegate, Thierry Frémaux, Chiara Mastroianni will premiere on the stage of the Palais des Festivals, in Cannes, to open the high mass of world cinema. Eleven days later, she invited President Ruben Östlund to announce his jury prizes and the Palme d'Or in front of an impatient audience, including some of the biggest names in the 7th art. The actress knows this excitement: she was a member of the jury in 1998 and has presented many films in the official selection (with Arnaud Desplechin, Manoel de Oliveira, Xavier Beauvois...). This year, the challenge will be different, but the stress will be just as present.
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"Cannes brings dreamers together"
Mrs. Figaro. – What state of mind are you in before this opening ceremony?
Chiara Mastroianni.– I have an indefinable stage fright, even if my joy, almost childish, prevails. The ceremony must, in a way, be solemn, but I hope to find a form of simplicity, of naturalness, because Cannes is above all a celebration, a celebration of cinema, of those who love it and those who make it. Cannes brings dreamers together.
How does this festival generate dreams in you?
Through the diversity of films shown, made by filmmakers from very different generations, cultures and countries. If Cannes is the biggest festival in the world, it also has the particularity of booking surprises, bringing out works and talents that we did not expect. Despite the pharaonic logistics, the age of the Festival, its international scope, there are always things that escape us. That's also why I've never been jaded. This festival also has a power that others do not have: it can change destinies for artists.
I have an indefinable stage fright, even if my joy, almost childish, prevails
Chiara Mastroianni
Was this the case for you?
It didn't lead to a phenomenal change, but having the chance to climb the stairs in 1993 for my first film, My Favorite Season, was unreal. I felt like I was part of a great whole, although I also remember the clever mix of terror and enchantment that it represented. Five years later, I had the chance to be part of the jury and to see films for ten days alongside Martin Scorsese, then president: an unforgettable experience.
Another memorable memory, no doubt: your interpretation prize at Un Certain Regard for Chambre 212, in 2019?
I had never won an award before, and it made me feel good, really. This reassured me, and above all I was happy that it was for this film: it was all the work of Christophe Honoré and the team that was praised. And such an exhibition can open doors. The Argentinian filmmaker Lisandro Alonso, who was then part of the jury, has since directed me in Eureka, selected this year at the Festival, at Cannes Première.
In video, Le Lycéen, Christophe Honoré's latest film with Juliette Binoche
Precisely, what does Christophe Honoré represent in your career?
A chance. He always takes me to territories I never thought I'd go. In the theatre, for example, with Le Ciel de Nantes. I braked with all four irons, I was afraid of the scene to the point of having recurring nightmares. I was so paralyzed that I took something without even imagining that I might like it. We will be doing the play again next winter, but before that, we will meet again this summer for a new film.
Which cinema spectator are you?
A spectator like any other. Being an actress has never stopped me from diving into a film. I don't analyze every plan, I let myself be embarked. When you love cinema, Cannes offers something specific: the Festival allows you to take the pulse of international cinema but also the temperature of the world. It is a unifying and reassuring home port for the life of the rooms. I experienced great emotions, watching Pacifiction, with Benoît Magimel last year, or Rosetta, Palme d'Or in 1999.
"Many actors hope that their children will not go down this path. Not me"
Your mother, this year in the center of the poster, is an icon of Cannes...
The Festival had a special place in its journey: there was a before and after The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which won the Palme. My father is also closely linked to Cannes: he won two prizes, for Drama of Jealousy, by Ettore Scola, and Black Eyes, by Nikita Mikhalkov, and played in La Grande Bouffe and La Dolce Vita, which, by creating scandal, marked the history of the Festival... I love to watch my father's interviews at that time: he spoke so well about the job.
Your daughter, Anna Biolay, will climb the stairs for Rosalie. She follows in the family footsteps...
She's the age I was for my first climb... It's pretty crazy. I would like to see the film at Cannes: it is his first film role. Many actors hope that their children will not go down this path. Not me. It must have skipped a generation, because when I was young, my mother didn't really encourage me. And then, it would be wrong for me to try to dissuade Anna: I did not listen to my mother! (Laughter.)
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Would you like to give him the answer?
I prefer to let him chart his own path first, but why not, one day.
The representation of women on screens is a major issue. Are you optimistic about the future?
I have the impression that it is evolving in the right direction, but maybe I am obliged to tell myself this, because, at the age I am, I might as well give up everything otherwise! I still have an instinct for survival and maybe also a little naivety... (Laughter.) But, for now, I'm lucky to have some great projects: I just shot Foreign Languages, by Claire Burger, which I loved C'est ça l'amour, and I played in Monsieur Spade, a Canal + series by the director of Le Jeu de la dame, with Clive Owen, Louise Bourgoin and Denis Ménochet. It is a new adaptation around the character played by Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon.
Festival de Cannes: opening ceremony on May 16 and closing evening on May 27, live on France 2 and on all Brut platforms.