Ten years ago, despite her enviable status in French cinema, Audrey Tautou decided to slow down. Five years later, after supporting roles in En liberté! and Santa & Cie, the cult actress of Amélie Poulain is pushing the envelope again by choosing not to shoot at all. Cinema was becoming too time-consuming for this curious actress, who dreams of exploring other disciplines and cherishes her daily life with her daughter, adopted in 2018. What a surprise, then, to find her on stage at the beginning of the year: from January 19 to 25, she will take over La Seine Musicale, near Paris, to tell the story of the life and work of the German-Jewish painter Charlotte Salomon, who was deported and died in Auschwitz in 1943. Beyond the duty of remembrance, it was the words of David Foenkinos, who adapts his novel Charlotte here, that convinced Audrey Tautou to interrupt her enchanted interlude. "It was also the portrait of an artist and the spotlight on her incredible work that made me decide," says the woman who has always had a real passion for painting. As a teenager in her native Montluçon, Audrey Tautou, now 47 years old, dreamed of being a student at the School of Fine Arts. She never let go of her brushes, but the frustration of not being able to devote enough time to them weighed on her urgency to take a path away from the spotlight. In her life away from Paris, she put a final pencil stroke on a book from her youth.
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A tocade? An actress' fad? On no account. Not only is the grace of the watercolors she shows us that day on her phone impressive, but the soundness of her decision is beyond doubt. With bursts of laughter and mischievous smiles, she tells of her balance found, her need for autonomy, her quest for simplicity. His naturalness is evident from the first minutes of the interview. Seeing her preserve her bravely acquired tranquillity at all costs, she was feared wild and locked up for this ephemeral reunion. But the return to "normality" seems to have freed her from shackles. Nothing is missing from his previous life, except the proximity of arthouse cinemas... "And the gossip in the middle," she adds jokingly. Today, she no longer dreams of film sets. "They are my forever home, but I left the nest to strike out on my own." She will no doubt return to it, but refuses to plan: time is her supreme luxury, the one she refuses to renounce, except for a show that has — logically — only six performances.
Madame Figaro. – You hadn't been on stage since 2010. Did it take David Foenkinos to convince you to come back?
Audrey Tautou. – It's very difficult to say no to the people you love, but until now, despite the requests, I hadn't given in. I have too much respect for the work to accept a project in which I would not invest 100%. David put forward three major assets: this project only mobilizes me on a few dates; I had never read before, let alone with the help of a musician of the calibre of Gail Ann Dorsey; and Jérémie Lippmann is directing. What he had done for Matthieu Chedid's concert had blown me away, and I really wanted to work with him, especially since I have known him since the Cours Florent. I've only done theatre once, for Maison de poupée, in 2010, but I love the stage, the autonomy it offers, the way it forces you to adapt, to reinvent yourself. That's almost where I found the most meaning in acting. But I wouldn't have gone there without such a strong text.
Audrey Tautou: life on the sly
In pictures
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What is the story of this text that resonated with you so much?
The horror of the Holocaust must be recounted, even more so in light of recent news, and for the younger generations. Their grandparents did not go to war, as some of our grandparents did, and not having heard a direct account, this episode of history is sometimes abstract for them. The text also allows you to be fully immersed in Charlotte Salomon's work: the power of her artistic vocation fascinates me. It has had a tragic fate, but what remains is the sublime, the joy of its colours. The beauty of his work outweighed the horror. I have always admired those who transcend their pain and find a path to life in spite of everything.
Do you recognize yourself in the power of the vocation you are evoking?
I am very sensitive to what forces us to become artists. And I say "strength" on purpose, because it was an irrepressible need for me to express myself artistically, to create a life for myself that was out of the ordinary. I need to put poetry, surprise, improvisation into my life.
Did cinema bring it to you?
Yes, because this environment was very far from what I had known in my childhood. We went to the cinema a lot, but there were no artists in the family, and Paris was another world for me, synonymous with freedom.
Why did you stop? More of a taste for adventure?
Yes, but in a different way. I had a thousand other art projects that I couldn't finish because I didn't have the time. Being an actress isn't just about filming: there's preparation, promotion, international tours... Everything was taking up too much space, to the point of frustrating me at times. It's not that I didn't want to be an actress anymore. I just wanted another life of my own.
You have to let yourself be guided by your desires and not by your fears
Audrey Tautou
Why didn't you choose to tour less?
I tried supporting roles to lighten up. A failure. Narcissistically, my ego was coping very well, but I'm still stalker the first few days of filming to the point of becoming awkward. However, with supporting roles, your presence is fragmented. I was never able to be serene, to have fun. I'm in awe of those who play supporting roles, but I don't have the shoulders. Kate Winslet says that 70% of acting work is about self-confidence. I totally agree. Also, I preferred not to do things by halves, and to open a real parenthesis.
Without fear of the impossible return?
I honestly didn't think of it that way. My decision was well thought out. You have to let yourself be guided by your desires and not by your fears, and I was in a place comfortable enough to allow myself that choice. I am resolute in my desire to direct my own projects before I can reconsider cinema.
What are these projects?
I've written a children's book that I'm illustrating, but it's much more laborious than I imagined. Finding your world is difficult. I'm also working on a book of photographs: an extension of the exhibition Superfacial, which I presented in Arles, enriched with texts. Since I became a freelancer, I realize how difficult it is to bring projects to fruition! I need deadlines, but I don't think publishers dare to impose deadlines on me. At the same time, I'm working on a script, I'd like to direct it. But given my speed, we'll talk about it again in ten years... I tend to build small walls that I demolish before building new ones.
Did you find the balance you were looking for?
Totally. I'm not simple by nature, but I've managed to create an artistic and personal life that looks like me and makes me happy. I live very well in the shadow of the spotlight.
Can you be anonymous when you've played Amélie Poulain?
People still recognize me, but — and this is one of the few advantages of the passage of time — your appearance and your face change and are no longer in line with the image in which the public has frozen you!
Perfection is an illusion that doesn't interest me. After a while, you become formatted and smooth
Audrey Tautou
Are you aware that you are going against the grain of the times with this voluntary withdrawal?
I've never been very integrated into the system, I've always been on the margins, a bit wild. And in a way, it's true, I swim better against the current. At one point in my career, I had a lot of requests – too many, maybe – and I needed a small team to assist me. But, with experience, when the media frenzy died down, I didn't want any more of that. Apart from certain red carpets or a magazine cover where it is fun to play the game, why should I necessarily show up with the right outfit, in tune with the times, or the impeccable hairstyle that no one can replicate? Perfection is an illusion that doesn't interest me. After a while, you become formatted and smooth. It's good to mess up too! The world won't stop spinning because we messed up on a look. And then, the little hiccups allow you to laugh with your friends. When I see that some young actresses, even before they have proven themselves, already have a publicist and are looking for a fashion contract, it escapes me a little. But it also corresponds to the time, to the promotion on social networks, where I chose not to be. Brands aren't likely to be interested in me!
Did you still walk the runway for Ami?
That's something else. Alexandre Mattiussi goes off the beaten track, adores women who are also actresses, whatever their age or body type. At first, I said no to this proposal, but then I changed my mind. After all, at my age, this might be the last time I'll be asked to model! I was also curious to discover the backstage of a fashion show and, with this Montmartre Sacred Heart collection, the nod to Amélie Poulain was too beautiful.
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Venus Beauty (Institute), your first film, is 25 years old. How do you look back on who you were then?
I was so naïve about acting! I thought it was easy, but obviously there was a whole dimension that I hadn't had access to. What I remember from that time is the kindness of others. I'm thinking in particular of Mathilde Seigner, who was so great with me. Tonie Marshall, who was one of the founding meetings with Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Pierre Salvadori, Stephen Frears — with whom I am still very close — Michel Gondry, Alain Chabat, Anne Fontaine...
Did you think you'd be an actress all your life?
I never told myself. As a teenager, if I had had the opportunity to go to art school, that's what I would have done. I loved cinema, but I've always eaten differently: I was given my first camera for my first communion, and I haven't let it go; And then, I've always written, taken drawing lessons... Theatre was one activity among others and, as a post-baccalaureate gift, I asked for a summer internship at Cours Florent. I wasn't planning anything more. Except that at the end of this internship, my teacher wanted to meet my parents, and offered me to join the school directly in the second year. As I liked it, I said to myself "why not" and I gave up the university of modern literature in Clermont-Ferrand.
Any regrets?
I'm against it: they make people suffer unnecessarily, and you can't change the past. I also recognize myself in Mandela's words: "I never lose. Either I win or I learn." Every experience, good or bad, is enriching. But I am very sad that I have never met Marie Trintignant, my idol. I had accepted The Lost Sailors for her, even though we didn't have any scenes together. I was supposed to meet her, but she was filming in Vilnius. She never came back...
Do you still have any aspirations as an actress?
I will always love cinema, but there is no justification today for wasting moments of life with my daughter.
I am very sensitive to what forces us to become an artist
Audrey Tautou
An artist you couldn't say no to?
I don't dare mention names so I don't get trapped... But if I were offered a film with Catherine Deneuve, whose wit and talent I love, I would pray that the script wasn't good.
Charlotte, directed by Jérémie Lippmann, from 19 to 25 January 2024 at La Seine Musicale, in Boulogne-Billancourt (Hauts-de-Seine). laseinemusicale.com