Always a Beauty but never a Beast

French actress Juliette Binoche turns gauche in Jet Lag but her talent shines through

One of the world's most beautiful and talented actresses - French-born Juliette Binoche -- has appeared onscreen as nothing less than stunning. But in Daniele Thompson's Jet Lag she is so gauche and so tacky, that it takes some effort to find those dark, deep-set eyes beneath the false eyelashes and heavy make-up.
Binoche stars as Rose, a chatty beautician flying to Acapulco to escape an abusive relationship. When she borrows a cell phone from a stranger (Jean Reno) at the Paris airport, she discovers that there is hope in life after all.
Winner of a best actress Oscar for her role in Anthony Minghella's The English Patient, Binoche has starred in Philip Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Blue, and, more recently, Lasse Hallstrom's Chocolat.
Tandem talked to 39-year-old Juliette Binoche when she was in Toronto.

This is an involving role because you and Jean Reno are pretty much in every frame of the movie in a large airport. Was it fun?
"That's what I wanted. It was a lot of fun. The airport part was most difficult for me because there was this anguish about doing something new. Also, the monologue because it was all on cell phones, it was not much dialogue. I wanted desperately to work with Jean and it was kind of frustrating that we could not get into a room and work together. So I kind of had to be patient while we were at the airport. Also to be intimate and yet be in a big crowd and a big space was strange somehow and I felt lost. But that was perfect for the role somehow because of the way she (the character) is trying to hold things together. But after that, when we started working in a room, it was like a big release. After that it was just about playing and having the pleasure of playing."

What did you think when you saw yourself all made up like that?
"Some people said that when they saw me they thought of a very rich woman or very bourgeoisie. She is hiding so much that you can invent a lot of stories into one's character.

Did you learn about makeup?
"Yes I did. I went to a beautician school and spent some time there, with a private class on how to make myself up. The interesting thing is I had never done it in that way before. I am usually done up by wonderful makeup artists. In that way I can only see the result but not the actual way to do that sort of thing. Actually having a woman telling me what to do is different than doing it yourself. All I did know prior to that is how to apply the blue to the eyes. That is what I wanted but I remember putting a lot on and it worked. I remember after the second class or something I went out with that makeup on and people were looking at me not knowing exactly who I was. Whether I was the actress or this mad woman with all this makeup."

Do you actually not wear makeup?
"In life, no. Very rarely do I wear it. We don't need it, women don't need it. Once in a while it's nice but we don't need it."

Your character, this woman, is there something in her that you had any affinity with?
"Well, my parents were communists so that was a common point. That's why it made me laugh so much when I read that in the script. My father saw the movie and he laughed very much at that line."

Do you think this role is going to have people look at you in a different way, that you can be funny?
"I always felt that in life I am a little like that, so it wasn't really a concern. But it's a little sad that directors didn't ask me to do comedies. I didn't feel connected to comedies somehow because there weren't enough layers, but I felt a likeness. There are strong moments in this movie, it's about strong subjects. It's connected to life and what happens in life. It is true, as an actress, I feel responsible in talking to human beings, talking about the heart. Some actors don't want to talk about that, or are more interested in other things. And I think that as an actress I feel responsible somehow. And it is not to be heavy. It's more to be conscious. But lately I wanted to find something lighter because I wanted to show joy and share joy and I really feel I needed that because I feel that very strongly. It is a whole part of myself that I've been exploring somehow."

Do you feel that since you've had a child?
"I have always been like that, actually. In Blue, for example, I had a wonderful time, we laughed so much."

You are now considered an "A list" actress in the world. You won an Oscar and yet you continue to do small European films. Why?
"I've been reading scripts but refusing because I'm thirsty, you know? I want to discover layers. It has to connect to me somehow and I can't lie about that. I can't pretend."

What are the scripts lacking?
"I like to experience different things. Like my theatre in New York, doing Betrayal, was a whole experience for me. It was moving, going to another country and experiencing Broadway theatre. So I've been busy and didn't want to waste time doing things I didn't believe in. And being a mother I can't always go from one thing to another. It's the efficiency of always being there or having success or being famous or money. It's not enough for me. And so somehow for me, I have to be connected with what I'm playing and can't pretend other things. Refusing is not a big deal. It's been hard at times because I feel like working, but at the same time I think of it as a year off. I've been doing workshops and learning a lot about myself and I am exploring other things. So I feel it's about discovering yourself again. And you know, being a mother is a part of life and you have to allow this time for the child."


Jet Lag plays in local cinemas this summer.

Publication Date: 2003-07-20
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=2958