Juliette Binoche

Who is Elise, your character?

Elise has three children; she lives alone and is a social worker. She has a brother. She is faced with the daily grind of Paris and it isn't easy. She's fighting a permanent battle and she evolves during the story.


Do you remember Cédric Klapisch the electrician on Léos Carax's BAD BLOOD?

Yes I do, very well. I've got a pretty good memory. We spent an afternoon together during BAD BLOOD because I had to throw a little bit of paper out of a window, and he had some kind of compressed air gun with which he had to direct the paper's fall so it went exactly where it should go! So we spent a few hours together and I remember him because he was sweet, a little embarrassed and a little shy.


What kind of director has he become?

I've met several directors who have demonstrated a desire to be surprised and a need for control. I've often sensed him thinking and I've also had the privilege to see him give way to great bursts of laughter and tears, too.


Jean-Pierre Darroussin, with whom he worked on LITTLE NOTHINGS and FAMILY RESEMBLANCE, said that of all the directors he's worked with, Klapisch is the most actors' director. Would you agree?

No, because I've met quite a few directors, some of whom are actors' directors and others who leave you completely free. I've really lived the extremes. Cédric really does have that capacity to intellectually enter ascene. He explains what you just did, and mentally, you go through what he thought, and then afterwards,he indicates the direction in which he wants to go. Sometimes it doesn't help me much: I don't work with my mind. Although saying that, I remember the expression he wore to make me understand what he wasthinking and it was great. That was during the scene when I have to leave Mélanie's apartment.


In PARIS, you play Romain Duris' sister. We know he has a very strong relationship with Cédric Klapisch. Did you feel it?

I didn't really want to take much notice of it, because I began by shooting quite a few scenes with Romain I tried to find a spontaneous rapport with Cédric, a direction we could move in together. I'd say that there was a period of adaptation. I had the feeling that Cédric was a little apprehensive too, because working with new actors is always a little bit frightening. Romain and I really connected in the film, probably because our characters have a brother/sister relationship that is enduring and yet full of tension. It's a very special kind of love. In his film, Cédric really wanted to talk about that in relation to his life and his story. He saw that two actors could have that relationship and was very happy about that, I think. Romain and I felt it. So it was more like being in a trio than in a couple with a third person.


Did you know Romain Duris before this film? What kind of actor was he to you?

I saw him mainly in Cédric's films, and in THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED by Audiard. He has a complexity of joie de vivre, rapidity and a contemporary character who is loved and loves being loved, and who also has hidden weaknesses. That combination gives him his humanity and his complexity and that's why I loved working with him and being close to him.


And what about Albert Dupontel, your other acting partner in PARIS?

I saw BERNIE and LOCKED OUT. He has his universe, his madness, and an intense desire to be loved. We only shot for a few days together, but there was a mutual admiration and intensity I think. Being in very different worlds brings you closer in the end.


What made you want to be in PARIS?

I wanted to be part of a group and shoot in my city. To me, it was an opportunity to both come back home, and step into other universes. What attracted me wasn't so much acting, but knowing other people through performance. Those are the kinds of encounters that pass between four eyes: sometimes there are encounters that surprise us; with the director, the actors and with the team, too. These encounters touch the most hidden parts of oneself, the intimate parts. In the end, intimacy is what interests me most.


What is your favorite area of Paris?

The banks of the Seine... that's what I like best, I think. Walking along the Seine at night and during the day. The lights, the river... The water goes by, the bridges, and the idea of being outside of the current. And then there's Pont Neuf, of course! There are other bridges linked to my life - the Pont des Arts reminds me of RENDEZ-VOUS and Pont Marie of my psychiatrist!