ALMA JODOROWSKY CRASH 65

By Crash redaction

ALMA JODOROWSKY IS FRESH, MYSTERIOUS AND SIMPLY ENCHANTING. THIS FALL SHE WILL DELIGHT US IN ABDELLATIF KECHICHE’S “BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR”. A FILM SHE CALLED “EXTREMELY POWERFUL”, IT WILL NO DOUBT MARK THE BEGINNING OF HER WONDERFUL ACTING CAREER.

Tell us about your acting studies…

I studied acting for two and a half years at a conservatory in the 14th arrondissement of Paris and then for three months at the New York Film Academy. And I just finished my last year at the Studio-Théâtre d’Asnières.

As the daughter of the cult director Alejandro Jodorowsky, and with both of your parents working as actors, did it just make sense for you to work in film?

When I was younger I wanted to do theater, because that’s the milieu that first inspired me and that I grew up in. Film came later, but acting was always what I wanted to do.

You worked under the aegis of the notoriously demanding Abdellatif Kechiche, who won the Palme d’Or for “Blue is the Warmest Color”. How did you meet him?

I met him at the second screen test, and then I did a few more screen tests with the other actors.

What was the shoot like?

It went great. We ended up improvising a lot, so it was really fun and interesting. It was a lot of intense work and there were a few really tough days, but we were all extremely motivated by the project.

Did you have any idea the film would be such a huge success?

Everyone really gave their all, and since we had two really talented actresses Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos in lead roles, we all had a feeling it was going to be really great and get a very positive reaction.

Any anecdotes from the set?

I was taking a break with Adèle Exarchopoulos and a few other actors and we suddenly realized Abdellatif was filming us while we were hanging around relaxing. He really has a gift for inciting and capturing spontaneity.

Are there any directors you would like to work with?

I would really like to work with some young directors who are close to my generation, like Valérie Donzelli or Romain Gavras, or some of the great masters, like Jacques Audiard or Leos Carax.

Who is your favorite actress?

Elizabeth Taylor: an extremely gorgeous woman who played a lot of bold, smart roles.

You recently attended the Chanel fashion show. Do you get a lot of offers from luxury brands? Do you like fashion?

I like playing around with clothes. I like the kind of perpetually new creativity that fashion can inspire, but I don’t follow trends.

 Who are your favorite designers?

Chanel, Carven and Benjamin Leprince, a young designer who combines a rock sensibility with a classic style.

Who is your favorite director?

It’s hard to say. Just to name a few: Elia Kazan, Marcel Carné and Emir Kusturika.

Any projects coming up?

I’m currently shooting Chris Foggin’s film “Kids in Love” in London. I’m playing the lead female role: an ‘artsy’ young lady who reluctantly falls in love… I really like the English working style. We did a lot of rehearsals before shooting, so all the actors ended up forming a really tight-knit group of friends. It was a really relaxed and pragmatic environment, and so we got to know each other off set. I’m also recording a 4-song EP with my band Burning Peacocks, which will most likely come out in November. We do dream pop, a kind of mix of seventies psychedelic and pop rock.