PAULINE ETIENNE ON ACTING

By Crash redaction

PAULINE ETIENNE INTERVIEW: BELGIAN ACTRESS PAULINE ETIENNE CAUGHT OUR EYE IN GUILLAUME NICLOUX’S LATEST FILM, THE NUN, AN ADAPTATION OF DIDEROT’S CLASSIC NOVEL. HER PERFORMANCE AS SUZANNE SIMONIN, A SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD GIRL FORCED TO TAKE THE VEIL AGAINST HER WILL, IS SIMPLY STUNNING. INVOLVED IN THEATER FROM A YOUNG AGE, WHICH HELPED HER OVERCOME HER SHYNESS, PAULINE ETIENNE TACKLES EACH NEW ROLE WITH INTENSITY AND HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN TO DAZZLE US.

Tell us about your career. Are you from a film family?

My family has nothing to do with the movies! I was born in Brussels and started acting when I was thirteen. I just realized that being on stage made me feel really good. I was very shy, but when I was on stage, all my anxiety disappeared. So I did this special high school curriculum called Artistic Humanities, where I took normal high school classes in the morning and then did theater all afternoon. Eventually one of my friends told me to try some auditions, so I found this ad online that said they were looking for a “young lady with an innocent face,” and I said, “that’s me.” It was Joachim Lafosse’s Private Lessons and it turned out to be my first part.

What appealed to you about your role in The Nun?

First, the idea of acting in a period piece. It was also the first part I was offered that demanded such a depth of emotion and such a range of acting technique. I read the screenplay and thought Suzanne was a very strong character. Although she is religious, she doesn’t want to spend her life in a convent. She wants to live her faith and her passion in her own way, and I thought it would take a lot of courage to stand up for her convictions. And that’s what she does throughout the whole film. For me the film was less about religion, and more about personal freedom.

What was it like meeting Guillaume Nicloux? Was there an audition?

Casting director Brigitte Moidon mentioned me to him and we met two years ago in December. He hadn’t seen any of my films. So we met in a café, he told me about the project, and asked me to read the Diderot novel. So I did that and then he sent me the screenplay, asked me to read it and tell him what I thought, if I felt I could do the part. I told him I wasn’t sure if I could, but that I really wanted to do the part.

How did you feel about taking the part?

When we started shooting I had so much anxiety. Then I got caught up in everything, caught up in the pretty tough conditions of our shoot, since the weather was so cold. It was an emotionally intense experience and I learned a lot about myself by playing this part. All the scenes that look stressful on screen, like the dungeon scene, shooting them was an emotional rollercoaster for me. Not to complain too much about the weather, but when it’s below zero out and you have to walk barefoot outside, it’s pretty tough. The cold took me to a minimum level. It put me in a physical situation where my body faded away and left only my mind, and that helped me do a whole lot more. Those are the kind of conditions you need to let yourself go and really feel an emotion. Guillaume pushed me really hard to help me achieve more than I ever had. And that’s what helped me feel each emotion with such intensity.

Did you do anything special to get into character?

I did a lot of reading on the historical context and the different orders of nuns that were around at the time. I also spent two days in a convent, and even ended up running away at one point! I also took piano and voice lessons for four months. Every time Suzanne is singing and playing piano, that’s me. We didn’t have any readings or rehearsals, and I arrived on set “like a virgin” without any screen tests. I really made up everything for the character as we went along. Everything she thinks and feels in the film, I thought and felt the same thing during the shoot. So, in the end, Suzanne and I both helped each other out a bit.

What was it like working with Isabelle Huppert?

It was really professional. We rehearsed together on set. I was a little nervous about acting alongside Isabelle Huppert considering her huge career. The first scene we did together she touched my arm and I turned fire red. Everyone laughed and afterwards I got over it.

Any plans to work with Guillaume Nicloux on anything else?

There’s nothing in the works for now, but if Guillaume asked me to work on another project I would accept right away. No matter what kind of part he offered, working with him taught me so many life lessons that I would say yes without even thinking about it.

What is your favorite film?

One movie I really like is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry. It’s really a wonderful film, I love it.

Who is your favorite actress?

Kate Winslet is amazing every time I see her on screen, and she always plays the best parts.

Who are your favorite directors?

In Belgium, it’s Joachim Lafosse. And the French directors I like a lot are Michel Gondry, Bertrand Tavernier, Jacques Audiard, and Arnaud Desplechin.

Photography :  Lara Giliberto / Fashion : Armelle Leturcq