MARINA HANDS CRASH 64

By Crash redaction

SHE BLEW US AWAY IN “LADY CHATTERLY” AND NOW THE TALENTED YOUNG MARINA HANDS IS BACK WITH TWO EXCITING NEW FEATURES: “GHB” DIRECTED BY LAETITIA MASSON PRODUCED BY MIRWAIS AND “HOMOSAPIENNES” BY AUDREY DANA.

The last time we met you were just finishing up with Lady Chatterly. Tell me a little bit about what you’ve been doing since then…

For a lot of people, the only thing that matters is success, even for serious journalists who look beyond commercial success to quality. But still, what we remember most, even about art-house films, is box-office success. Since “Lady Chatterly”, I’ve been working nonstop. I’ve done a lot of different projects, I’ve had a lot of fun, and I’ve learned a lot about acting.

So it’s been one project after another lately?

I’m crossing my fingers for it to keep going like this, it’s really exciting. I’m juggling a play and a film, but I also have two projects that will take me through the year. I like taking my time with each project. I refuse a lot of offers. I’ll only take on an average project when I really have nothing to do. When you have the luxury of being choosy, it’s worth it to set your standards high. But last year, for example, I didn’t work at all. I was going to do two projects but they didn’t pan out because of funding issues. I was pretty upset, but I like taking risks.

So you think it’s important to have high standards?

Before I didn’t realize just how big an impact a commercial failure could have, especially in film. I mostly get offers for art-house films, even though I have done less “personal” projects. But I’ve never been very comfortable with films like these: I would rather do riskier projects, like Laetitia Masson’s latest film, “GHB”, where we were paid minimum wage, but it was so good and so unique.

Were you happy with the success of «Jappeloup»?

Yes, it really went over well. It’s about a young man and his rites of passage in life. It was really popular with young audiences. It turned into a commercially successful family film. Since it was a film about sports, it was a lot of hard work.

Had you already worked with Guillaume Canet in the past?

We had already worked together, but with him directing. This was the first time we both acted together.

Did the story about a horse appeal to you in any special way?

Yes, since horses were my refuge when I was little. Riding was an obsession for me, but I didn’t have the talent or means to become a professional. I was a bit lost after that, but I happened to walk into an acting class one day and I knew it was for me. I knew I wanted to do something artistic, but until then I didn’t really know what.

How did you get your start in film?

I followed acting classes at the conservatory. I also did a school in London for a year. I had very little self-confidence, but I really wanted to learn to act. I was afraid I wasn’t in the right place, and I didn’t feel like I deserved to be there. Compared to riding, it seemed like the opportunities came too easily, everything was too obvious.

Did it help you or hinder you to have parents working in film and theater?

It was mainly a hindrance because I didn’t receive any support. My mother didn’t say much, but things were really tough with my father. I had to go against his judgment when I decided to do film. There was a lot of tension because he felt it was his field and that it was just a hobby for me. I wasn’t taken seriously at all.

Have things gotten a little better since then?

Two years ago he offered me a part at his theater in England, after I had been an actress for ten years already. I accepted because I wanted to see what it would be like and because it was the first time my father had offered me a role. But it was pretty tense and I shouldn’t have accepted. I think it was too little too late. Even though I come from a family of actors, it still seems like I had to rebel to become an actress.

Have you finished shooting Laetitia Masson’s “GHB”?

We just finished shooting, but I haven’t seen the end result yet. Mirwais produced the film. He fell in love with the project and decided to make sure it got made. We had a tiny little budget but we just found a distributor, so at least it’s actually going to be a film!

What are you working on now?

It’s about a female director who plans to make a movie to raise the question of ideal love. Every idea she has becomes a short film within the film. She projects several different ideas of love, and I play the girl in each of these ideas, the actress in the director’s mind. It’s a reflection on absolute love.

What are you working on now?

I’m going to act in Audrey Dana’s first film. It’s a musical called “Homosapiennes”. It’s an all-female cast and shooting begins in June. It tells real stories about women without any movie stereotypes. It’s a starting point for Audrey, who wanted to make a film by women and for women. So she asked the cast what kind of characters they wanted to play, and then based the screenplay on that. There are a lot of actresses in the cast, including Alice Taglioni, Géraldine Nakache, Isabelle Adjani, and Leila Bekhti.