VICTOIRE Du Bois is a promising young French actress. She has featured in films such as The Forbidden Room (2015) and won acclaim for her performances on-stage as Sasha in Chekhov’s Ivanov, directed by Luc Bondy.
Victoire spoke to Prestridge² ahead of the UK release of her latest film Call Me By Your Name.
Q: Call Me By Your Name screened at the BFI London Film Festival and will be released in cinemas later this month. What can British audiences expect from the film? Can you tell us about the character you play?
A: I THINK Call Me By Your Name offers something fresh – it feels like a cherished souvenir. It captures the simplicity of youth during the summer evenings.
The character I play is a young girl [Chiara] who loves flirting, beautiful guys and parties. She is a bit ‘bitchy’ and very ‘80s!
Q: The film appears to have a picturesque setting. What were your experiences working on the film?
A: IT IS true that I keep this memory! Luca [director Luca Guadagnino] greeted us at his home and the filming took place in a sublime villa in northern Italy. There was almost something Chekhovian about this shoot.
Q: Last year you starred in From the Land of the Moon. What was it like working on a film with the legendary Marion Cotillard?
A: IT IS always a pleasure to work with brilliant actors – they give everything to their art. It shows, and when you are an actor, that is how we all like to play. We play like children with profound subjects.
Q: You have featured in several short films in recent years. Do you enjoy working in that format?
A: YES, I do love it because it is possible to be honest. They offer me some of my best roles. It allows me to think about cinema in its entirety, not just at a certain level of the acting.
We think about a film differently when you know it has money behind it and when it does not. What do I think of films? I think of the Cassavets, the Safdie brothers, Thierry de Perreti, Robin Campillo, Claire Denis and others I love.
Whatever the format, I take each film as if it has allowed me to open my mind, my understanding of the world. The characters, the director, the screenplay. They are all part of a story you have to dive into
Q: Can you tell us about your background in acting? Do you have any actors that you aspire to?
A: I SPENT time at L’Ecole du Jeu and the CNSAD [French National Academy of Dramatic Arts]. The two schools taught me a lot.
There are many actresses that inspire me, but three I will mention are Gena Rowland, Jeanne Moreau and Greta Gerwig.
Q: What are your ambitions for the future? What kind of roles are you interested in?
A: I WOULD like to play heroines working with wonderful filmmakers, like the ones I have met so far in my career – brilliant and human.
Q: Lastly, do you have any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
A: I WILL be acting at the Théâtre de la Ville [Paris] in a play by Martin Crimp called The Treatment. It will be directed by Rémy Barché.
As well as this, an adaptation of Hedda Gabler at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord [Paris] in a play directed by Roland Auzet where I will play Hedda!
I am also about to shoot a medium-length film with Thierry de Perreti.
Thank you for reading. Please like, share and comment!
Image from Chloe Nicosia
She really does look like a young Cotillard. Call Me By Your Name should be great!!
I’m excited to see it too. Thanks for reading