Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuveis a French actress as well as occasional singer, model and producer. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof, mysterious beauties for various directors, including Luis Buñuel and Roman Polanski. In 1985, she succeeded Mireille Mathieu as the official face of Marianne, France's national symbol of liberty. A 14-time César Award nominee, she won for her performances in François Truffaut's The Last Metroand Régis Wargnier's Indochine. She is also noted for her support for a variety of liberal...
ProfessionMovie Actress
Date of Birth22 October 1943
CityParis, France
I'm afraid of being too sure, to just deliver. I think that's the biggest danger for actors - after a certain time, when you're known and recognised, people expect you to do what you're supposed to do, and there's almost no more criticism and that's very dangerous.
I think I will always feel a special relationship with The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, because for me it was something very, very special. It was a modern opera, and to play the heroine in a film that became such a success at a young age, and learning from him when I was so young and impressionable - really it was one of my most important experiences.
I think one of the few times I've been involved with real-life characters was the story of Marie Bonaparte. I think it's really difficult to become someone that really existed.
I'm not an admirer of action movies. I just think, Oh my God, it must be so tiring.
I admire directors so much, I find them incredible: they manage such a huge number of people of different characters, think of the money involved.
Polanski was very precise. I think he still is.
I would love to work with Robert De Niro or Al Pacino. I think they're wonderful actors.
I think anything that has to do with sexuality makes people very interested.
I think the clothes in Belle de Jour are very important to the style of the film. Even today, it is still timeless.
I love to not work. I love to go to the movies, I like to travel... I think I work maybe half the year. Sometimes, people think I've done three films in a year, but it's because I did a participation in a film. But I work for half a year, no more.
People expect a lot more from someone they think looks interesting. It's a burden.
Sometimes, if you're shooting a complicated scene, you have to stay in a position and wait for the technician to do his job, and then you have to be where you're supposed to be, right on the spot. You don't rehearse all that much on films. If I think of the amount of time I spend on set compared with the time spent shooting, it's ridiculously short.
What I do is I come in the morning and get involved in the character, but I'm always very pleased to leave it at night and have my life.
Sometimes, just to give the impression that you have the strength and the vitality demands a lot. You can't always give that impression when you have heels and a wig on and it's 40 degrees outside.