Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldana. “The more men who support us, the better off society will be.”

Cannes 2024: Nine years later Daypanmovie lovers are hoping for a second Palme d’Or for Jacques Audiard. Emilia Perezhis exuberant musical comedy in Spanish was the highlight of the festival, an outstanding moment in cinema. But on awards night, the Greta Gerwig-chaired jury awarded the (minor) jury prize to the filmmaker, preferring to crown its four actresses with the collective performance award; Transgender actress Carla Sofia Gascon won by playing the main role. the film’s Mexican cartel boss (Manitas) who decides to embrace the woman he’s always been (Emilia). She is the obvious discovery of the festival with the exciting Adriana Paz (in a small role) and two stars that no one expected in European auteur cinema: Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez.

When Jacques Audiard cast Selena Gomez to play a drug dealer’s wife in transition, he had only seen her spring switches, by Harmony Korine and A rainy day in New York by Woody Allen. He was unaware of this former Disney Channel child star’s track record; her 426 million followers make her the most followed woman on Instagram, and Rare Beauty, her cosmetics brand, is set to raise more than $500 million in 2022 (better than Rihanna’s Fenty). . “I had no idea, but from our first meeting I found in him what I was looking for: a fierce temper with the body of a porcelain doll.” No one before him had designed the Gen Z icon with such density, but the French director likes to surprise and surprise.

In order to play the lead role of Emilia’s lawyer in her film, she auditioned dozens of famous Hollywood actresses. Against all expectations, his choice falls on Zoe Saldana. The star is certainly the richest in history thanks to blockbusters Avatar: And avengers, but the blue and green creatures he embodies don’t really let us know him. It also removed it from the spectrum of possibilities for independent filmmakers. “When I saw him, he was obvious to me,” says Jacques Audiard. Her skin color, age, synonymous with experience, boundless determination and background as a dancer suited the character perfectly. It doesn’t matter to me that she is the queen of blockbusters. How little does it matter to me that Selena is a social phenomenon? In my eyes, they are great actresses. Which told us what stands out as the role of their lives to this day.

Madame Figaro . – Did you know the cinema of Jacques Audiard before? Emilia Perez ?
Zoe Saldana. – Absolutely. I liked it On my lips, My heart stopped beating or even the olympic games which looked very modern to female intimacy. I like that his cinema is never didactic, but deeply dramatic, that he is interested in often unexplored areas and invisible people. This is the case Daypan, which gives voice to the Sri Lankan community, or Emilia Perez, which was shot in Mexico, in Spanish and with a trans heroine.

Selena Gomez. –My mom and I are crazy about Marion Cotillard. it is to see him Of rust and bone that I discovered the cinema of Jacques Audiard. Shock. I immediately moved on to his other films. it’s his audacity that strikes me every time, his ability to reinvent himself, to doubt himself. He’s like no one else, including on set. I felt really honored during his shooting. he knows how to create a caring work environment, treats his actors as equals, has no prejudices.

What place does French cinema have in your culture? ?
SG – I knew little about your cinema as a teenager, but I’m catching up little by little because I’m often fascinated by what I discover. One of my recent favorites? cruel By Julia Ducourneau.

ZS –I grew up watching a lot of French movies. In France, I am surprised by the number of actors who go behind the camera. I think, for example, of Louis Garrel, whose films I particularly like The innocent. my husband (Italian painter and sculptor Marco Perego, editor’s note) and I also had the opportunity to meet Vincent Cassel. By discussing his journey with him, I felt I had a better understanding of your cinema and the way he works.

Zoe, you were a ballet dancer. Selena, you danced in your videos and on stage. Choreography for the film, however, was a challenge. ?
ZS –In general, because I stopped dancing a long time ago, when I realized that I did not have the level to make a career. The film’s choreographer, Damien Jalet, also has an atypical, cerebral universe. The dance I practiced in my youth was more technical. He likes to break down, like a staccato or free-jazz score. We rehearsed a lot, so we didn’t have to think about the movements on the set anymore. I wanted them printed on my body so I could focus on the interpretation.

SG –I have danced a lot in my songwriting, but for cinema it is very different. music pictures ofEmilia Perez have something eccentric, almost chaotic, as they represent extensions of our characters’ complex psyches. This took some real getting used to.

ZS –The fact that we weren’t starting from scratch, however, reassured Damien… We weren’t afraid and had more stamina. I do Pilates to stay in shape, but my back and neck still remember it… The challenge was even greater because we also recorded some songs composed by Camille and Clément Ducol directly on the plateau.

Your characters are warriors, resilient, but Jacques Audiard does not idealize them…
ZS –The female does not need to be sanctified. Women are complex people. they fail and make bad choices, just like men, and it’s important to me to be able to show them in their darkest hours, their weaknesses, their vulnerabilities… Feminism shouldn’t be a lie, it shouldn’t be. praise us It is true that our strength deserves to be appreciated, but above all we must be true, authentic. I need to find the women I grew up with on the screen, and for me, their charactersEmilia Perez are quite tangible.

SG – I have rarely seen a director look at women so fairly, because he never falls into a caricature. The film shows a femininity that I recognize myself in, with its ups and downs. Our female quartet’s palette is so rich that it will allow each of us to identify with many different places.

In Emilia Perez Jacques Audiard also does not emphasize issues of transience. You were sensitive to this naturally inclusive approach. ?
ZS –I like directors for whom it’s never about ticking boxes. Those who prioritize emotion and truth of character over ideology.

SG –Emilia Perez has great elegance and finds a worthy actress in Carla Sophia Gascon. Her character avoids caricature and, for example, never questions her femininity. This is true modernity.

ZS –Jacques is truly a man of his time. Like, I never caught him in the act mansplaining He never tried to explain to us what our characters should feel or how we, the actresses, should achieve this or that state. However, this is common among directors who often have no idea about the female experience…

Representations of women on screen have evolved. Do you think this is enough? ?
ZS –There is still a way to go, but in the projects I am offered today, I see more and more women on the set, in the boardrooms, among the decision makers. Ten years ago, actresses were often the only women in key positions on set. It should be considered a gift, a privilege, but I found it frightening, destabilizing, unfair. When you have no one to identify with, to talk to, to relate to, the loneliness can be overwhelming. The more female producers, writers and directors there are, the safer the work environment will be and therefore conducive to creativity. Personally, I need a context that calms me down to give my best.

SG –How to give a better answer? I can simply add that considering half of society does not mean looking down on men or excluding them from conversations. It’s about rebalancing the scales.

ZS –Feminism is constantly evolving. In the beginning, women struggled to survive, to have control over their bodies, to get the right to vote, to get an education like men… The society was more patriarchal then, it was not easy to find male allies, and the conflicts. between men and women were almost inevitable. But times are changing, and even if there are still many battles to fight, the pioneers left us a legacy that we still have to honor, including our sons, our husbands, our fathers who will listen better… The more people you support us, the better society will appear.

Sorority is central Emilia Perez . What role has it played in your career? ?
ZS –I lost my father in childhood and lived most of my life in a matriarchal environment. I grew up with two sisters in a tribe of women who were my role models. They have always encouraged me to express myself, accept my wishes and views. It’s part of my personality, written into my DNA.

SG – To be honest, I always found it easier to connect with experienced women than with girls of my generation. I’m so in awe of what Zoe has managed to build, for example, in her professional and family life, and I’ve always surrounded myself with women of her caliber. they are my inspiration, my compass.

Emilia Perez , By Jacques Audiard, with Carla Sofia Gascon, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz… Released on August 21.