From actress to producer, Julie Gayet talks about the importance and influence that Agnès Varda, director and friend, had on her career and her vision of the world of cinema. Interviewed by Isabelle Morizet in There is only one life in life on Europe 1, the actress tells how their relationship inspired her. First relatively original contact between the two women: Agnès Varda thought that the French actress looked like … Madonna, with whom the director was friends
Agnès Varda, “more than a friendship, a model”
The beginning of a long relationship, much “more than a friendship”, explains Julie Gayet. “She’s a model, an inspiration. She was a transmission. She showed me a lot of films, she took me to Los Angeles, to Cannes where there were an incredible number of actors.”
The actress sees her meeting with Agnès Varda as having transformed her perspective on the world of cinema. “She had this global vision of cinema, so I always lived my practice as if it were outside the borders. I produced Chilean, Palestinian, Lebanese films…”, she says.
An actress and producer passionate about all film professions
Julie Gayet created, over the years, several production companies including Rouge International in 2007, known for having produced the film Severe (2016). Julia Ducournau’s feature film was notably rewarded during the Critics’ Week at Cannes in 2016.
In a previous interview, Julie Gayet explained the origins of her desire to be a producer: “I always felt a little more than an actress on set. I never contented myself with playing the scenes. I always felt interested in all stages of creation and production”. Asked about her words by Isabelle Morizet, Julie Gayet explains how this curiosity was born. “I looked at the chief operator, I looked at the machines and then I even wanted to go to the editing. So I accompanied Agnès and I watched how we were editing”, she explains.
An unusual practice among actors, something that Julie Gayet regrets. “It’s a shame because, thanks to editing, we discover a lot of things about rhythm or acting. It helps an actor a lot,” she says. “It especially allowed me to open the door (to the world of cinema) at 360 degrees, from writing to the release of a film”.