Elsa Zylberstein: «Making films is a political gesture»

«Dafter having interpreted – and co-produced – Simone, le voyage du siècleI have received many letters from girls who have discovered the figure of Simone Veil» tells Elsa Zylberstein: «supreme example of resilience, Auschwitz survivor, magistrate, Minister of Health (led to the decriminalization of abortion in France), first female president of the European Parliament…

It was one of the highest box office grosses of 2022: I saw first-hand the power of a film like this, its ability to inform and inspire younger generations. I felt I was fulfilling my duty to pass on something precious from our history and I decided that it will be the common thread of my projects. Ultimately, making a film is a political gesture, whether it’s drama or comedy.”

Arti-visual

Elsa Zylberstein is a river in flood, excited to have participated in Venice Exhibition in a double role: not only interpreter of Coup de chance by Woody Allen, but also speaker at the “Lights! Room! Impact”organized by The Human Safety Net (Generali’s non-profit foundation) to celebrate cinema that puts creativity at the service of social issues.

Changing the world

What are you working on now?
To the biography (coincidence!) of another Simone: Simone de Beauvoir, the mother of feminism. We will focus on one particular year, 1947, when she went to America on a speaking tour and fell in love with her colleague Nelson Algren. Christopher Hampton is writing it, Anne Fontaine will direct it. And the portrait of Elise Boghossian, an acupuncturist who works in war zones with child victims of ISIS, is in the works: it will be directed by Feras Feyyad, the Syrian documentary maker nominated for an Oscar twice. I’m not going to list the things in preparation, five or six, but they are all about female characters who dreamed of changing the world. Ah, there’s a biopic on Christian Dior.

An exception to his rule.
Not exactly. Behind a great man there is a great woman, they say, and it was also true for Dior: she played Raymonde Zehnacker, who was its (crucial) right-hand man. It is a universe that I know well thanks to my mother (Liliane Zylberstein worked for Christian Dior Perfume, ed).

In the meantime – from November 9th – we will see it in Club Zero by Jessica Hausner.
I was attracted by the complexity of the role (I like having many “colors”) and the somewhat political approach. It talks about our society, about parents who don’t take their responsibilities, about children without solid references who end up following a manipulative teacher (Mia Wasikowska, ed): teenagers will be convinced that by not eating they will save the planet…

“Forcing destiny”

And who will be in Coup de chancecoming to theaters soon?
My part is small, eh: a bored upper-class friend of the protagonist couple. The center of the story is trust in destiny.

Do you believe in fate or chance?
I believe that destiny offers you opportunities, it depends on how you exploit them. I love a line by the poet René Char: “Impose ta chance, serre ton bonheur et va vers ton risque. A te regarder, ils s’habitueront” (“Impose your fortune, hold your happiness and face your risk. Seeing you, they will get used to it…”). In reality you can “bend” fate a little. As? Listening to your inner voice.

An example that concerns you?
My first set, in 1991: Van Gogh by Maurice Pialat. I was an extra, but on the second day the actress who played the prostitute left. Destiny! So I said to myself: “I have to propose myself!”. I went to the director, he asked me to read a line and: “Ok, go and get dressed!”. In a red dress, which was too large for me, they threw me on stage together with the protagonist, Jacques Dutronc. The film participated in the Cannes Film Festival, I was nominated for a César as best promising female… It started like this.

“Charlotte Rampling’s advice”

Had you always known you wanted to act?
No! I was very, very shy, even though I was a gifted classical dancer: my teacher suggested that I study at the Paris Opera. I was 13, 14 years old… I refused.

Too many sacrifices, too much discipline?
No, on the contrary: I am grateful for the discipline I gained thanks to dance, which at the same time gave me the ability to express myself through the body: two things that have come in handy at work. The truth is, I didn’t want to leave my mother.

So what?
At 17, when it came to choosing university, my father asked me: “If everything was possible (I loved painting, I loved fashion), what would you do?”. I came out with: the actress! Shortly afterwards he found himself on a flight between Paris and New York sitting next to Charlotte Rampling and: “Sorry to bother you, my daughter is interested in acting: what should she do?”. “Enrol at the Cours Florent theater school, and call my agent”. I followed both pieces of advice. I wasn’t good at high school and I got my first compliments and recognition right on stage, during the course.

“Sonia was my grandmother”

And the compliments didn’t end there: Mina Tannenbaum, Farinelli, Will always Love You, One plus one… Now the production company. Why call it “Sonia Films”?
Sonia is the name of my grandmother, an extraordinary Russian, with high cheekbones and green eyes like me: she seemed to have come out of The Seagull by Chekhov. He worked in the fur industry, he was truly original. She had moved to Paris and – during the war – to Lyon. My father, born in 1938, was a “hidden child” (a child who lived hidden, like Anne Frank, ed). He still has wounds that make him fragile… (gets emotional)

How important are your Jewish roots in your life?
Not so much: my father is a non-practicing Jew, my mother was Catholic. We went to synagogue every year for Yom Kippur, but it was just a tradition, a time to be with family: now that mom is dead, I don’t intend to go back. Sometimes they give me roles jewish because of the surname. When I go to Los Angeles, it’s a constant: “Oh Zylberstein, come for Pesach (Passover, ed)!”. I find this great sense of community beautiful.

Nietzsche and the star

Any mantras that guide you?
A quote from Nietzsche: “You must have chaos within yourself to generate a dancing star”.

Does he have chaos inside him?
Naturally! Otherwise I couldn’t be an actress: it’s what you do with that chaos that makes it possible, you have to “lean” on it. You use yourself to interpret the parts: life inevitably changes you and you change as an interpreter. I’m better today than five, six years ago: at the beginning you contain a Franprix (laughs), now I have the Grande Épicerie! (a neighborhood supermarket contrasted with the temple of Parisian gastronomy, ed).

And shyness?
It reappears sometimes: like last night, at a party… You’re shy when you don’t feel in the right place, you don’t feel legitimate. I don’t know why: I feel like I’m not enough, I’m hard on myself. However, perhaps it is a good thing, an engine for progress.

The “barre au sol”

Do you suffer from impostor syndrome, by any chance?
Oh no, no, no! The only place in the world where I’m definitely not an impostor is at work. I am a force of nature, with a very strong will and desire. I don’t have children, I am all-encompassing on a professional level: passionate, “possessed”, constantly looking for “food”. I dedicate my life to him.

Is there no room for love?
There is, there is, unfortunately it is so rare to fall in love…

And what about free time?
In Paris I go to exhibitions, read, dance.

What’s dancing?
It’s not exactly a dance: practical bars au sol, are the exercises usually performed on the barre transferred to the floor. For holidays, however, I come to Italy: Amalfi Coast, Positano, Ravello, Capri. I love your country, your cinema has nourished me: Antonioni above all (The adventure, The night… Wow!), and obviously Fellini, Rocco and his brothers by Visconti. Today Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino… Let’s write it down, you never know.

You never know, a touch of fate…

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