Juliette BINOCHE: A dream cannot be realized otherwise than now and here

She does not need to be introduced. Juliette Binoche, a renowned actress of French and world cinema, has recently come to Kyiv with her Jubilations Project which includes not only the retrospective of the films in which she played, but also an exhibit of her paintings, In-Eyes, and a presentation of an album comprising pictures and poems she dedicated to different film directors. On Monday the actress met with the Kyiv journalists.

What are your impressions of Ukraine?

“I am happy to be here, really, because Ukraine is a country that has won independence on its own, and when some events take place that make an entire country kind of emerge, I really want to discover it for myself and get to know it.”

How did your Jubilations Project come into being?

“The idea suggested itself during a performance by a modern dance theater in which I took part not so long ago. The experience was quite unusual. We were giving active performances for a seven-month period. I got so tired that nearly fainted, and last October we decided to stop the performance. But as a result of those dancing trips, which were a sort of pilgrimage I have visited 11 countries. Then I was offered to make a retrospective of my best films and present them as a single project. And since I have worked with so different people in different countries having different customs and traditions, I did not want to remain absolutely passive, i.e., simply travel with those films and speak about the past.

“I resolved to make a sort of response to the film directors I’ve worked with: in their time they turned their cameras at me, whereas I have made a response to them with the help of a brush. It was really interesting for me what happens to memories as time passes. In the same manner poetry has emerged from this. Everything was developing, snowballing, and resulted in this kind of project.”

Who taught you painting?

“I remember, when I was nine, my mother presented me with 100 books which included reproductions of world art masterpieces. At the time, we did not have a lot of money, however she did this when she could afford it. Those quite big and nice books featured both paintings and sculptures. So, on weekends I would sit and copy them; I did this a lot and for a long while. Besides, I was not a good student at school. Textbooks were not interesting to me, and precisely through painting I was able to find a way out, get a foothold, and realize myself.

Later, at the age of 15, I studied at an experimental school. We had various disciplines. In particular, we had an opportunity to study painting, with the teacher being a good artist himself. It was him who taught me to work with light and shadow.”

How?

“He taught me to see the connection between light and shadow. First, it is thrilling, and second, it is symbolical, because the actor also works with light and shadow. Therefore, it is extremely important that he taught me to see not the opposition but the connection between light and shadow. And coming back to painting, I have to add that I cannot paint in oils. I tried once, and it was so awful that I don’t dare do this again. Therefore, I was extremely glad to discover acrylic paints. They dry out so fast, and it is wonderful. But everything depends on the period, whether I can paint or cannot.”

Could you speak about your main profession? You have worked with one of Europe’s best film directors, Michael Haneke. What was this experience like for you?

“I worked in two films made by him. Those are absolutely different stories. At the beginning, I was very surprised at how wonderfully he understands everything that goes on in the actor’s mind, because the inner worlds of actors and film directors are totally different. The first film (Code Unknown. – Author) was shot in Paris, as the director wanted to exceed the limits, go beyond his own borders and our relations were smoother.

“The work on the second film (Cache. — Author) was more complicated, because there was apparently more of private matter and I could feel the inner tension. I think it was not only him, for whom it was hard, but for the whole team, too, but when you work with Haneke, you may only take delight at how clear his thought is and how perfect his visual images are.

“He thinks very well, he works with the three-dimensional space, with the computer, and he thinks everything out very clearly, works out, prepares, but sometimes you have the feeling that you are a horse with a bridle, that you are being stimulated or controlled all the time. This extreme precision of his work may appear a kind of burden for an actor, but on the other hand, it is helpful because of the freedom you acquire afterwards: the next director I worked with gave me absolute freedom of improvisation, and this was also happiness, and I could appreciate that. But anyway, no matter how many films Haneke would offer to me, I will always agree because he’s my friend and an extraordinary film director. I simply adore him.”

Another great film director in your career was Louis Malle. Was it your choice to play in his film Damage?

“I can speak for hours about every director I have worked with. This role was not quite moral, with the topic being quite provocative, as it was about the affair between a father and his son’s bride, but I agreed to take part in the shooting, because I was fascinated by the novel which was the basis for the film. I even met with the writer Josephine Hart.

“On the whole, I must admit, it frequently happens so that my films are screened versions of books, which is also interesting, because books are perceived inwardly. You have an inner vision of what’s going on, which is followed by a very thrilling process of visualization when the text is turned into a movie.

“Working on Damage was quite complicated. Fortunately, the shooting was successful, and we avoided all difficult moments. For me it is always important to know why a person wants to shoot something, whence the desire comes to make it. I think that in the case with this film, it was about the shock experienced at a young age and the need to speak about this. No moralization, no at all. Namely some kind of emotional experience. I also recall a legend about Sumer goddesses telling that they sacrificed themselves, gave themselves to men so that the latter could acquire a sort of transformation. Perhaps, Damage is connected with this position to some extent.”

Generally, according to what principle do you choose roles?

“For me it is important to see in what direction the film is going when I agree to take part in the film and what thoughts it may evoke in the audience.”

What role are you playing beyond the set? I mean, what is your social mission?

“I cannot agree with you concerning the mission. I think that our mission is what we do, what we were created for. I had a period when I tried to do something in the social sphere. I was travelling across Cambodia, cooperating with an association that helped orphans, and I had a very strong desire to do this. I had given birth to my first child, my son,  by the time and I came up with an idea that he should have some connection with another person on a different side of the planet who has fewer possibilities and is not so well-to-do. So for me it was connected with my being a mother. But everything had a very bad ending, because it came out that the head of this organization was a pedophile.

“That was a terrible story. I was simply devastated, and since then I have been totally against the idea of famous people being involved in charity. I have spoken with a Cambodian film director. He told me that people should themselves resolve the problems of the country they live in. It is them who bear the responsibility for their country. This should be their achievement. Coming back to what we are doing, this is our mission, a great responsibility, particularly in the selection of films. When I am offered films where I can earn money, make my way up, and become more renowned, I still prefer to make things filled with a different meaning.”

Still, you are a godmother to five Cambodian children.

“We exchange letters, but they themselves decide their lives. I am keeping an eye on them and pay for their education, and I know in which direction they are going. But on the whole, being a godmother means above all to be sure that they have a place to sleep in normal conditions.”

You said that in youth you were fond of Marie Bashkirtseff’s diaries. Do you know that she came from Ukraine?

“For some time I was very fond of this personality. No, I did not know she was a Ukrainian. But this is an extremely interesting personality involved in all kinds of things. My mother also made everything to make me fond of Russian literature. I read a lot of works by Honore de Balzac and lots of Russian literature, whereas I did not read American at all. The Russian literature had indeed a great influence on me.”

You’ve got involved in writing to some extent. I mean the book you have presented in Kyiv.

“First and foremost, the book was born out of the questions in my mind. Any kind of arts I am involved in is a means to go beyond certain inward limits, express myself, have a say. Whether it is painting, writing, or dancing, everything answers certain inner questions, and is an expression of my inner world. Those are questions about us, people, and how everything is developing around us. For it is somewhat strange that we meet each other and exist for quite a while very closely, and all of a sudden everything stops. I am speaking precisely about the connections between humans. But this is not a judgment, because it was a feeling, physical above all, that served as the basis for writing the book, because body never lies.

“Actually, the fact that the book is about sensations, not ideas or some mental projections, is an advantage. Everything’s different with painting: I always start to portray people from their eyes, as eyes are an inward thing. Then I move to some external contours, but eyes are always the beginning.

“Comparing writing to this, I have resolved to write for a while without making any judgments, simply about what was going on, and the feelings I had. There is a notion of automatic writing. For several days I reread what I had written and understood that it comprised too much blabbing, and I started to delete unnecessary words, trying to preserve the main thing. So, whereas eyes were the most important thing in a picture, on paper the main thing was to get rid of unnecessary words. Some call it poetry, but my aim was to leave the least number of words possible.”

Recently you yourself have become an object of portraying, so to say. I mean the documentary film Juliette Binoche dans les Yeux, which was shot by your sister about you. Do you recognize yourself in it?

“Any film is merely an interpretation. To know a person well, one has to live with him/her for a long while. But this is an illustration of a certain period in my life. We lived through it together.”

What do you like to do in your free time?

“I don’t have any separation. I am an actress; this is my life, and this is the most important thing for me.”

Is music part of your leisure?

“I can reply in a very broad way. My tastes are eclectic. They include classical music, jazz, and rap at times. You should be very open in terms of this when you’re raising children.”

Speaking about family, why have you never married?

“I have received proposals of marriage twice, when the relations were nearly over. I thought, Why didn’t you ask at the beginning? The third time I decided that this would be absolutely unwise.”

As a beautiful woman, you must have a secret.

“I don’t know what secrets can be here, except for love. A couple of years ago I discovered Qigong, a Chinese ancient system of knowledge, linked to man’s inward energy. Owing to this I have managed to reveal a lot of energy in myself. When a person possesses good energy, his/her beauty reaches its maximum point.”

In conclusion, in your opinion, when does an artist work best — when satisfied or when hungry?

“When we are working, we don’t think of hunger, because we are completely focused on our work. I think that an artist should abstract away from the questions of success or lack of it. The main thing is that we are doing what we cannot but do and that this is a total necessity. Again, this question is not on the plane of success or lack of it.”

Do you have a dream which you want to come true the most, even if in the remote future?

“Dreams cannot be realized otherwise than now and here. It is the present moment that creates life. The transformation of this moment, its transformation into something beautiful and charming should take place now and here. There cannot be dreams beyond the moment. I don’t have any regrets about my past, nor do I have any ambitions for the future. What I have is only the present moment.”

P.S. On April 16, the capital’s movie theater Kyiv launches the screening of Juliette Binoche’s best films. Within a week, the audience will see five movies that have determined her career: Rendez-vous, Jet lag, Les amants du Pont-Neuf, Trois Couleurs: Bleu, and L’heure d’ete (the actress selected these films as the most important in her artistic life). The retrospective program will also feature the documentary film Juliette Binoche: Sketches for Portrait (Dans les Yeux) shot by the actress’ sister, Marion Stalens.