No one could have imagined that this Belgian who made a name for herself on television in her country hosting children's programs and the local version of 'Operation Triumph', to then jump to France as a weather presenter, would travel an impressive path in the cinema, first in comedy and then as a dramatic actress. But as she explained in the exclusive interview she gave to La Vanguardia during the Toronto Film Festival, to which she traveled to present Memorias de París, this evolution was the product of her decision. In Alice Winocour's film that hits our billboards this week, Virginie Effira plays a woman who survives a terrorist attack similar to the one that occurred in November 2015 at the Bataclan theater. The actress, who starred in Benedetta for Paul Verhoeven, with whom she also shot Elle, is currently filming the series Tout va bien with Eduardo Noriega.
What was it about this movie that interested you?
For me, everything always goes through the story and the director. I saw the first Alice movie, Augustine and I thought it was very good. I was also struck by Proxima. I like the way she tells her stories and works with the female characters. I really wanted to work with Alice and when I read the script I found a very fair and honest approach to this terrible tragedy that unfortunately we all know.
How did the Bataclan tragedy impact you when it happened?
Everyone remembers where they were when the twin towers happened, because we all knew right away that the world was never going to be the same. And when the same thing happens in your own city, it hurts a lot. Alice wanted to show in this film how the city stops being the same after such a tragedy. The truth is that the only response to such a tragedy is to try to remember what unites us. In France we believed that we were safe from such situations.
For this woman everything changes when tragedy strikes. How did she manage to get into her skin so that it didn't affect her emotionally?
I do not know. While I was shooting it my life was the movie and at the time of shooting each scene I felt what was happening to her, but once they said "cut" I relaxed. I honestly don't know if I could do a good job, because I can't say that I felt the same while filming the scene as someone who went through something like that. I am just an actress. But I trust Alice, because for me it is even indecent to represent the attack in the film, but at the same time it would be indecent not to, because it was something that hurt us all. In any case, I collaborated very closely with Alice on this character. I worked hard and it all happened to create images in my head as if she was seeing something, as if she was having a permanent argument with herself and not listening to others. She showed me some movies that were totally unrelated to this one, like David Cronenberg's The Dead Zone, and Safe with Julianne Moore, where there were characters who were very much in their own heads.
What sets Alice apart as a director from everyone else?
For her, whether the film looks good is a matter of life or death, particularly since her brother was in the Bataclan massacre. She wanted to make the best decisions to tell this story, and I just went along with it.
Is it better to work with someone like that or with Paul Verhoeven, who doesn't give directions?
I think one of the most interesting tools I have in my work and in life is that I know how to adapt. There are actors who always work the same way. Instead I always adjust. In the case of Paul Verhoeven, when I asked him what I had to do for the part, he told me that I would know what to do, that I was a nun in the 16th century. He had complete confidence in me. He allowed me to play the role with ambiguity. He told me that he could think he was guilty or that he wasn't, and that was going to be my secret. In my experience, directors aren't afraid to let actors bring their own stuff to movies because they understand that it's a collective process.
Initially she was a comedic actress, but now she is almost exclusively devoted to dramas...
That's how it is. Fortunately, I came across Justine Triet, who is a brilliant French director, who dared to consider me as a dramatic actress. And after working with her at Victoria, I was presented with many opportunities. Now I would like to go back to comedies, because I think they are artistically very valuable when they are done well, which is not always the case in France where they are not always good because they are the easiest to finance. That does not mean that he wants to continue participating in films that question society.
How frustrating was it for you to only be offered comedies knowing that you could be a good dramatic actress?
It was not frustrating because you do what you are given. While I was doing comedies, I was thinking about other actresses who were in the same vein as me, like Drew Barrymore, who I admire and has done a lot of comedies. But it is true that in France it is difficult to sit and wait for something different. It is something to look for. I liked it when a comedy director gave me a script and proposed something different to me. When I was doing television, I never imagined that one day I was going to make a movie with Paul Verhoeven. But with each project I was showing that there was much more that I could give.
When did that dream of working on different projects begin for you?
I think the change was first something internal. When I was ashamed of my work on television, nothing was possible. But when I told myself that I was valuable, everything changed. Before I was afraid but I lost it because I realized that life is short and I decided that I had to look for an opportunity.
If life is short and everyone wants to work with you right now, how do you go about choosing projects?
It's very simple, I lean towards what is different from what I did before. Many times I choose for the director, but I also accept projects from someone who has not filmed before. I always look at a proposal when it is peculiar.
Would you like to try your luck in Hollywood?
I'm a little embarrassed because I don't speak English very well. Instead I would be interested in working in Spain or Italy. And also, of course, in the United States. I feel that I have made many very good films in France, but at the same time I think it is very enriching to work with people from other cultures. That's why I plan to spend some time in New York and Los Angeles because language is like music, everything comes from practicing.
He is filming a series with Eduardo Noriega. How is that experience turning out for you?
I've always been a big fan of hers, and one of the things I like is that she can act in other languages. She has done it in French, in English, in Spanish, in Italian. He is amazing and works very hard. He is a charming man.
