Like the memory of a fleeting but great affair, French actress Sophie Marceau made her brief stopover in Hong Kong an unforgettable event. Leaving behind mere mirages of her delicate and distinct beauty, the faint whiff of her intoxicating perfume still swirls in the mind of those who had the pleasure of her company. P.Ramakrishnan was in conversation with the former Bond girl as she discussed her affairs, both personal and professional.
She fulfills all the stereotypes that conjure up with you say the word actrice; incredibly sultry, sharp, sophisticated, sinfully attractive and that timbre of her voice just loaded with oomph and ooh la la...
Sophie Marceau stepped out on the red carpet, in a resplendent Jonathan Riss cocktail dress to the blinding flashes of local snaparaazi. In Hong Kong for the launch of Chaumet’s signature store and museum in Central, she was the VVIP who cut the ribbon with Thierry Fristch, President of Chaumet. So accustomed and unfazed by the swarm of snappers was she that no hint of exhaustion from the transatlantic flight appeared on her photogenic visage. Nor did she seem vexed by the perpetual instructions of the snappers, “Turn!” “Over here Sophie!” “Sophie! Soph...!”
Well, perhaps that can be expected. After all, at the Cannes Festival in 1999, when the spaghetti strap of her gown sighed and left her bare-breasted for a, pardon the pun, flash, about a thousand photographers were set into a tizzy. But she was nonplussed, simply laughed it off.
Unlike the brouhaha that spiraled around Janet Jackson when her wardrobe “malfunctioned”, neither the actress nor the South of France was in shock. No fines were issued by the censor board. No complaints were filed. She simply put things back in their place and continued to walk down the carpet to the screening of, possibly her most famous film, the Bond flick, The World is Not Enough.
All of 32 films old, with exceptional French films in her cinematic CV, when asked if she minds being known simply as “the Bond girl”, a grin plays on her lips and she says, “It could be worse non? Well, to some people I am the Boum girl, to others the Bond girl – it all depends from where you are. It’s true that the Bond movies have traveled more probably than all the other movies that I’ve ever done and that’s fine. I’m still happy that they, well, you still talk about it!”
Indeed. A very young Marceau was discovered in the French film La Boum (1980) where she starred as Vic Beretton, a teen desperate to attend a party where she hopes to meet her great love. Disapproving parents seem like a plot cliché but only in a French film would the sub plot be the troubled marriage of the teen’s parents – as her father’s ex-girlfriend demands that the man spend an evening with her, much to the dismay of her mother. Did you get all that? Never mind. It's French.
Seated in the deep pocket of a sofa at the basement of the store, its hard to believe that its been over twenty-six years since her debut and this year, the actress turns 40. When asked what she plans to do, she says, “I think I will take some time off. Go away somewhere. Far away from everything, I tell everyone that I have an appointment, an appointment with myself! I have been acting and, well, I just finished a film that I directed and I’m in the middle of editing it but I will take a break.”
Apart from acting in films, she has written and directed three and written a semi-autobiographical novel, Telling Lies. When the book came out in 2001, she said, "It's so attractive, too attractive. Your writing becomes more real than your reality. Acting is contained - you act for three months, then leave it - but writing is the act of creation. Writing is dangerous."
On top of all this, the mother of two was also chosen as the official model for Marianne, a national emblem of France. Quite literally the French icon, she says it was part of the appeal as to why she signed up with the brand, “This is wonderful to travel with our French culture and tradition in the world. I was the ambassador for Chaumet for years and to add my name with something so French has been very good. I’m very proud of this association. It’s a nice friendly love story and it’s amazing to think that I’ve been with them for five or six years.”
Many would be surprised to know that she’s been to our smog-filled shores several times, “I have come to Hong Kong often – it seems to be growing non-stop, there’s a lot of energy coming out of here. A lot of speed. Its spreading out and its amazing. I know very little about the city as I’m here always for work and then I fly off but, you know something? I don’t speak Chinese, but it’s very in fashion now in Europe to learn Chinese. I tell my kids to learn Chinese as another language. Chinese films do really well these days in France. More and more it’s very popular. I wish I was a French actress in a Chinese movie!”
Suspicious of if she’s towing the line to the vast circle of local media who applaud and nod politely, a cheeky reporter at the press conference pops the question, “Tell us exactly which Chinese films you’ve liked.”
Without missing a beat, she responds, “Wong Kar Wai has left such a great impression in France. In the Mood for Love of course was a great film and Zhang Zhimou movies I’ve enjoyed. Chinese cinema is very accessible to us. It’s not a very original thing to say, I know, well, for you all here but for us Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was an experience. The work was amazing, the narrative. And then 2046. Can you let Wong Kar Wai know that I’d like to work with him? Please tell him! And I’ve heard he’s very good with actresses!”
As the crowd laughs politely, I’m reminded of a line from the film First Wives Club, when a spoilt actress [played by Goldie Hawn] exclaims to her dermatologist, “There are only three stages of an actress in Hollywood; babe, district attorney and Driving Miss Daisy.”
Looking at Marceau, seated cross-legged in front of an awe-struck audience, rest-assured even the fresh graduate interns whisper, “What a babe!” While most actresses cower and lie blatantly about their age and hide behind cosmetic assistance, Marceau remains confident and striking. Well, striking in many ways. Just after the release of Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio mentioned that he was a big fan. She didn’t send her agents to get herself signed up with box-office’s golden boy. She simply exclaimed, "What is he, 13 or 11? Perhaps I could play his nanny."
When in town, her wit was always at hand. Resplendent in a multi-linked necklace, she looks like she would sit well in a glass enclosed display-case herself. Like a precious doll. The nature of the job entailed that she speak about the brand and she says, “My affair has been very faithful! I’m very faithful to my jewellery. I am faithful to Chaumet for years. I have little pieces, that are very important to me. I have a ring, a watch which I’ve worn for 20 years. I have a lot of different kinds of jewellery but these are two that are close to my heart. Jewellery has an association quality that other things can’t have perhaps. You know it may be chic to say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend but… well, I don’t think so! That would be quite sad non?”
She laughs.
“If they are given by someone you love, if it has a meaning, that’s dear to your heart it was meaningfully given then that’s great."
As a mother of young girls, when asked if she shares her diamonds with them, she says, “I wouldn’t buy jewelry for my children, they are young, but I hope to pass it on to them one day. I would hope they’d like it as much as I did.”
As her film Trivial, which Marceau wrote and directed, is set for release early next year, the actress isn’t waiting for Hollywood or the French film industry to come knocking at her door and she’s creating opportunities for herself. Not that she’s given up life in front of the camera either. She is all set to appear in Les Femmes de L’Ombre next year. As she notably said at a press conference, "Acting is wonderful therapy for people. Instead of suffering for yourself, someone will do it for you!"
Chaumet is now open in Central, Hong Kong.
