Juliette Binoche has opened up about her decades-long friendship with her The English Patient co-star Ralph Fiennes, who she has reunited with for a new film, The Return.
It’s nearly three decades since they appeared together in the Academy Award-winning 1996 film – and Juliette, 61, couldn’t be more pleased to be working with Ralph, 62, again, describing the experience as “joyful” and “special”.
“Being on a set, with the camera, is something very specific, very special,” she tells HELLO!. “It’s different from being in a restaurant and sharing some time together. He’s really involved, and I think in that way, we’re very much the same.”
The pair, who also played lovers in 1992 film Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, this time star as husband and wife Odysseus and Penelope in a retelling of the final parts of Homer’s Odyssey.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesThe film follows Odysseus, who returns to his home island of Ithaca traumatised and guilt-ridden following the Trojan War, and Penelope, who has waited for years for her husband to come back.
The stars’ off-screen history helped them bring their characters to life, the Oscar-winning actress explains. “Knowing that Penelope and Odysseus haven’t seen each other for 20 years – and the fact that we had all those years working together on The English Patient before – it gave a layer.
“The fact that Ralph was there, I think it brought depth and emotions, because time goes by.”
Seizing the day
The pair’s reunion has left Juliette reflecting on the experience of growing older. “When you’re coming towards the end – we’re not yet at the end, but we’re coming towards it – there’s a sense of strength and fragility at the same time,” she says.
“That’s the beauty of life. Life is a movement, so it feels as though it’s going through us. This fine line of fragility of life... it’s a strong feeling.”
© Getty ImagesBut with age comes experience – and also confidence, the star says. “When I started as an actress, sometimes I couldn’t do the takes that I wanted to do.
“At the end of the day, I was replaying scenes over and over, because I felt that I hadn’t gone where I wanted to go. I felt guilty and I felt: ‘This is horrible.’ So critical,” she says.
© Maila Iacovelli“Now, it has come to a time in my life where directors don’t dare say: ‘No, this is over,’ if I want to do another take. Usually, they say yes, probably because of time and because they allow me to go where I want to go.”
What's next?
Does Juliette, who is mother to grown-up children Raphaël, 31, and Hana, 25, have any advice on how to live well?
“Live truthfully,” she says. “What you want, what you feel – don’t do the thing you don’t want to do. Don’t say yes to something you don’t want. I think that’s the first step. And trust; trust what you have in your heart.”
© Dominique CharriauNow, the red carpets of the south of France beckon: the actress has been named president of the jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, marking the second time that women have served as president for two consecutive years, after Greta Gerwig took on the role last year.
“It’s such a privileged time,” she says. “The festival is about witnessing the evolution of cinema, and what I love about being on the jury is sharing what we see in films.”
