CINEMA

AYMELINE VALADE CRASH 68

By Crash redaction

LONG KNOWN AS A DARK AND MYSTERIOUS BRUNETTE, AYMELINE VALADE, THE FRENCH TOP MODEL WITH A FELINE GAZE, NOW FLAUNTS A FLOWING MANE OF PLATINUM BLONDE HAIR. ORIGINALLY FROM NICE, SHE HAS QUICKLY EMERGED AS ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER MODELS OF THE MOMENT. HER LIST OF CAMPAIGNS IS IMPRESSIVE: ALEXANDER WANG, KENZO, LANVIN… NOTHING CAN STOP HER EXPLOSIVE RISE TO THE TOP. A PATH THAT IS NOW TAKING HER INTO FILM. DISCOVERED BY BERTRAND BONELLO, SHE PLAYS THE ICONIC BETTY CATROUX IN “SAINT LAURENT”. WE MET WITH HER TO TALK ABOUT HER CAREER, HER FUTURE IN FILM AND HER UPCOMING PROJECTS.

Can you tell me a bit about your career?

I became a model out of necessity. I’ve been working since I was 13, and not only in fashion. I was a waitress, did phone surveys, worked at summer camps, some event management… It taught me the value of work and money. My parents didn’t give me an allowance when I was young unless I did chores for them. From one gig to the next, I started to get work as an extra, doing minor fashion shows, photo shoots and so on. Eventually I extended my network to the Riviera: Monaco, Montpellier, and then up to Lyon. Then I started to get work in Paris. I was registered with all the agencies. That’s how I started modeling. And I was going to university, too. I wanted to be a journalist
and work in art or at a communications agency. Modeling was just a way to make a little money. After a while I realized I didn’t want to do either of these things. In journalism, for example, I was pretty turned off by the way the news is done today. I read publications like Les Echos, Le Courrier International and Le Monde Diplomatique. I try to keep some perspective when it comes to news.

So in the end you decided to change your career plans?

Yes, and the logical choice for me was to move to Paris. But I soon wanted to go somewhere else. Especially since I felt like people saw me as something of a provincial. I didn’t want to have to fight to be respected for who I am. So I traveled to South Africa and Japan. Then I went to Italy for its artisanal heritage, its cultural appeal and the “dolce vita”. I ended up staying for three years. I had the good fortune to be selected for the Balenciaga fashion show, which was run by Nicolas Ghesquière at the time. They organize castings in all the fashion capitals for their show. Then everything went well for a while. Eventually things got tough for me again, but I had another lucky break: when I went to do a Chanel fashion show in Edinburgh, I ran into Amira Casar, whom I’ve always admired for her exotic beauty and her very French, aristocratic style. We talked a bit throughout the evening, and then a few months later Bertrand Bonello contacted my agency. I looked him up and realized he had directed “House of Tolerance”, which I really liked a lot. We decided to meet and chat on a few occasions. It’s not the first role I had been offered, but the stereotype of the model turned actress always held me back. I didn’t want to do a movie just to add it to my résumé. Before I was going to accept a part, I had to be sure I wanted to do it and feel confident in my ability. In the end, it was Bertrand who made me want to do the film.He is very instinctual and sensitive.

You had never acted in a film before that?

Just as an extra, so nothing major. I didn’t take any classes and I have no training as an actress. My only performance was a play in seventh grade.

The script was inspired by Marie-Dominique Lelièvre’s book “Saint Laurent, mauvais garçon”, which feeds into Yves Saint Laurent’s reputation as a “bad boy”…

Yes, but it’s not based on the book alone – it’s an entire era that is represented in the film. But Yves Saint Laurent is no easy subject for a film – he’s an icon. That’s why I had my mother read the script first. She is a big film buff and knows a lot about culture in general, so I knew she was the right person to ask. She thought it was extremely interesting and very intelligent. Once I read it, I was pretty surprised she didn’t find it a bit scandalous. When I mentioned it to her, she just said: “You know, back then it was normal!” So I tried to put things in the right context and look at the script from a different angle. Below the title, Bertrand Bonello wrote an Yves Saint Laurent quote: “I am both strong and fragile, but I will never be broken.” It expresses a furious desire to live, to go further, all the ambivalence of genius…

Have you seen the film yet?

Not yet. I don’t think I’ll see it until Cannes. I’m trying to stay kind of naive in that respect. I’ve only seen a few extracts during re-recording. It’s tough to watch yourself act!

Did the experience make you want to be an actress?

Not really. I don’t really want to be an actress, like I never really wanted to be a model, or anything really. I mostly just want to be me. I like doing a variety of things. Work is work. What drives me is experience. It may seem pretentious, but I think we’re capable of doing anything, you just have to want it!

Did you feel confident in your acting while working on the film?

It’s tough to have any perspective in my position. So I just focused on the fact that Bertrand wanted me for the part and that I could see he had confidence in me. He was able to calm my anxieties, like feeling I wouldn’t be good enough next to Gaspard Ulliel, Jérémie Renier, Léa Seydoux, Louis Garrel… I actually told Bertrand that he needed a real actress for my part. Betty Catroux is not just any character! And she’s certainly not just anyone! I knew she would probably see the film, so I really wanted to
do something that was respectful and that would do her honor. I tried to portray her with subtlety: discreet but with an inner
strength. I didn’t want to make her look loud and aggressive. I wanted to do something real and avoid clichés.

Did you see Jalil Lesper’s film?

I didn’t want to see it, because I wanted to avoid drawing comparisons and remain free in my own performance.

This will be your first time at Cannes. Are you nervous?

I have a technique for dealing with that: denial! I know it’s going to happen. I know it’s going to be huge. But I just don’t think about it. I’m trying to stay naive so I can keep this sense of wonder about everything. No expectations, no disappointment. It’s already an honor to be picked to play the archetype of the modern woman. It’s also
great to work with this new generation of French actors and a French director on the rise. So just attending the festival with them is enough for me. After that, we’ll see.

Apparently the editing work isn’t finished yet!

It’s true. Bertrand is always trying to make things a little more perfect, right up until the end, like couturiers that finish their collections an hour before the show! When I think that the first version was good enough to be selected for Cannes, I’m excited to see what the final version will look like! And there are only four French films in competition, so Bertrand really deserved it.

It’s true. A lot of French films were eligible to be selected. The committee first picks the foreign films, and then picks the French films at the last minute.

I read in the paper that the Cannes Film Festival is the most broadcasted event in the world after the World Cup and the Olympics. I would have thought it was the Oscars!

That’s right. It has a much bigger influence around the world. Cannes lasts 12 days while the Oscars are only one night!

I’m thrilled in any case. The technical team was great. Bertrand had a lot of confidence in me. I just wanted to live up to his expectations. I even asked him before the film if he knew anyone who could help me prepare for the part. He told me he didn’t want me to get any training. He likes to let chance take care of certain things.

Do you have any other film projects coming up?

Yes, a few. But what interests me the most are the people behind the projects. When considering a project, the most important thing for me is the person who is putting it together, much more than the script itself. I need to feel a strong mutual understanding. If there is no connection or I don’t feel right in a particular person’s artistic universe, then it’s hard for me to give my best.