French actress Sylvie Testud is perhaps best known in the UK as Momone, Edith Piaf’s best friend in the film La Vie en Rose, starring Marion Cotillard. In her latest role in Lourdes, directed by Jessica Hausner, she stars as a woman with multiple sclerosis who makes a pilgrimage to the holy city. Sylvie was recently in London where she spoke to View’s Matthew Turner about miracles, love stories and good characters in bad films.
What attracted you to the film and how did you get involved?
Sylvie Testud (ST): I read the script and liked the part immediately. And then I said, 'Oh, that's nice, it's a critique, maybe?' and it was not so easy. And then I thought 'It's a sad story?' and it was not so easy. And then, 'It's a fairy tale?' and again it's not so easy to define. And I liked that, that it's so simple, but you don't know what's in the director's head. She's not trying to teach you anything, like 'Look at you, you are bad' and she's great or the opposite. She's not trying to teach you any lessons.
So I liked that and of course I liked the character that she was offering me. I liked the way she was selfish, in a way. She thinks about herself, she thinks about her case, about what she wants. She's in love with someone and she tries to get his attention. In a way she despises her condition, but she's not stupid. She doesn't go to Lourdes because she's so in love with God, she goes to Lourdes because she's bored. And she knows that the people there will take care of her. And I thought that was interesting.
What direction did Jessica give you for the character?
ST: She was thinking a bit like me. I mean, she wrote the script – I think I read it in a good way. I was thinking like her. It was really important for her that this girl is a girl who wants to live. And to improve, more than to live, because she knows she will die soon. She wants to improve her emotions – she's in love and inside, she's boiling. When she's not happy, she's really not happy, she thinks about herself. She looks around, it's a bit boring, because it's just old people around her, she doesn't care, even if they're nice to her. Like normal children with grandparents, you know? She's a bit like that. And it was really important for Jessica that this stays in the film. Because when you prepare and you go to the hospital and you see ill people and so on, there's a danger of getting depressed. Which is right, you have empathy.
And then, we were practising the way of walking, the way the muscles are tensed and everything. And I met some people who have multiple sclerosis, three very beautiful young girls and some older ones. And what was really clear, they had some revenge inside of them. It's like a normal life, but you know how long you have in front of you, so it breaks your dream, I think, in a way. And those young girls, they were really sexy, they were really sweet, they were having fun. I was saying, 'Okay, so you go out', and they were saying, 'I don't drink alcohol because of the MS' and another would say, 'I drink! I don't care!' And they were really laughing, because for them, they still have time. And those girls, they had something. They were prettier and had nicer clothes than normal girls in the street, because they know their time is limited and they have to have fun. They were telling me they were going dancing and so on and I was like, 'Oh, they have fun.'
What was your experience of shooting in Lourdes?
ST: I had different feelings. The first time you shoot in Lourdes, you are interested. I respect people who pray and believe in God and everything but in another way you think it's sad, because these people come full of hope, waiting for something to come and nothing comes. The walls are full of inscriptions saying that there was a miracle and another one – it's true, but it's never when you are there, right? We all heard a lot of stories – this one stood up and this one was blind and then he opened his eyes – but it was never when I was there.
And then I spent a month and a half there and there was nothing. I don't know why but I'm always more sad myself when the people are so open and hopeful and there is something not good coming, than when everything is dark, this is war, this is horrible. And it's in between when you are there, because they are praying so it's nice. There are nice songs, they all believe in the same stuff, so there's no one against religion because everybody comes for the same, so that's a good point. But in another way, you feel like you want to go and say to everybody, 'Why do you come? You believe a miracle is coming? Or not?' But maybe they are right, I don't know – it's not a judgement I put on, it's just that you have to think about that. And I was speaking about that with Jessica, that those people, they are buying those big candles and they are waiting and praying and so on.
Do you have a favourite scene in the film?
ST: Yes, I think it's the scene where she's being given something to eat. She has this big towel around her and Lea is giving her something to eat and the boy she likes is coming and it's like if she ignores him, he will never fall in love with this beautiful girl who has soup everywhere. And she gives him this look – I think that's exactly what the film is. And the food is going everywhere and she is looking at him like in a fairytale, like in a marvellous love story film.
What was the most difficult scene to film?
ST: Oh, shall I say or not? Well, it's not such a big suspense film, right? It's the scene where she walks for the first time. So this was really difficult because you have to improve and you have to play everything – that you're happy, that you're afraid and also to move in the right way. And we had doctors around and I was looking at the doctors, I was looking at the director and I was looking at everybody. I was afraid, because it could easily become too much, this scene – it could become like a production number, a big 'look at me' performance and this is disgusting because there's no space for that in this film. So we were very afraid. And sometimes I was not happy, I was losing my nerve. 'This is not good!' [laughs]
What's the most important element for you when you choose a new project? Is it the script, the individual character, the story, the director or something else?
ST: It's a bit of everything. Of course the character has to be good, but a good character in a bad film is very strange. And a good film with an ordinary character, you have nothing to do. So it has to be in between everything for me. But, you know what? I must admit that I'm a bit like my character in the film – I'm a bit selfish. And I like to have a good character. It happens sometimes that I turn down a very good film and my friends say 'You didn't do THAT?' And I say, 'Well, no, because the film is good, but me, I had nothing to do.' And I don't like that. There are other actors that like that, but me, no. So some time you will see me, very good character but the film is so disgusting [laughs]. This could happen, once.