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Journalism of Courage
IN the Palme d’Or-winning film Titane, French actor Agathe Rousselle, 33, grabbed global attention with her breakthrough performance as Alexia, who has an unusual relationship with automobiles after surviving an accident that leaves her with a titanium plate in her skull. For this dark and, at times, bizarre thriller revolving Alexia, who is impregnated by a car, writer-director Julia Ducournau knew she wanted “an unknown face” as the lead as she goes through her mutations — someone the audience “could watch transform as the story plays out without being conscious of the artifice”.
After a casting director spotted Rousselle on Instagram, Ducournau picked her to play the physically and emotionally demanding lead character in Titane, her sophomore directorial outing after Raw (2016). During a video chat, Paris-based Rousselle talks about her intense preparation for the role with barely any dialogue and a prosthetic scar. Excerpts:
Ever since Titane’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021, your performance as its lead character has been much talked about. Did you anticipate it when you first read the script?
I don’t think one can anticipate that ever. I knew I was very lucky to have such a script in my hands. But you can’t ever predict the success of something even if the director, the script or the character is great. I was super excited when I read the script. It was like reading a good thriller. Then, I was thrilled about it as an actress — I could see all the possibilities as well as all the things I was going to be able to play with. I had always fantasised about how as an actor one has to prepare for months, change one’s body and learn new skills. So, I was excited to undergo the intense preparation that this role required.
Have you been able to process the kind of critical reception it has enjoyed ever since its Cannes premiere?
I don’t think I can process everything fully. Having my name mentioned next to Kristen Stewart and Lady Gaga, among others, was insane. I had a hard time believing that it’s really my name that’s part of the (top) actors list at Cannes. I am still pretty stoked about it.
Before your feature film debut, you had dabbled with so many other things – journalism, modelling and photography…
Yes, everything that I was doing helped the other. I always wanted to be an actor. I had attended drama classes. However, it was really precious to have the life experience, knowing who my friends really are and who I was. It (Alexia/Adrien) is such a great part and adventure that one had to be pretty solid, strong and grounded.
What held you back from taking up acting full-time earlier?
When I was 16, I told my mom that I wanted to be an actor. She said, ‘No. You are going to study first.’ My parents made it clear that they were not going to support if I chose acting as a career. That made me try out loads of things. After I took drama classes, I realised that I wanted to do movies. In Paris, it (the business of movies) is a very secretive thing. You don’t meet people from the movie industry on the streets or at a bar. If you don’t know anyone from the industry, it is almost impossible to know where the castings are taking place. I am not anyone’s daughter. I didn’t have friends in the industry. It (the world of movies) seemed complicated and closed. So, I was fine doing something else (till I was cast in Titane).
What’s your parents’ reaction now?
They are really proud. My father is hilarious. He is basically doing PR for me. He is keeping all the articles he can find about me. He is a private person who won’t say anything emotional. But I could tell that he was really happy.
What was most thrilling about your preparation? You learned pole dancing and worked on your movement for the role.
I enjoyed all the physical training. The dancing part was amazing since I am nothing close to a dancer. I learned so much about my body. I had the best teachers. Learning the stunts was fun too.
Did you have any moment of doubt or fear about whether your character would get the audience empathy since she is a psychopath?
On paper, she is impossible to love. But, as the one who would impersonate her, I had to love my character. I had to love the broken part in her that made her human. I never had any doubt about her. I mainly went on a journey with her and held on to her hands through the making. We rehearsed a lot with the director. I learned how to give the best of me to the character.
How collaborative was the process with Julia Ducournau?
Julia has this precise idea about where she wants the character to go. So, you follow that and try to fit into her vision. The opposite is not true – you can’t try different things on the sets. It was more like the director having this idea and you helping her to fulfil it.
What was the most challenging task for you?
I wasn’t expecting the transformation of my character to be a difficult task. I have bleached my eyebrows before and also shaved my head. For some reason, when I had half of my head shaved, used a fake (prosthetic) broken nose, removed my eyebrows, and was looking awful the whole day, I really had a hard time going through it. Also, there was this crazy week when I couldn’t see real myself. I would reach the dressing room at 5 am, start shooting by noon, and work till 11 pm.
To what extent were prosthetics helpful in essaying your character?
When you have a fake pregnant belly, it is usually close to the weight of a belly of a woman carrying a child. With that belly on, you hold yourself differently and that helps. The fake nose too helped me show the character’s vulnerability. In the first part of the movie, she has power, looks very sexy. At a later stage, she becomes horrible. Prosthetics helped me to depict her more vulnerable state. It also helped that we shot the film chronologically.
What’s the most surreal moment for you, so far?
The experience at Cannes screening was surreal. I am happy that people recorded the moment because I still can’t believe that Sharon Stone hugged me. I can’t remember chronologically everything that happened there. It comes to me in flashes.
What are your future plans?
If the industry doesn’t offer me any roles, I would be fine as I have a hundred different things to do. I want to get my certificate as a yoga teacher. I have a hard time doing just one thing unless I am acting. This is a very uncertain industry. It is important for my mental health not to treat it like it’s the end of the world if things don’t work out (as an actor). I have auditioned for new projects. I think people need time to think of me doing something entirely different from Titane.
