Along with other prominent actresses such as Cécile de France (b. 1975) and Émilie Dequenne (b. 1981), Déborah François (b. 1987) is one of those versatile and renowned Belgian-born actresses to become a star in French-language cinema. At age 18, she made her screen debut in “L’enfant” (2005, a.k.a. “The Child”), directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, playing Sonia, a young mother struggling with poverty and the challenges of raising a child. Her powerhouse performance, marked by its raw authenticity and emotional depth, catapulted her to international recognition and earned her a first nomination for a César Award as Most Promising Actress. “L’enfant” also won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

“L’enfant” (2005, trailer)

Since then, her career as a leading lady—mostly in France—has been going strong. She played a wide variety of screen roles in various genres, from independent dramas to highly successful romantic comedies. In later years, she also appeared in TV series.

Her impressive list of film credits and iconic screen performances includes Denis Dercourt’s psychological thriller “La tourneuse de pages” (2006, a.k.a. “The Page Turner”), with Ms. François giving another gripping performance as a vengeful pianist seeking retribution. There’s also “Le premier jour du reste de ta vie” (2008, a.k.a. “The First Day of the Rest of Your Life”), Rémi Bezançon’s beautifully crafted comedy-drama and a masterpiece that follows a French family over five critical days, exploring the dynamics of love, loss, and reconciliation. Ms. François’s portrayal as the rebellious and introspective Fleur—the youngest of three siblings and a spitfire with a nose for trouble—earned her a César Award as Most Promising Actress.

As one of the most gifted actresses of her generation, she brought her trademark charm and youthful innocence to the character of Rose Pamphyle in “Populaire” (2012), a delightful rom-com set in the late 1950s, with Rose, a small-town girl with a remarkable talent for typing, becoming a secretary with an exceptional typing speed who enters a national speed typing competition, and the world typing competition in New York.

“Populaire” (2012, trailer)

The Irish and Luxembourgish co-production “Never Grow Old” (2019)—among her many other career highlights—was a Western directed by Irish filmmaker Ivan Kavanagh. The film tells the story of Irish undertaker Patrick Tate (played by Emile Hirsch) and his family, who are threatened when their town is taken over by Dutch Albert (role for John Cusack) and his outlaws. “Never Grow Old” was shot in Luxembourg and Ireland, with Ms. François playing Audrey, the wife of Emile Hirsch’s character Patrick Tate.

Last month, Ms. François was a guest of honor at the 39th edition of the Love International Film Festival Mons in Belgium to present her latest feature, “Pauline grandeur nature.” In this Belgian-Swiss co-production, directed by Nadège de Benoit-Luthy, she plays the part of Pauline, a landscaper who juggles between her children and her work, and must fight to find a place in a male environment. When her mother tells her that she plans to live abroad and will no longer look after her children, Pauline gets the opportunity to manage an important construction site. On all fronts, her life is failing. Now the question is if she can bounce back, assert herself, and find her place.

During the Festival, Ms. François and the film crew introduced “Pauline grandeur nature” at the Plaza Arthouse Cinéma; afterward, they held a Q&A. Shortly before the screening of the film, I was able to sit down with Ms. François at the Plaza Arthouse Cinéma for a one-on-one about her craft and her métier as an actress. This conversation was conducted in English, a language she speaks effortlessly and fluently.

Ms. François, do you remember your first encounter with the Dardenne brothers?

Yes, I do. It was during the casting for “L’enfant” (2005) and it was pretty surprising. Usually, directors don’t go to the first round; there were so many of us. I asked them afterward how many girls they had seen, and they told me they had met more than one hundred and twenty girls. So the first time I was in that long and wide room, they were sitting at the very end, watching me walk toward them, and I was very impressed. The first time we were supposed to spend fifteen minutes together, but it was more than twenty minutes. That was a good sign.

That’s twenty years ago. You’ve been around for so long now, and you’re still only in your thirties.

That’s nice of you to notice [laughs]. It may give me a chance to have a very long career—hopefully. Getting old in cinema is a privilege.

Actors often come and go, but you’re here to stay, aren’t you? How do you manage to have such a consistent career and stay a leading lady in French-language cinema for such a long time?

I think that if you love what you do, you can’t get enough. And acting is a very hopeful profession; it’s not boring because you always do something new and meet new people. So it’s a huge advantage to be an actress. Every time, it’s totally different. People work in a very different way. And at the same time, it’s not what it was twenty years ago. I can manage my stress much better now. So that’s very good. I used to be a very anxious person twenty years ago.

Throughout your career, you have received numerous accolades for your performances. Is there a specific type of character that you enjoy portraying? A kind of woman in a particular situation?

Not really. My main goal is to be surprised. I want people to surprise me; that’s why you do this profession. You don’t want to be bored, you don’t want to repeat yourself. This job is different—every day, every time. Once you’ve done a scene, it’s done. You can’t undo it. People can go back on it, they can relive it, but I can’t. So that’s pretty good. I like that. That’s also the difference between theater and cinema. In films, once you’ve done it, it’s done. If necessary, you can do more than one take; you work on a scene for an hour, two hours, maybe a whole afternoon, but the next day—you move on to the next scene.

You just said that you like to be surprised. That begins when you get to read the screenplay for the first time?

Yes. First, you get to know your character, what she does, who she is, what she’s like, and I like to project myself into the character. That’s something intimate. I need to connect with the character—or not connect. Sometimes you read a script and you don’t connect with the character nor with the story at all. When you’re shooting, you will be surprised by the director’s working method.

Do you have a working method of your own, when you get immersed in your character or when you’re ready to play a scene?

It depends on the character, on the mood of your character, who that person is, if your character is able to do things that you are not… Maybe it can be more technical at some point; sometimes, it’s more emotional. For me, it depends on the focus of the scene. On the other hand, if it’s a very dramatic setting, you need to escape to keep your sanity [laughs] and then I like to talk with the other actors, and laugh. But at the same time, you must be aware of where you are, who you are and where your energy is, so I need to get back to myself—to the real Déborah. But if the scene is really emotional, I think it’s better to stay in that bubble for as long as it takes.

You are a very gifted actress, and you always give the impression that acting is very easy. Is it really that easy?

[Pauzes.] I don’t ask that question myself that way because it’s a tricky question. I’m very passionate about acting. We’re playing with feelings, and some are not that easy, so acting is not always easy. You need to grow and find them which can be difficult, but that is what is expected from you. You’re there to do that. You’re already lucky enough to play that role, so you can’t be lucky enough to make it easy. Sometimes, it must cost you a lot of effort. It’s only fair to the public that you need to work hard to get the job done. But there’s no other job in the world where you have to cry the whole afternoon, and when at the end everyone says, ‘Great! Thank you!’ And I have that job [laughs].

Does one take usually work for you?

It can, but it’s not really up to me. The director may want a different version or a different approach, and usually, it’s risky to do only one take. Sometimes you’re at your best in the beginning, but it can be at the sixth or seventh take. For me, the first take is the one I have been waiting for the whole time. It has been in my mind for so long, and when I arrive on the set, I’m so ready for it. Other times, it’s like you start something and with the first take you simply feel it doesn’t work. The chemistry is not there and you don’t know why, but you feel it. Then you need to look for the right version. And you never know that when you start shooting; that’s part of the fun. Sometimes, you think it will be easy, you try stuff and it doesn’t work. You wonder why, you have to change what you do, or change something technical… It’s full of surprises.

Does your work as a leading actress also give you a responsibility? Is it a weight on your shoulders?

You mean a responsibility to the public?

The expectations are very high, I suppose?

But some people put pressure on themselves, while others don’t. As I said, I used to be anxious; I know I did put pressure on myself, but I wasn’t sure if it was because of my job. Maybe I would have been the same if I worked at the post office, I don’t know. So some people do and some don’t. And in a way, I still put pressure on myself.

Is there an actress or film you saw as a child that triggered you to become an actress?

No, it was not just one. I liked theater most of all. I liked to see the work of those actors. Cinema is further away from you as a spectator; it’s not something you can touch. But when I saw those actors on the stage, I thought, ‘Wow, I want to be that girl.’ That was my first impulse. Those two people over there took me to the theater when I was little [points to a couple seated next to us: her parents]. Them. It’s their fault [laughs].

Love International Film Festival Mons,
March 11, 2024

“Pauline grandeur nature” (2023, trailer)

FILMS

L’ENFANT, a.k.a. THE CHILD (2005) DIR – SCR Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne PROD Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd CAM Alain Marcoen ED Marie-Hélène Dozo CAST Jérémie Renier, Déborah François (Sonia), Jérémie Segard, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet, Anne Gerard, Bernard Marbaix

LA TOURNEUSE DE PAGES, a.k.a. THE PAGE TURNER (2006) DIR Denis Dercourt PROD Michel Saint-Jean SCR Denis Dercourt, Jacques Sotty CAM Jérôme Peyrebrune ED François Gédigier MUS Jérôme Lemonnier CAST Catherine Frot, Déborah François (Mélanie), Pascal Greggory, Clotilde Mollet, Xavier de Guillebon, Christine Citti, Jacques Bonnaffé

LES FOURMIS ROUGES (2007) DIR Stéphan Carpiaux PROD Stéphan Carpiaux, Jean-Luc Van Damme SCR Stéphan Carpiaux, Laurent Denis CAM Philippe Guilbert ED France Duez MUS Frédéric Vercheval CAST Déborah François (Alex), Frédéric Pierrot, Arthur Jugnot, Julie Gayet, Claire Johnston, Franck Sasonoff

L’ÉTÉ INDIEN (2007) DIR – SCR Alain Raoust PROD Bertrand Gore ED Sophie Deseuzes CAST Johan Leysen, Déborah François (Suzanne), Philippe Duclos, Johanna ter Steege, Brigitte Sy, Frédérique Bonnal, Thierry de Peretti, Birgit Ludwig, Laurent Sofiatti, Jean Ségani

LES FEMMES DE L’OMBRE, a.k.a. FEMALE AGENTS (2008) DIR Jean-Paul Salomé PROD Éric Névé SCR Jean-Paul Salomé, Laurent Vachaud CAM Pascal Ridao ED Marie-Pierre Renaud MUS Bruno Coulais CAST Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain, Déborah François (Gaëlle Lemenech), Maya Sansa, Julien Boisselier, Vincent Rottiers

LE PREMIER JOUR DU RESTE DE TA VIE, a.k.a. THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (2008) DIR – SCR Rémi Bezançon PROD Eric Altmeyer, Nicolas Altmeyer CAM Antoine Monod ED Sophie Reine MUS Sinclair CAST James Gamblin, Zabou Bretman, Déborah François (Fleur Duval), Marc-André Grondin, Pio Marmaï, Roger Dumas, Cécile Cassel, Stanley Weber, Gilles Lelouche

UNMADE BEDS (2009) DIR Alexis Dos Santos PROD Soledad Gatti-Pascual, Bertrand Faivre, Peter Ettedgui SCR Alexis Dos Santos, Marianela Maldonado CAM Jakob Ihre ED Olivier Bugge Coutté CAST Déborah François (Vera), Fernando Tielve, Michel Huisman, Iddo Goldberg, Richard Lintern, Katia Winter, Alexis Dos Santos, Lucy Tillett

FAIS-MOI PLAISIR!, a.k.a. PLEASE, PLEASE ME! (2009) DIR – SCR Emmanuel Mouret PROD Frédéric Niedermeyer CAM Laurent Desmet ED Martial Salomon MUS Jérôme Rebotier, David Hadjadj CAST Emmanuel Mouret, Judith Godrèche, Déborah François (Aneth), Frédérique Bel, Jacques Weber, Dany Brillant, Mikaël Gaudin, Fred Epaud, Frédéric Niedermeyer

MY QUEEN KARO (2009) DIR – SCR Dorothée Van Den Berghe PROD Frank Van Passel, Bert Hamelinck, Kato Maes, Arielle van Gestel CAM Jan Vancaillie ED Marie-Hélène Dozo CAST Anna Franziska Jaeger, Déborah François (Dalia), Matthias Schoenaerts, Maria Kraakman, Samuel du Chatinier, Cezanne Cuypers, Ward Weemhoff, Nico Sturm

LA MOINE, a.k.a. THE MONK (2011) DIR Dominik Moll PROD Michel Saint-Jean SCR Dominik Moll, Anne-Louise Trividic (novel “The Monk” [1796] by Matthew Lewis) CAM Patrick Blossier ED Sylvie Lager, François Gédigier MUS Alberto Iglesias CAST Vincent Cassel, Déborah François (Valerio), Joséphine Japy, Sergi López, Catherine Mouchet, Jordi Dauder, Geraldine Chaplin, Roxane Duran, Javivi, Pierre-Félix Gravière, Frédéric Noaille, Serge Faeuillard

MEMORIES CORNER (2011) DIR – SCR Audrey Fouché PROD Jérôme Vidal CAM Nicolas Gaurin ED Maxime-Claude L’Écuyer CAST Déborah François (Ada Servier), Hiroshi Abe, François Papineau, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Sansei Shiomi, Mitsuko Baishô, Seizô Fukumoto, Yura Arata, Minehiro Minamitani

LES TRIBULATIONS D’UNE CASSIÈRE (2011) DIR Pierre Rambaldi PROD Pierre Rambaldi, Serge de Poucques, Sylvain Goldberg SCR Michel Siksik (novel “Les tribulations d’une cassière” [2008] by Anna Sam) CAM Thomas Hardmeier ED Cyril Besnard MUS Emmanuel Rambaldi CAST Déborah François (Solweig Antoniazi), Elsa Zylberstein, Nicolas Giraud, Gilles Cohen, Firmine Richard, Marc Lavoine, Alice Belaïdi, Jean-Luc Couchard

ZARAFA (2012, animation) DIR Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie PROD Christopher Jankovic, Valérie Schermann SCR Rémi Bezançon, Alexander Abela ED Sophie Reine MUS Laurent Perez Del Mar CAST (voice only) Déborah François (Zafara), Thierry Frémont, Simon Abkarian, Ronit Elkabetz, Mohamed Fellag, Roger Dumas, Vernon Dobtcheff, François-Xavier Demaison, Philippe Morier-Genoud

POPULAIRE (2012) DIR Régis Roinsard PROD Alain Attal SCR Régis Roinsard, Daniel Presley, Romain Compingt CAM Guillaume Schiffman ED Sophie Reine, Laure Gardette MUS Robin Coudert, Emmanuel D’Orlando CAST Romain Duris, Déborah François (Rose Pamphyle), Bérénice Bejo, Shaun Benson, Mélanie Bernier, Nicolas Bedos, Miou-Miou, Eddy Mitchell

UN BEAU DIMANCHE, a.k.a. GOING AWAY (2013) DIR Nicole Garcia PROD Philippe Martin SCR Nicole Garcia, Jacques Fieschi CAM Pierre Milon ED Simon Jacquet MUS Eric Neveux CAST Louise Bourgoin, Pierre Rochefort, Dominique Sanda, Déborah François (Emmanuelle Cambière), Eric Ruf, Benjamin Lavernhe, Mathias Brezot

MAESTRO (2014) DIR Léa Fazer PROD Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer, Isabelle Grellat SCR Léa Fazer, Jocelyn Quivrin CAM Lucas Leconte ED Jean-François Elie MUS Clément Ducol CAST Pio Marmaï, Michael Lonsdale, Déborah François (Gloria), Alice Belaïdi, Nicolas Bridet, Dominique Reymond, Micha Lescot, Scali Delpayrat

FLEUR DE TONNERRE, a.k.a. THE POISONING ANGEL (2016) DIR Stéphanie Pillonca PROD Jean-Pierre Guérin SCR Stéphanie Pillonca, Gustave Kervern (novel “Fleur de tonnerre” [2013] by Jean Teulé) CAM Hugues Poulain ED Kako Kelber MUS Matthieu Gonet, Sylvain Goldberg CAST Déborah François (Hélène Jégado, dite Fleur de Tonnerre), Benjamin Biolay, Jonathan Zaccaï, Catherine Mouchet, Blanche François, Féodor Atkine

CÉZANNE ET MOI (2016) DIR – SCR Danièle Thompson PROD Albert Koski CAM Jean-Marie Dreujou ED Sylvie Landra MUS Eric Neveux CAST Guillaune Canet, Guillaume Gallienne, Alice Pol, Déborah François (Hortense Cézanne), Sabine Azéma, Pierre Yvon, Gérard Meylan, Laurent Stocker, Isabelle Candelier, Freya Mavor

MA FAMILLE T’ADORE DÈJÀ!, a.k.a. MY FAMILY LOVES YOU ALREADY! (2016) DIR Jérôme Commandeur, Alan Corno PROD Dany Boon, Yaël Boon, Eric Hubert, Laurent Storch SCR Jérôme Commandeur, Frédéric Jurie, Kevin Knepper ED Catherine Renault MUS Maxime Desprez, Michaël Tordjman CAST Thierry Lhermitte, Marie-Anne Chazel, Sabine Azéma, Déborah François (Eva), Arthur Dupont, Valérie Karsenti, Jérôme Commandeur, Éric Berger

CHACUN SA VIE, a.k.a. EVERYONE’S LIFE (2017) DIR Claude Lelouch PROD Claude Lelouch, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida SCR Claude Lelouch (adaptation by Claude Lelouch, Pierre Uytterhoeven, Valérie Perrin, Grégoire Lacroix) CAM Robert Alazraki ED Stéphane Mazalaigue MUS Francis Lai, Laurent Couson, Dimitri Naiditch CAST Éric Dupond-Moretti, Johnny Hallyday, Nadia Farés, Jean Dujardin, Christophe Lambert, Antoine Duléry, Marianne Denicourt, Rufus, Stéphane De Groodt, Déborah François (Jessica), Mathilde Seigner, Philippe Lellouche, Laurent Couson

LOUE-MOI! (2017) DIR – SCR Coline Assous, Virginie Schwartz PROD Kev Adams, Laurent Hadida, Samuel Hadida, Victor Hadida, Elisa Soussan CAM Mathieu Czernichow ED Nathalie Hubert MUS Alexandre Lier, Sylvain Ohrel, Nicolas Weil CAST Déborah François (Léa Masson), Alison Wheeler, Marc Ruchman, Benjamin Bellecour, Charlotte de Turckheim, Barnard Menez, Lionel Abelanski, Jacques Boudet, Arlé Elmaleh

L’AUTRE CONTINENT, a.k.a. TERRITORY OF LOVE (2018) DIR – SCR Romain Cogitore PROD Vincent Wang, Tom Dercourt CAM Thomas Ozoux ED Romain Cogitore, Florent Vassault MUS Mathieu Lamboley CAST Déborah François (Maria), Paul Hamy, Daniel Martin, Christiane Millet, Vincent Perez, Nanou Garcia, Aviis Zhong, Jürgen Zwingel, Adèle Choubard

NEVER GROW OLD (2019) DIR – SCR Ivan Kavanaugh PROD Jacqueline Kerrin, Nicolas Steil, Dominic Wright CAM Piers McGrail ED Bernard Beets, Dermot Diskin MUS Aza Hand, Gast Waltzing CAST Emile Hirsch, Déborah François (Audrey Tate), John Cusack, Molly McCann, Quinn Topper Marcus, Sam Louwyck, Camille Pistone, Danny Webb, Tim Ahern, Anne Coesens

L’ÈTAT SAUVAGE, a.k.a. SAVAGE STATE (2019) DIR – SCR David Perrault PROD Farès Ladjimi, Sylvain Corbeil CAM Christophe Duchange ED Maxime Pozzi-Garcia MUS Sébastien Perrault CAST Alice Isaaz, Kevin Janssens, Déborah François (Justine), Bruno Todeschini, Constance Dollé, Armelle Abibou, Maryne Bertieaux, Kate Moran

EL PRACTICANTE, a.k.a. THE PARAMEDIC (2020) DIR Carles Torras PROD Carles Torras, Miguel Ruz SCR Hèctor Hernández Vicens, David Desola (original idea by Carles Torras) CAM Juan Sebastián Vasquez ED Elena Ruiz, Emanuele Tiziani MUS Santos Martínez CAST Mario Casas, Déborah François (Vane), Guillermo Pfening, Maria Rodríguez Soto, Celso Bugallo, Raúl Jiménez, Pol Monen

MI SOLEDAD TIENE ALAS, a.k.a. MY LONELINESS HAS WINGS (2023) DIR Mario Casas PROD Núria Valls, Adrián Guerra SCR Mario Casas, Déborah François CAM Edu Canet ED Verónica Callón MUS Zeltia Montes CAST Óscar Casas, Candela González, Farid Bechara, Francisco Boira, Adolfo Parra, Yerlin Ureña Gil, Ángeles Moreno, Nur Olabarria, Rebeca Aliena, Déborah François (Francesca)

PAULINE GRANDEUR NATURE (2023) DIR Nadège de Benoit-Luthy PROD Elena Tatti SCR Nadège de Benoit-Luthy, Géraldine Keiflin, Delphine Lehericey, Catherine Paillé, Nicolas Pleskof CAM Dino Berguglia ED Myriam Rachmuth MUS Félix Fivaz, Mallika Hermand CAST Déborah François (Pauline), Thibault Evrard, Jo Deseure, Baptiste Gilliéron, Jean-Henri Compère, Sophie Breyer, Eva Monti