It’s no surprise when Marion Cotillard‘s personal publicist tells a roomful of reporters that photos of the actress are not allowed today (it’s mildly heart-breaking, but not surprising). Cotillard, the Academy-Award winning actress is known for her successful crossover into American and Hollywood cinema, which is also no surprise, having such a multitude of audience appeals. An incredible performer in artfully-minded film (The Immigrant, Rust and Bone), as well as roles in Big Event Studio movies (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), and of course- her unparalleled beauty, which is the source of today’s publicist’s friendly reminder. Intriguingly, the French film actress seems to always showcase her visual beauty (which of course, isn’t hard), but studied further, this physiological appeal can perhaps better be linked to a different factor that drives her rich and absorbing work – her expressiveness, and total commitment to her characters, which always shines through and lifts any project she is involved in. This was, in part, what she talked about, at a recent press conference at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons, in support of her next indie-film, Two Days, One Night (Deux Jours, Une Nuit). Cotillard steps into the room, and taking her place in front of the French-styled double doors, with a gorgeous L.A. backdrop and afternoon golden light bathing over her, she opens up about her preparation for such emotionally demanding films, working with the Dardenne brothers, and still keeping the door open for a future of comedies.

BONJOUR.

Bonjour.

WAS THE BELGIAN ACCENT DIFFICULT TO DO FOR YOU?

Um…yes or no? Kind of. Because I didn’t want to have like a Belgian accent, I wanted to have a flavor. And I needed it because all the other actors, and especially the actor who plays my husband (Fabrizio Rongione), and the two young actors who play my kids, they have an accent. And it is actually one of the first things, if not the first thing, the Dardenne brothers asked me. It was to lose my Parisian accent. When you’re asked such a thing, usually, I mean, Jim (Jean-Pierre)’s great, wanted me to have a Polish accent, or (he) wanted me to have an Italian accent, so you have a dialect coach, and you work, for hours, days, weeks, months, when you’re lucky enough to have months…

But then here, it was losing my French Parisian accent, so I thought, “I need to replace it by something, another accent.” I mean we all have accents, or we’re robots. So I thought, “OK, I need to have a Belgian accent.” But it was not what they asked me. And they are very precise in their, demands. So I knew they were not asking me to have a Belgian accent…

And then the month of rehearsal that we had was very helpful because I listened to all those people around me who had a different kind of Belgian accent. And yeah, I was kind of nervous that it would be too much, or not enough, because I was working by myself, no dialect coach this time, sometimes I got a little nervous about it. And sometimes they would say, “Oh no no, this is too much of a (Parisian) accent, and I was very happy about it. But then I knew that I needed to reduce so it would not be disturbing because some people in the audience know my face already, which was kind of new for the Dardenne brothers, to work with a well-known actress, and I knew that I really needed to fit in their world, but that the accent shouldn’t be disturbing, for the audience. That was a long answer…

THIS MOVIE IS KIND OF LIKE A ROAD MOVIE, BUT IT’S ALSO A REAWAKENING OF A ROMANCE WITH SANDRA’S HUSBAND. SO FOR YOU, WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS FILM WHEN YOU FIRST READ THE SCRIPT, AND HOW DID YOU PICTURE IT, GENRE-WISE?

When I first read the script, it resonated with some deep questions and reflections that I had a year and a half before, when I read a letter of someone who decided to end his life, because he was working in a company, and at that time, a lot of people in that company took the same decision as this guy. So it was a big thing in France. And one of them left a letter, explaining that he was putting an end to his life because he felt useless. And some other, another person had kids too, and I started to really question, I mean I’ve always questioned our society, and the decisions, and how it functions, or how it dis-functions…

But I was reading, at the same time, I was reading things about some Indian tribes and African tribes, and I read somewhere that an individual in those tribes question his or her places in the society. So of course I came to the conclusion that we, our society, the society we all live in here, creates isolation, and this question that should sound crazy in a perfect world, where everybody on Earth has a place. Otherwise, this person wouldn’t be here, if this person didn’t have a place or a purpose. So when I read the script the first time, it really like brought back all the questions and refections that I had, and it made sense for me to experience from the inside someone who feels useless, and worthless.

YOUR PERFORMANCE IS FILLED WITH SUCH RAW VULNERABILITY- DID THE REHEARSAL PROCESS HELP YOU IN EXPLORING AND FINDING THOSE EMOTIONS?

Rehearsals always help, because…I remember when I started being an actress, I read this biography from (a French film actress) Romy Schneider, I don’t know if you’re familiar with this ingenious actress, and at the beginning of her biography she says, she always worked a lot, preparing for a role. And she was kind of a model for me, she is still. And she says, “I’m gonna work on a character, and I’m gonna explore fifty ways. Most of the time, the first way is the right way, but, it’s enriched by exploring the forty-nine other ways. And when you have the time to rehearse, you try things, and you can go wrong, because you’re not shooting. And then the next day you’re gonna try something different, and it’s gonna be richer, because you’ve experienced what was not exactly what you were looking for, but then you experienced it. 

And especially when…well I always need a preparation time, because, I love it, first of all.I love this process of exploring, because when you find something, it’s like a gold, searcher? You don’t say that…a gold…when you search for gold and you have the gold! And then suddenly, Wah! That’s it! And you have time to digest, to make it better. 

And I need that time because I…one of my favorite parts, there is one, because I love the whole process, and it’s when you start feeling the character in your body. And I cannot work only on what’s in her mind, what was her life before, which was something that I loved to do, but when I start feeling the way I walk, the way I talk, the way I breathe, becomes her…and then I see myself disappearing. And rehearsals…it was the first time for me I did this process of rehearsing with the directors, and we rehearsed all the scenes on set, with the actors, and even in costumes. This process of rehearsing was not focused on acting, it was finding the dynamic of the camera because it was all sequenced shots. Sometimes you have a scene that lasts ten minutes, and we really had to create the choreography, and the Dardenne’s cinema is…the rhythm, is really, really important in their movies, and they’re very demanding, I mean in terms of rhythm. Sometimes I would have this scene, I get off the bed, put my shoes on, and I put the left shoes, and when I put the right shoes [snaps finger], I burst in tears- we did it like eighty times. And sometimes it would happen on the left shoes, or when I would put my foot back on the floor and they would say, “That was great, but if you could really burst in tears exactly when you put your shoes on…”

[Laughter]

That level of precision. Which I really, really loved. 

But then the rehearsal time was really like focused on finding the dynamic, and of course, finding the dynamic is also about acting, because what you give gives a rhythm. And then you try to do beautiful cake with al those elements. But then, when you’re on set, it’s all about acting. They focus on acting, which is heaven, for an actor.

WHAT KEEPS YOU FOCUSED?

A good director, that’s the key. If I don’t want to give, because I don’t trust the director, it’s really, really hard for me to give anything, and to find the authenticity, to find everything I need to give everything I have to give to do a scene. So that’s the first thing. And then…[pause] if I feel, free, and if there’s a strong connection with the people I work with, it’s not hard for me to stay in character. But sometimes I know that I need a process, I need time by myself, before the day. When I did La Vie en Rose, for example, an hour before the call, because I needed this hour to, do stuff, to get in…but yeah, when I feel free, and trusted, and I trust the people I work with, it’s simpler.

YOU GO DEEP INTO YOUR ROLES…

Well, I try.

HOW WAS THAT FOR SANDRA? HOW DID YOU GO INTO HER, AND OUT?

The thing is, as much as I find the process of ‘getting in’ very interesting, I find the process of ‘getting out’ very interesting too.

[Laughter]

I didn’t know before La Vie en Rose that I would have to ‘find a way out,”…I thought it was a job, and that after the last cut, I would go back to my life, and go back to normal…what is normal anyways? 

But that was a very, very interesting process, that took me a long time. And then I realized that I needed to do it for almost all the movies. And I never know how it’s going to happen. So I’m always looking for this experience. It can take the form of someone who will tell me something, and we’re going to enter a discussion, and then suddenly, yeah, I will feel that it’s going away…it’s really hard to explain, but I learn a lot out of it. It’s kind of hard to explain, and I never know how it’s going to happen.

This is one of the greatest experiences, if not the greatest experience I had on set with directors, and the relationship I had with them was total osmosis.

YOU WORK WITH SO MANY GREAT AND DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIRECTORS, FROM WOODY ALLEN, TO CHRISTOPHER NOLAN, TO TIM BURTON- WORKING WITH THE DARDENNE’S, WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE FOR YOU?

I need to work with directors who need more than anything, to tell a story. I work with directors and I found that working with them, that if they were there, or anywhere else, it would make no difference. And it was painful, because I need it to be almost a matter of life or death. Because first of all, when you do a movie, it involves a lot of people, who trust you. And you will ask people to come to see what you want to say, and if it’s not something that you really need to say, I’m not interested. Because it’s too painful for me. And it happened, and I was totally lost, because I was with someone who was not in the deep need to tell a story. So that’s one thing.

The Dardenne brothers…something that I loved about, I loved everything, this is one of the greatest experiences, if not the greatest experience I had on set with directors, and the relationship I had with them was total osmosis. They always talk about the audience. When sometimes on set, “audience” is like, a bad word. They always talk about the audience, and that’s what I love about their movies, because they take you somewhere, and they’re gonna surprise you, and they’re gonna move you, they’re gonna…I mean, I’ve seen all of their movies, I love them all. For me, The Son (L’enfant) is a masterpiece, I don’t know if you’ve seen this movie, but this is, I mean, for an audience, taking a road and then suddenly somebody is going like [mimes footsteps], and then you turn and the story is totally different from what you thought entering the theater. And for thirty minutes, you think that, I mean, I won’t ruin anything if some people haven’t seen this movie, but obviously, you think something! You think this guy is this kind of person, and then suddenly it unravels something totally different. I mean, as part of an audience, it’s like…it’s what cinema is for.

And on the second day of rehearsals, they were talking about the audience, and that was funny because it was really new for me and it was really like, a little more freedom. They had already given me a freedom that was beyond freedom. But this was, I loved it so much. And they turned to me and they said, “Oh, you know, we talk about the audience all the time.” And the first scene is, “No, we don’t want the audience to see your face,” as in almost all their movies…”and then the audience will think this, and they’ll be surprised by this,” and, I found it relieving.

WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON NEXT?

I did a movie at the beginning of the year. A British movie based on Macbeth. So I think that’s gonna be released next year…

YOU’RE LADY MACBETH…

I am…I hope.

[Laughter]

IS IT TRADITIONAL?

Super traditional. And we went to the purest Shakespeare you could find. Because sometimes they kind of adapt a little bit, for people to understand. If you don’t, it’s normal. It took me a long time to understand everything, but I’m French [laugher]. 

SO YOU’VE CHOSEN TO FOLLOW UP THIS MOVIE WITH A COMEDIC MOVIE…

[Pause]. I’m not talking to you anymore.

[Laughter]

I would love to! Honestly, when I accepted my next movie, first of all my boyfriend was like, “Ohh, it’s gonna be a fun year.” And then, well already, I was not supposed to do a movie after the Dardenne brothers’ movie because I was kind of exhausted, and then (director) Justin (Kurzel) came with this offer, and I always knew I would play Macbeth, but I always thought it would be on stage, and in French, and I thought, “Well this is an opportunity that I cannot miss.” And same boyfriend said, “Are you kidding me?” Because he knows I want to do comedies…he’s like, “Are you kidding me? Lady Macbeth! I mean this must be a joke!”

[Laughter]

And my next movie is, not funny…drama, drama, drama, drama. It’s a French movie, from a French actor-director, Nicole Garcia, and uh, no, it’s not gonna be a fun movie. But I mean, I’m looking forward to it…

DID YOU HAVE FUN DOING THE BIT IN ANCHORMAN 2?

I was so stressed out! Because I’m not used to doing comedies, and when you’re not used to doing that you never know if the level of what you do is too high, or too low. Plus, you’re on screen with genius Jim Carrey, and all those people, who are just my heroes. And I was just, yeah. I felt…I had fun, and at the same time, I was so stressed out, that it kind of ruined a little bit of the fun. Especially that I…can I say that…I was supposed to shoot the next day, and they pushed the day before, and I was totally hungover-

[Laughter]

because the Met Ball was the night before! But no, I mean, I had so much fun, I really want to do a comedy. I don’t know if I would. I mean I would have a lot of work maybe, maybe more work than for a drama, because I’m more familiar with drama now. But that would be, yeah, that would be a risk – that I would love to take.

*Update: This interview was edited on 11/20/2014 to identify the name of the French film actress, Romy Schneider.