Finally, here is the exclusive interview Lou did for Zoo Magazine.
Doing It Her Way
Lou Doillon on acting, modelling, designing and having famous parents
“Ever since I was born, my life has been under the projectors. My private and public lives have always overlapped, often in an unhealthy way.”
Lou Doillon, the anti-conformist and rebellious girl, wants to break with the past and change the stereotyped opinions people have about herself, her family and her role in the cinema. It is only now, at the age of 25, that the self-described black and gothic actress is starting to feel at ease.
The daughter of English film director, singer and actress Jane Birkin, and French film director Jacques Doillon, Lou Doillon endured a lonely and sometimes unstable childhood, trailing her parents from one film set to another. “Because I very often had to keep myself busy while my parents were on the set, I used to play with anything that came to hand: the costumes and hats for the actors, the cameras and cables which were lying around… anything. That may explain my hyperactive personality!” she says.
Doillon complains that people usually have preconceived opinions about her even before meeting her. “I do not come from a wealthy family. Everybody has to work hard and nothing has been given to us because we were well known,” she insists. “The image the media gives of us does not help, but I do not particularly care anymore…”
She admits it was natural for her to become an actress, having been brought up in the film world. Although Doillon says she no longer sees the secret and magical side of film, she says she still wants to show “the other side” of cinema.
Is that why she often plays violent roles? “I do not choose the films I play in. It is life itself that chooses them for me,” she says. “Lately I have played in four very strange films. I cannot say whether I enjoyed acting in them since the conditions were unusual: short films with low budget; some of the directors did not believe in what they were doing… Sometimes I feel we put too much effort in a film, without any planning. For me the money and the budget are irrelevant in the making of a good film. The quality and the results are more important. What I really appreciate in French cinema is the respect the director shows towards the actors.”
Doillon enjoys the physical transformation often required for a particular role. As for the psychological preparation, she regrets that she does not always have enough time. For Douglas Buck’s remake of “Sisters”, she says she only had one night to prepare. (She also had to play two roles.) “I had not even seen the original film!” she laughs. “I do not panic. Cinema is a cocktail made up of many things; you have to be able to adjust to what happens at any time and follow the directions of the director who is the boss.”
Doillon says it’s difficult but rewarding to act in her parent’s films. Accepting their criticism is not easy, but the payoff, she says, is a closer relationship with her family. She says she found it particularly emotionally challenging to act in “Boxes”, a film directed by her mother and presented out of competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. The shooting took place in the family’s own house in the countryside. Doillon says she cried throughout the making of the film because of the warm, comforting relationship it helped her forge with her mother.
Doillon has worked with many directors including Douglas Buck, Abel Ferrara and Michel Blanc. She says she looks forwards to one day acting in a Spanish film. She states without hesitation that “Mamirolle”, by Brigitte Coscas, is a film that made the strongest impact on her. “I was only 15 years old at the time and I gave everything I had, with all my innocence,” she says. “It was an extremely violent experience but I really think that cinema should show us the way to questioning ourselves and lead us to see life in a different way. It is important to be ready and open to learn new things. I like this stimulation that keeps your brain ever active.”
Doillon I now trying her hand at theater. She is now reading “Lettres Intimes”, texts written by famous people such as Céline, Apollinaire, Edith Piaf, Napoléon, Maupassant, and others. Although she says she was quite intimidated by the idea at first, the experience ha been enriching on a personal level. “Every time, it was special and different,” she says. “This is what I like about theater. It was sharing emotions of the texts with the audience, even when I was going through a difficult personal time. One evening, I was reading after my child had an accident at the school in the morning. Another time, my father was in hospital waiting to be operated and I found myself laughing while reading some comical letters to the public.”
Every project Doillon takes on offers new challenges. The actress adores fashion and has worked as a model for several brands including Givenchy, Morgan, Eres, and Missoni. “The result is immediate,” she says. “The photo shoot lasts just for moment. It is a very pleasant ego boost!”
Doillon recently signed a three-year partnership with the British brand Lee Cooper, designing 16 pieces and accessories for the Spring/Summer collection inspired by her own dress style.
The collection, which will be distributed in Lee Cooper stores around the world under the “Globe–Trotter” theme, targets 16 to 24-year olds. “They are the ones who spend the most money on clothe,” she explains, practically.
Is she enjoying this new challenge as a designer? “Absolutely! Fashion is a message, a statement. It helps to explain the way we like other people to see us.”
Yet, this young designer does not read fashion magazines or watch TV, so her sources of inspiration are mainly films, books and paintings. Doillon admires Dior designer John Galliano’s attachment to a particular period. She says she wants to design what she cannot find in the stores and dislikes the artificial way clothes are made to look old.
Despite all her success, Doillon says she has one last wish: “If at least I could have a new chance, a bit of time before people judge me. I am, believe me, a person who really enjoys being at home, being a mother and a woman – the simple things in life.”
A big thank you to Luca* from The fashion Spot for typing up the interview.
